Gone for a Day

November 9, 2005

After a 20-minute montage of songs, many of which had goodbye as their theme, Howard addressed yesterday’s suspension. Howard explained that after he finishes a show, he doesn’t like to talk to anyone and instead retreats to his office where he meditates and recharges.

However, when Howard finished Monday’s show, Tom Chiusano pulled him into the green room and announced that he had bad news. Since Tom seemed to be emotional and shaky,

Howard admitted that he thought the announcement had something to do with his health, but soon found out that wasn’t the case.

When Tom informed Howard that the reason for his suspension had to do with his frequent discussions about SIRIUS, Howard said he didn’t understand the logic behind the move.

Howard went on to explain that he has had several discussions with Tom and Joel Hollander in regard to what he’s allowed to say about his move and that he felt he has always followed their agreement.

Howard then mentioned that he felt like he was in high school when he found out he had been suspended and that one of his first thoughts was to call his parents, who he was concerned might be upset when they heard the news.

However, Howard didn’t get in touch with them and noted that he didn’t give the situation much thought until he listened to that night’s broadcast of the Howard 100 News.

Meeting of the Minds

Howard commented that Tom suggested the two of them meet with Joel and Howard’s agent, Don Buchwald, yesterday to try to clear the air. Because of the hostility that Howard and Joel were feeling toward one another, Howard said that Tom secured a neutral location at a restaurant for their meeting.

After shaking hands and saying hello, Howard mentioned that he sat quietly at first because he wanted to hear what everyone else had to say about the matter.

Howard mentioned that Don had a few opening remarks and then Joel took the floor. Joel’s main concerns were that he was being insulted on the air and that Howard was talking about SIRIUS too much.

Howard said when it was his time to speak, he pointed out that he had a great time working for Infinity, but that he decided to leave because he wasn’t able to do the kind of show he wanted anymore.

Howard added that he mentioned he was a gentleman until Joel took out a full-page ad in a trade paper that was a shot at him and continued to badmouth him in interviews. Howard then commented that Joel told him he is one of the greatest radio talents of the past 50 years, which made Howard wonder why he didn’t say things like that during his recent tirades.

Howard went on to note that whenever he feels attacked, he fights back and this was a time that he felt like he was under fire.

The Lines Are Redrawn

Photo: The Howard Stern Show

Howard explained that he talks about satellite on the air as often as he does because it’s consuming so much of his life that he has no choice but to mention it. Howard went on to say, though, that Joel told him that there’s a difference between bringing up SIRIUS in a conversation and pre-promoting it, which he accused Howard of doing.

Howard said he accepted Joel’s remarks and that they went over the rules again as to what the boundaries of discussion are. Howard also noted that he and Joel decided that they’d call each other in the future and discuss their problems to avoid the possibility of this kind of incident happening again.

Damned If He Does, Damned If He Doesn’t

Howard commented that he wanted to play some of the Howard 100 News that talked about his suspension, but he wasn’t sure if he could because of the number of times SIRIUS was mentioned by name in the report.

Howard also pointed out that he was upset with a story the News gave about his recent shopping trip to decorate his SIRIUS office. Howard explained that he had a $10,000 budget from the company and that he didn’t want to spend more than that. Howard then revealed that he was criticized by someone the News interviewed for not only buying all his furniture from one place, but for not exceeding the budget he was given.

The person said that it would have been a good thing for him to go over budget because by filling his office with expensive furniture, it would’ve showed his commitment to SIRIUS.