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The daily Stern: X day in Congress

47 comments on The daily Stern: X day in Congress

The daily Stern: X day in Congress

: THE INDECENT BILLS: Congress is voting on its new censorship bills multiplying fines for indecency today and Howard Stern threatened to resign when Bush signs the legislation: “If he signs this, I will effectively resign that day.”

: STERN’S REQUIRED READING: Stern puts up a list of required reading on his site.

(Hey, Gary, you need a weblog. I’ll help you set it up!)

: POLITICAL F-BOMB: If John Kerry slipped and dropped an F-bomb (as he has been known to in print) would he be fined $500,000?

: FINE HIM II: This just in: A broadcast general manager slipped and used one of the seven dirty words (the S one) in a Congressional hearing hosted by the guy pushing the indecency bill. So should he be fined $500,000? Should C-Span be fined $500,000? If Howard Stern gets fined, why shouldn’t these guys; equal protection and all that. Where’s the line? How far does this go? Just asking. [via Lost Remote]

: CONGRESSIONAL SUPPORT: Rep. Gary Ackerman (D, NY) called into the show this morning to offer his support.

He and Stern noted that it’s amazing how fast these bills have rolled through Congress. How long did it take to start a Department of Homeland Security after we were attacked and thousands killed? How long did it take to get this legislation passed after Janet Jackson exposed a metal-clad breast? Some people — namely, our legislators — have a damned skewed view of what it means to protect the American people. By this scale, a boobs are a more urgent risk than bombs.

“Howard Stern is not a threat to our democracy,” Ackerman said. “The people who are changing the rules are a threat to our democracy.”

: CONGRESSIONAL SUPPORT II: The other day, Rep. Jos

47 responses to “The daily Stern: X day in Congress”

  1. Theodopoulos Pherecydes Avatar
    Theodopoulos Pherecydes

    “When you allow mature people to create, you get creativity.”
    So Stern’s output is from a mature person and should be called “creativity”. I’ve seen more maturity from the kindergartners referred to.
    Bury this foul-mouthed, loud-mouthed cultural terrorist under a mountain of censorship and contumely. Faster. Faster.

  2. Dan Herzlich Avatar
    Dan Herzlich

    [Jeff, will you please offer a winksite version of your blog. These long posts make it a pain to navigate on the Treo. TY]
    DH – Brevity is the soul

  3. susan Avatar
    susan

    HBO creates the best shows on TV?
    Stereotyping Italians, bloody body bashings, inane dialogue, promoting criminal acts, idolizing thugs is creative?
    Don’t get me started on the stupidity of “Sex in the City”
    Television has created a bunch of brain-dead potato heads who believe shock therapy equals creative freedom.
    David Mamet was correct in saying that Hollywood has lost the art of storytelling. Now, it simply relies on shock to get your attention and your money.
    If HBO is the standard for the best of television, the audience is being ripped off.

  4. anne.elk Avatar
    anne.elk

    Now every conversation on [ClearChannel] will be disjointed and syncopated
    If that includes Hannity and Rush, that’s been the case for some time now.

  5. SSG B Avatar
    SSG B

    HBO pays measley wages? Isn’t James Gandolfini making like 800k per episode? Sure he’s at the top-level of cable performers, but thats still a whole hell of a lot of money. I just don’t buy your contention that HBO exists as an outlet for creative people oppressed by broadcast TV. Most nights my 8 different HBO channels are showing a rerun of Sopranos/6 feet under/Oz/Arli$$/Curb Your Enthuasim/whatever show is currently in circulation, a movie out of the theatres for a year, a children’s movie, something in spanish, and a movie out of theatres for 5 years. Not much creativity there.

  6. James Stephenson Avatar
    James Stephenson

    Hey Jeff, Reid Stott takes you behind the wood shed and give you a good beating.
    http://www.photodude.com/weblog/2004/march/08_dead_man_talking_and_talking_and_talking.shtml
    Maybe you should read it and comment on it. After all he makes a lot more sense then the black helicopter theories you and Howard are spouting.

  7. sol Avatar
    sol

    This morning the Democrats started their exploiting of Howard’s stupidity. They sent some congressman hack to call in and ‘confirm’ it’s all Bush’s doing. According to the Democrat congressman Bush and this ‘bullies’ are sitting in the Oval Office thinking about Howard Stern and how to take him down. Howard drank down all of it. Robin putting in her typical 20-point I.Q. offerings all along the way. Hopefully, this can only garner votes for Bush. The people in America that are so stupid to be buying any of this were stupid long before Bush ever entered the White House.

  8. Reid Avatar
    Reid

    “Hey Jeff, Reid Stott takes you behind the wood shed and give you a good beating.”
    Not at all. Jeff is mentioned once in the second paragraph of over 3,000 words, and in a non-flammable manner. And if I was going to be taking somebody behind the woodshed, they’d be a lot prettier than Jeff…

  9. Jeff Jarvis Avatar
    Jeff Jarvis

    Sol: Stern made clear that it is both Democrats and Republicans who are doing this.
    The Taliban Caucus.

  10. hen Avatar
    hen

    bush was behind the redistricting in Tx? Ackerman comes on stern to bash bush?? wow. stop the presses, we have an exclusive.
    i hope bush does sign whatever legislation stern is whining about just to see him say “i said i was going to resign, but i decided to stay and fight” YAY! and all the idiot whack packers who hang on to stern’s words as if they were gifts from God will rise up as one scream “BOOBIES!” as a sign of defiance to the evil Bush administration.
    someone needs to buy a clue.

