howard stern

Few radio personalities have affected contemporary radio like Howard Stern. The self-proclaimed “King of All Media” has enjoyed success in film, television, and books, but his radio career began in New York at station WRNW/Westchester County. After a stint at WCCC/Hartford, Stern moved to WWWW/Detroit in 1980 and made the momentous decision, in his own words, to “cut down the barriers... and be totally honest” with his audience.

Stern’s radio personality took a giant step forward in 1982, when he joined the staff of WWDC/Washington and hired local reporter Robin Quivers to talk about current affairs. The show became famous for a combination of candor, humor and raunchiness that routinely got Stern into trouble but also led to big ratings. In 1985, Stern moved to WNBC/New York — with the city’s highest-rated program for seven consecutive years — and began syndicating his show nationally. In 1992, he became the first radio personality to be number one in New York and Los Angeles simultaneously.

In 2005, Stern’s concerns over what he saw as increased censorship from the FCC and station management led him to leave WXRK and move to Sirius Satellite Radio, where he launched two channels dedicated to his show.

Howard Stern was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2012.