Love him or hate him, Howard Stern could be coming to an iTunes near you, if a recent tweet is to be believed. The shock jock king's contract ends with Sirius/XM this year, so rumors are starting to show up about where he could be headed next.
It began with what started out as a tweet on Thursday, that started to gain a bit today, stating that Stern was close to signing a three-year, $600 million deal with Apple in an effort to host a show on iTunes.
Of course lo and behold, there has been no comment from either Apple's camp or from Stern's.
J.D. Harmeyer, Stern's producer was quick to tweet: "There are no sources/links backing it up. Until there are I have my doubts."
We also know how Apple CEO Steve Jobs is trying his best to keep adult content out of the iPad and iPhone app stores, but that hasn't exactly been limited in iTunes as far as music and video go.
When Sirius brought Stern aboard at the time, they had given him $500 million, but that was more because the company needed someone with name recognition at the time.
Whether or not the claim has any merit remains to be seen, and should probably taken with all grains of salt possible. It could still allow for some interesting discussion, however. What do you think readers? Could Stern ever see the light of day on iTunes? Would you tune in? Feel free to leave your thoughts below!
via San Jose Business Journal
Follow this article's author, Matthew Tilmann on Twitter
(Image courtesy of macdailynews.com)
urgetech
December 10, 2010 at 1:46am
Quality Research Custom Papers Services to help students write essays, term papers, research papers. Buy custom research essay, custom term papers, thesis and dissertation writing.
Hubbard
December 06, 2010 at 11:02am
Although I dont get the chance to listen to HS anymore since the only car we have that has Sirius is my Wife's car, I think it would be cool. However I just dont see Apple loosening up enough for Howard. Remember, that's why he left regular radio in the first place, he was too censored.
Also you have to look at issues like the fact we still cant even buy magazines through Apps like Zinio that "might" show a damn boob! How will Apple see their way clear to allowing Howard to throw F-bombs all day? Or maybe this is just the thing we need to advance the evolution of the App Store into a real free market place that allows the consumer to decide what is appropriate and what is not.
thehive
December 06, 2010 at 8:06am
I agree with @robjkelly34. I am a long-time Stern listener and would definitely listen if he came to iTunes or whatever. So, while there are many people who love to hate Stern and his programming, they seem to fail to recognize that there is an army of people who feel otherwise.
That said, IMHO the real benefit to Apple isn't so much the audio content (which would be nice), but the ability to bring HowardTV to AppleTV exclusively. If Stern is able to bring along even half of his listeners/viewers to an exclusive AppleTV distribution channel, he could help propel the AppleTV product to the same heights that he did with Sirius (which was losing badly to XM prior to Stern's arrival).
The obvious conflict here though is (as noted), Jobs' feelings regarding Adult content and Stern's show, but frankly, some soft-core adult content can be found within Netflix's streaming app, so I don't really see too much of a difference.
robjkelly34
December 05, 2010 at 6:25pm
@mikespostoffice....
Really? This is whats America is becoming, judgements based on no actual fact. Oh no, my kids might hear it!!! How about being people becoming more honest with each other and realize that we don't always have to hide from the truth. That's what people like yourself believe. And if you've ever listened to Howard Stern, that's what you get. The truth. And adult programing that you don't have to listen to.
Oh yeah... have you heard the new Eminem that you can buy on iTunes? It's loaded with more hateful, homophobic, and more laciest comments than Howard Stern.
So, mikespostoffice, you don't have to listen.
That's what America was founded upon. Maybe you haven't heard of the 1st Amendments?
lordthree
December 05, 2010 at 6:34am
I can't imagine why Apple would pay him anything. They don't pay Adam Carolla
thehive
December 06, 2010 at 8:10am
Adam Carolla doesn't have nearly the command of audience that Stern brings to the table. To that end, I don't believe that Carolla negotiated with Apple for anything. He is simply tapping into podcast distribution like anyone else.
mikespostoffice
December 04, 2010 at 11:42pm
Howard Stern is disgusting. I heard him on FM in the old days, and, no, I would not listen to his depravity for entertainment. We're all depraved but it's bad form to wallow in it and broadcast one's perversions for a buck (or $600 million alleged). I don't think it's true, anyway. iTunes certainly doesn't need him (commercially speaking) as seriously as Sirius needed him for $500 mil at the time. And iTunes certainly doesn't need a creep like Stern lurking around to tarnish its image, either. Stern ought to be paying others to allow him to spew - not the other way around.
