Finding complete, unedited recordings of the 2004 broadcast year can be challenging for digital collectors.
On that morning's broadcast, Stern made the historic announcement that he had signed a five-year, $500 million contract with Sirius Satellite Radio, effective January 2006. howard stern 2004 archive
Here is the reality check for the archivist: Finding complete, unedited recordings of the 2004 broadcast
Feature Concept: "The Great Defiance: Howard’s Final Terrestrial Stand" His job was to scrub the hum from
Elias wasn't just an archivist; he was a forensic listener. His job was to scrub the hum from the "King of All Media’s" most volatile year. As he hit play, the room filled with the familiar, nasal staccato of Howard’s voice, younger but already weary of the FCC’s tightening noose.
The fallout was immediate. Clear Channel permanently dropped The Howard Stern Show from six of its stations in major markets, including Pittsburgh and San Diego. John Hogan, president of Clear Channel Radio, stated that the show had "created a great liability for us and other broadcasters who air it" and that the risk of license revocation was too great to bear. Stern, ever defiant, responded in a fiery statement, decrying the actions as a "McCarthy-type witch hunt".
However, Stern's success had not come without controversy. He had been embroiled in numerous high-profile feuds with celebrities, politicians, and even his own employers. In 2002, he was fired from his long-time home at WNEU in Boston, and his show was subsequently syndicated to over 60 stations across the country.