To the Brink of Tears

Howard started the show announcing that he once again couldn’t get back to sleep after waking up at 2 a.m. Howard explained that the reason for his inability to sleep this morning was because of his interview yesterday with Ed Bradley for the “60 Minutes” piece set to air at the end of November or beginning of December.

Howard commented that he wasn’t sure he did well during the interview and admitted that Ed almost made him cry at one point. Howard reported that the problem started when Ed asked him about his relationship with everyone who works on the show and that he was able to snap out of it only because Ed changed the subject right away. Howard mentioned that he’s looking forward to the second part of his talk with Ed later today so that he can say some of the things he left out yesterday.

I Read the Ads Today, Oh Boy

Howard announced that, according to an article he read, Infinity Broadcasting had purchased the entire ad content in the most recent issue of the trade publication, “Advertising Age,” with one full-page spread claiming that Howard’s brand of humor has gotten old. Howard pointed out that the company never advertised for him during their 20-year relationship, which he felt made his high ratings even more impressive. Howard also noted that the spin Infinity is trying to put on him and his ratings is starting to have an effect and that even Ed Bradley asked Howard why his numbers were slipping as of late.

Howard commented that not only does he have to deal with censorship and 22 minutes’ worth of commercials every hour, but his total number of stations has been drastically cut the past few years. Howard argued that, even with all of this, he’s still managed to maintain his number one ratings. He added, though, that with his departure looming, he’s being lambasted by the very people he helped make successful.

Howard insisted that Joel Hollander, the president of Infinity’s radio division who has been taking shots at Howard this past month, continue to purchase all the smear ads he wants, because soon he’ll see just how important Howard is to the company. Howard then revealed that Joel’s original plan was to get Chris Rock and Jon Stewart to replace him, but instead had to hire David Lee Roth and Adam Carolla, among others.