Recycled

Left Behind

Will we survive without Howard Stern?

Howard Stern recorded his final broadcast on terrestrial radio today. Starting Jan. 9, he will have two subscription-only channels on Sirius Satellite Radio, which has given him a five-year, $500 million contract. But will we miss him? Last year, Bryan Curtis assessed Stern and concluded that he’s already all washed up: “Stern’s trademark brand of public lechery—alternately focusing on strippers, porn stars, and dwarves—has been swallowed up by a wider culture of public lechery. Stern’s problem is too much success: He helped create a shock culture that makes him seem harmless by comparison. He’s a provocateur whose time has passed, a shock jock who shocks no one.”