Howard Stern in Demand
Sound, vision, strippers: Soon, no part of Howard Stern's frowned-upon-by-the-feds broadcasts will be left to the imagination.
The talk host has sealed a three-year deal with In Demand Networks to bring the various wardrobe malfunctions of his long-running radio show in all their uncensored glory to video-on-demand digital cable, it was announced Wednesday.
The move dovetails with Stern's upcoming jump from over-the-air radio to satellite radio. In both new homes, satellite radio and video-on-demand, the Federal Communication Commission's frequent target will answer to neither government regulators nor advertisers regarding language, nudity or content.
In other words, Stern will be what Daily Variety called Stern back in 1994, on the occasion of his, well, let's just say colorful pay-per-view TV special, The Miss Howard Stern New Year's Eve Pageant: "Howard Stern unchained."
Here's how the video-on-demand service will work: Starting later this year, digital cable users will be able to order a Howard Stern channel from their local cable providers. Deals are already in place with Comcast, Cox and Time Warner to carry Stern, with more cable systems expected to follow, In Demand said.
On the Howard Stern channel, subscribers will be able to access about 20-25 hours of ever-shifting Stern content--the previous morning's radio show, maybe the previous few week's shows, maybe a special. No pricing has been set, although there has been talk of a $10 a month introductory plan.
In Demand will begin turning its cameras on Stern "as soon as possible," network spokesman Eric Duncan said. The timetable means In Demand's footage will cover the final days of Stern's broadcasts for Infinity Broadcasting, and the first days of Stern's transmissions for Sirius Satellite Radio, which begin in January.
New language and clothing liberties aside, "I don't think Howard's show is going to change all that much," Duncan said.
E! Entertainment Television, which had produced an oft-pixilated TV version of Stern's radio show since 1994, parted ways with the host in June. Reruns of Stern's E! years continue to air late nights, Monday-Saturday. (E! Online is a division of E! Entertainment Networks.)
Previous to the In Demand deal, the only at-length way to see Stern's show in the raw was through Movielink.com, which offered downloads of uncensored E! footage. That deal has since lapsed.
Meanwhile, back at the radio show, Stern regular Artie Lange said on air Monday he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon despite skipping two days of work last week in what HowardStern.com described as a "mini-meltdown."
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