Howard Stern’s Fate at SiriusXM Remains Uncertain

Photo Credit: SiriusXM

Howard Stern is still in talks with SiriusXM to renew his contract, a recent interview with Andy Cohen implies.

The future of Howard Stern’s program on SiriusXM is still uncertain, and the man himself doesn’t seem to have any more insight than we do. In an interview with fellow SiriusXM host Andy Cohen, Stern reflected on his love of the satellite radio company and said he’s still in negotiations over the future of his contract.

He also implied that if he does maintain his program at SiriusXM, he plans to take “ownership” of the company in some form, as he owns stock and helped build a subscriber base for the platform.

“I’m talking to Sirius right now about extending in some way, and if that works out, great, and if it doesn’t, great. I mean, not great; I love this company,” said Stern.

The legendary radio host talked about his move to Sirius back in 2006, at a time when, according to Stern, satellite radio only had about 200,000 subscribers. Sirius was also facing serious competition from rival satellite radio company XM, with which it later merged.

“Today, there’s this robust company that is broadcasting, and a guy like you comes on and you create Radio Andy, and they’re right-wing and left-wing and music,” Stern told Cohen. “And you know, there’s every kind of thing you could want, and I’m very proud of it. And if I do end up staying with this company, I’m going to take ownership of that.”

Stern would not directly answer Cohen’s question whether the vast archive of his show had come up in his negotiations, but Stern confirmed that he owns his archives.

“One of the things that I will tell you is that when I make a deal with Sirius, they don’t want me talking about it, and I don’t want them talking about it, but they do consider that material very important,” said Stern.

Last year, SiriusXM President Scott Greenstein said that even if Stern were to retire, SiriusXM would still have his vast library of content on-air “for a number of years.” This week, the company’s CEO Jennifer Witz said she believed negotiations with Stern would “get to the right place.”

Over the summer, rumors circulated that SiriusXM might not want to renew Stern’s contract, given his high price and less frequent broadcasting schedule. The 71-year-old Stern has also long been rumored to be retiring, especially given reports that his listenership has waned significantly in recent years. His five-year contract is up at the end of the year, and was estimated to be worth $100 million annually.