NEW YORK – Howard Stern announced Wednesday that he is taking his morning radio show to satellite radio.

Stern will join Sirius Satellite Radio starting January 2006 in what is being billed as a five-year, multimillion dollar contract.

Calling satellite radio “the next big thing,” Stern said on his morning radio show that commercial radio is no longer a safe haven for shock jocks like him.

“The SuperBowl did us in,” said Stern, a reference to this year’s half-time show when Janet Jackson exposed her breast during a live performance. Viacom-owned CBS, which broadcast the game, was fined $550,000 last week for the incident.

“It’s time to go,” Stern said on his program. “I believe more in satellite than I do in radio.”

Stern said he plans to finish out his contract at Infinity Broadcasting, a unit of Viacom, which ends late next year.

Sirius (SIRI: up $0.11 to $3.35, Research, Estimates) stock jumped in pre-market trading.