Stern: ‘I Have Personal Lines Where I Won’t Go’

Without the tough restrictions of the FCC and his bosses at Infinity Broadcasting, Howard Stern has said that he hasn’t yet ruled anything out as too outrageous for his show on Sirius Satellite Radio, the New York Times writes. However, Scott Greenstein, president of entertainment and sports for Sirius, said that Stern has a history of knowing where to draw the line, and Stern himself said, “I have my own personal lines where I won’t go.”

Stern said that of his two channels on Sirius, one would focus on various spin-offs of his morning show featuring his regular cast as well as prominent listeners. The other channel will feature both established and new hosts that will push the bounds of decency as Stern himself does.

Since Stern announced last year that he was leaving traditional radio for Sirius, his ratings have slid in nearly every one of his major markets, Mediaweek reports. His audience share among adults 25-54, according to just-released Arbitron ratings, was down by double digits in six of his nine top markets compared to a year ago, and his total number of weekly listeners took significant hits in 7 of the top 9, particularly in Washington, D.C., the city that helped launch him to fame. His show on Infinity Broadcasting’s WJFK-FM saw a drop among that demographic by 37 percent, and his weekly audience dropped by 31 percent.