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Howard Stern Could Be Thorn In Bush's Side
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| DaveSZ |
http://mensnewsdaily.com/archive/ne...oward-stern.htm
Howard Stern Could Be Thorn In Bush's Side
By Michael Illions
Talon News
April 16, 2004
The self-proclaimed "King of all Media," Howard Stern, has gone on the offensive in his fight against the FCC and President Bush. The FCC recently fined Stern just under $500,000.
His web site, which was not often updated or even mentioned by Stern and his people, is now being used to target Stern's two biggest enemies, the FCC and President Bush and to a lesser extent, Clear Channel, who dropped Howard Stern after being fined by the FCC.
Redesigned and updated frequently, the Stern web site now features links to some of the more left-leaning Internet entities, such as the Nation, the Memory Hole, Slate, and Bush Watch.
This approach has hit a chord with Stern fans, as the web site received 8 million visitors over a 2 day period last week. With links to Rock the Vote, How to Register to Vote, and John Kerry's web site, Stern's fans are now becoming political activists, and that could be a problem for President Bush, come November.
Tom Taylor, editor of Inside Radio agrees.
"Stern can use it as a way to energize his fan base and turn them into activists," Taylor said. "It's almost as if the FCC crackdown has radicalized Stern in the old '60s political sense."
With nearly 8 million listeners and Howard Stern leading the way, what kind of factor could this anti-Bush tactic be?
"I think Stern will be a huge factor because he has tremendous credibility among millions of people who will vote, but fall into the undecided column," said Talkers magazine publisher Michael Harrison.
>>>http://www.howardstern.com/ |
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| Boomer187 |
yea ive been following stern for a bit.
it gets interesting. :). |
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| DaveSZ |
I'm still hoping Roy Moore will throw his hat in the ring, but I don't see it happening. :D
He's still trying to get teh 10 Commandments back in his courthouse though.
:haha: |
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| beema |
stern used to be a big Bush supporter, and the FCC left him alone for years
Now that he's started going on the offensive against Bush (starting last year) FCC decides to attack him...
coincidence? I think not... |
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| TwoPlow |
| Anyone But Bush '04 |
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| Tranc3 |
| Damn! The entire first page is anti-Bush! |
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| Billabong |
| quote: | Originally posted by Tranc3
Damn! The entire first page is anti-Bush! |
Thats the way it should be. |
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| DaveSZ |
http://nypost.com/business/18886.htm
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April 16, 2004 -- The Federal Communications Commission is expected to fine Infinity Broadcasting roughly $1.5 million as early as next week for airing material from the Howard Stern radio show that the commission deems indecent, The Post has learned.
Viacom, Infinity's corporate parent, plans to dig in its heels and fight the fine, sources say. The move is in sharp contrast to radio giant Clear Channel, which recently buckled in the face of FCC pressure and booted Stern from its radio stations.
A spokesman for Infinity indicated the company has no plans to drop Stern but declined comment on how the company would react to a potential FCC fine.
Last week, the FCC fined Clear Channel $495,000 for airing indecent comments on an April 9, 2003, Stern show on six of its radio stations. The FCC has been investigating Infinity stations' airing of the same show, which, in typical Stern fashion, featured discussions of anal and oral sex.
Stern has blasted the government crackdown on indecency, calling it a "McCarthy-type witch hunt."
Viacom is expected to fight the fine on First Amendment grounds, as well as arguing that Stern's comments do not meet the legal definition of "indecent," sources say.
As the fight, which pits one of the nation's largest media companies against the FCC, plays out in the coming months, the larger indecency debate is likely to become an issue in the presidential campaign.
The FCC began its campaign against "indecency" on the airwaves in the wake of the uproar over Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" during the halftime show of the Super Bowl in February.
Viacom President Mel Karmazin has publicly backed Stern in comments to Washington, D.C., lawmakers investigating indecency.
In 1995, Infinity agreed to a $1.7 million settlement for airing indecent comments on Stern's show.
Under current law, the FCC can levy fines of as much as $27,500 per violation. (The recent Clear Channel fine represented 18 violations stemming from various comments on Stern's show.) The House of Representatives has approved a bill that allows fines of as much as $500,000 per violation, however, and the Senate is also considering raising fines.
While many have speculated Stern may flee Infinity and move his show to satellite radio - and thus out of reach of the FCC - sources say for now that he is staying put and that Infinity is prepared to wage a long battle with the government in support of him.
Still, satellite radio would love to have Stern - both XM and Sirius have said they are interested in carrying the show. And Stern is said to have considered raising money from investors and starting his own pay-radio channel to broadcast his show.
Once Infinity receives the proposed fine from the FCC, it has 30 days to respond, at which time it can either pay the fine or go to court, where sources indicate the matter will likely be settled.
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