NY- With just over six months to go before Howard Stern moves to subscription-only satellite radio, station manager Daniel Cook has been struggling to find a replacement for Mr. Stern's morning show broadcast by KBZZ in Reno, Nev., for over 10 years.
"We've been pulling our hair out, trying to come up with a game plan," says Mr. Cook, recounting conferences attended, shows tuned into, and pitches heard -- all aimed at finding a new host. "There are some possibilities here, but I just don't have anything."
Mr. Cook shares his dilemma with the 37 other stations around the country that air Mr. Stern's show. Finding a successor who won't leave advertisers and listeners flipping the dial is a tall order and few stations are confident they have found the solution. Last year, six Clear Channel Communications Inc. stations had to drop the legendary shock jock's show to comply with the company's anti-indecency policy; most fell sharply in Arbitron Inc.'s station rankings.
While Mr. Stern isn't the first big-name host to leave the broadcast airwaves, he is the biggest to step down since the renaissance of talk radio that began in the 1990s. His departure leaves the key morning drive slot without a dominant nationally known personality.
But waiting in the wings is a band of lesser-known talk radio hosts eager to fill Mr. Stern's shoes and prove that his departure from regular radio isn't disastrous for stations. The leading candidates come with a variety of credentials, including skill bantering about 1980s hairdos, stunts involving bodily fluids and off-color on-air chitchat that has prompted fines by the Federal Communications Commission.
Many people associate Mr. Stern primarily with strippers, lewd language and trouble with the FCC, and those are the first traits aspiring successors imitate. But some industry observers say Mr. Stern's success is rooted more in his ability to talk with intelligence to anybody -- from rock stars to waitresses -- and cover fresh ground with even the most jaded celebrity.
"He's edgy, he's got charisma, and he's a fearless interviewer," says Michael Harrison, the editor of trade publication Talkers. The mostly alternative rock stations that run Mr. Stern's morning show rely on it to set up the cutting-edge atmosphere they hope will draw in listeners all day long.
His imminent departure also risks leaving many radio stations without the steady revenue Mr. Stern provides. In a top five market, Mr. Stern could bring in as much as $10 million in extra local advertising revenue. That more than makes up for the base fee of $2 million to $3 million a large-market station would have to pay Mr. Stern to air him. While other shows are less expensive, they don't bring in the same advertising money.
On the flip side, his departure represents an unusual opportunity for radio talent that aspires to the national status Mr. Stern commands today. Yet few people believe any one person could instantly fill his shoes.
"Whoever you put in there, even if the personality is great, he's not Howard Stern," says Bob Ausfeld, general manager of WQBK in Albany, N.Y., who is among those scrambling for a replacement for Mr. Stern's show.
Joel Hollander, chief executive of Infinity, says his chain will not use a single replacement across the 27 Infinity stations airing his program. Infinity is already seeking to distance itself from Mr. Stern.
Many Infinity stations, including flagship WXRK in New York, have removed Mr. Stern's image from the home pages of their Web sites, forcing viewers to look harder for the first mention of the star.
Many stations are considering enlisting an existing syndicated show that does well with Mr. Stern's core audience, 18- to 54-year-old men. Top contenders in this category include Chicago-based Erich "Mancow" Muller; Tom Griswold and Bob Kevoian of the Indianapolis-based "Bob and Tom Show"; and Shane French of Cleveland-based "Rover's Morning Glory."
Mr. Muller already has kicked into high gear. In recent months, he hired a new publicist and syndicator, Central Point, Ore.-based Talk Radio Network FM Inc. Now, his show airs in 18 cities, including the #2 radio market, Los Angeles. That's double the number about a year ago.
"It's going to be the biggest morning show in America within 18 months," he brags, demonstrating the self-promotion traditionally key to success in the shock radio genre.
Mr. Muller is perhaps best known for a previous gig in San Francisco where one of his sidekicks got an on-air haircut in the middle of the Bay Bridge, tying up traffic during rush hour. That exploit resulted in a class-action law suit against his employer.
Mr. Muller is also well known at the FCC, which has fined him for indecency on five separate occasions. But since being fined $7,000 in 2002 for airing a song called "Smell My Finger," Mr. Muller has cleaned up his act considerably. "I had strippers on my show, I had porno stars on my show," he recalls, saying the novelty has worn off. "They really have nothing to say."
While talking with a stripper or porn star in itself doesn't land a host in hot water, it can if the FCC judges the conversation "patently offensive as measured by contemporary community standards." Radio companies complain the rule lacks clarity, leaving them guessing what is indecent. The result: while their hosts still discuss sex and bodily functions, they shy away from the detailed descriptions that might have slipped by before a renewed crackdown on indecency began last year.
These days, Mr. Muller is more likely to engage in anonymous phone pranks or hold fast-paced conversations with movie and television stars. He recently put two pizzerias claiming to be Chicago's best on the phone with each other, forcing them to debate who truly deserved the title.
The Bob and Tom Show, while often bawdy, also steers clear of any material that could land them in trouble in Washington. Recent shows have spoofed grunting during the Wimbledon tennis tournament. The duo often discusses obscure cultural trends such as the mullet, a hairdo popular during the 1980s, and men's pants that hang too low in the back, revealing too much flesh.
Mr. Griswold and Mr. Kevoian's show is already broadcast in 150 different markets around the country. But where Mr. Stern shines in giant metropolises like New York and Los Angeles, Mr. Griswold and Mr. Kevoian do well in midsize and smaller cities.
Generally speaking, their show caters to a less-sophisticated audience. On a recent morning they asked a guest what the television upfronts were, referring to presentations TV networks give advertisers about new shows. By contrast, Mr. Stern's program regularly discusses Nielsen television ratings, rarely providing explanations.
Because its markets are smaller, the Bob and Tom Show falls far short of the estimated 8.3 million weekly listeners Mr. Stern has nationally, according to Talkers. Also, the hosts tend to attract a slightly older crowd than Mr. Stern. Their syndicator, Clear Channel Communications's Premiere Radio Networks, declined to comment.
Mr. French's talent is less proven, with his show airing in just three markets: Cleveland, Columbus, Oh., and Madison, Wisc. It just started in the last two, but Mr. French has held his own against Mr. Stern's show in Cleveland. At 29, Mr. French is younger than any of the other contenders, potentially making him a longer-term bet.
Regular highlights on Mr. French's show include a cast member known as Dieter who takes on shocking dares each Friday. A recent segment involved Dieter and an intern drinking shots of medicine to induce vomiting. The intern gagged first and had to drink Dieter's vomit.
In the end, some station managers, including Mr. Cook in Reno, would like to eschew syndicated talent altogether for a homegrown program. "It would be great to have a local show," he says. Station staff could use "a person we could go out and do events with."