  11. Mike Rich Avatar
    Mike Rich

    so Rep. Gary Ackerman and Stern are surprised that a bill to increase FCC fines goes through faster than a bill to create a whole new cabinet level Government agency? That’s surprising to them. Obviously Ackerman is pandering to Stern as Stern bashes Bush for regulations that have been in place since Stern took to the airwaves.
    And anyone want to place a bet that Stern doesn’t resign when and if Bush signs this legislation?

  12. Eric Avatar
    Eric

    What will happen if/when he goes to satellite and he doesn’t bring down the Radio Industry?
    And liked when he was comparing himself to the murderers Che, the Weather Underground.

  13. Trump Avatar
    Trump

    Sol: Stern made clear that it is both Democrats and Republicans who are doing this
    Did you hear the same intrview I did Jeff? Stern railed against Bush and the religious right (with Ackermans encouragement) the whole interview. Oh…he threw in a 2 second line that the Dems were as bad as the Republicans, then went right back to bad mouthing Bush and the religious right. Blink and you missed it.
    At any rate, after that interview- which contained some of the most ignorant and stupid political takes I have ever heard, I did something I have not done for over a decade. I switched the channel. Maybe I’ll listen tomorrow, maybe not. Maybe I’ll watch this blog for reports that Stern has decided to stop his constant whine whine whine and go back to being funny. I simply cannot take it anymore.
    I have written the FCC and my local congressman in SUPPORT of the actions taken against Stern. I wasn’t going to bother, but after hearing the depths of ignorance Stern is spewing, I had to take action. He has his bully pulpit, so I decided to use the means available to someone like me, who doesn’t have the privilege (not right) of hosting a daily radio show , to speak out. Whatever happens to him, I no longer care. I seriously doubt he’ll actually resign like he threatened though.
    In closing, I would just like to give Howard “Free Speech” Stern 3 words: OPIE AND ANTHONY. Pot. Kettle. Black.
    And Baba Booey to y’all!

  14. Charlie (Colorado) Avatar
    Charlie (Colorado)

    : HE STARTED IT: Yesterday, somebody questioned who start this movement to multiply fines for “indecency.” Powell called for it in January.
    Assuming you mean this January, that’s rather a good while after Copps’ 2002.

  15. Charlie (Colorado) Avatar
    Charlie (Colorado)

    : THE INDECENT BILLS: Congress is voting on its new censorship bills multiplying fines for indecency today and Howard Stern threatened to resign when Bush signs the legislation: “If he signs this, I will effectively resign that day.”
    So Howard plans to quit in protest of being “forced off the air”? Does he then plan to cut off his nose to protest being kind of funny looking?
    By the way, you can call the House at (202) 225-3121. If you’re serious about this, you might call your Representative.
    In the mean time, might I remind you that there is a war on?

  16. hen Avatar
    hen

    “war”? no what matters is that howie stern gets to say disgustingly sexist and racist unfettered over our public airwaves – THAT’S what is important to those in the know.

  17. Trump Avatar
    Trump

    war”? no what matters is that howie stern gets to say disgustingly sexist and racist unfettered over our public airwaves – THAT’S what is important to those in the know
    I thought gay marriage was the over-consuming topic in our nation. I love the way the left wants to distract us from anything war related. And you want to trust these people with our national security? Yeesh

  18. Trump Avatar
    Trump

    HBO creates the best shows on TV
    The best shows on TV:
    Simpsons
    24
    The Shield
    Curb Your Enthusiasm

  19. No Avatar
    No

    Whoa…Jeff. Is this topic keeping you up late at night…or what? Are your posts long enough? Whew. Seems like commenting is way down. Beating a dead horse and all that. What is surprising is that you NEVER look at the other side, nor do you ever respond to the commentators who take the other side. I’d just like to see you address at least the very clear prospect that Howard’s doing this for the ratings. He’s been fined over $1.4 million (well, he didn’t pay it, the company did) in a single incident years ago…the press he got for that fine greatly–and positively–impacted his ratings. He doubled his ratings in our market–you couldn’t buy this kind of press for $1.4 million…they laughed all the way to the bank.
    Second, refer to the Federal Communications Act. Starting as the Radio Act of 1928, and enhanced in 1934 (FDR) there has been a strong declarative sentence: “The airwaves belong to the people.” Individual (and conglomerate) stations are owned by the people, the license holder is given a term of use…but must prove, each and every one, that they respond to the public. The FCC is the arbiter between the people and the station. When people complain…the FCC is required to respond and to weigh the public’s interest and community standards. The local community is allowed to establish it’s own standards…and these may differ in various markets. Because the airwaves ‘belong to the people.’ It’s our bandwidth, by law and regulation. The law requires responsiveness from broadcasters using the public airwaves. Period.

  20. Anti-Stern Avatar
    Anti-Stern

    I called Stern a few weeks back and told the screener I wanted to discuss Opie and Anthony with Stern. I was told Stern doesn’t discuss them and was hung up on.
    Freedom of speech indeed

  21. Glenn Fleishman Avatar
    Glenn Fleishman

    Mr. Solomon’s ruling raised an even-larger firestorm than Bono’s original statement. The FCC received 234 complaints about Bono’s on-air expletive; Mr. Solomon’s ruling drew 237,215 letters to the agency.
    Really, 237,215 paper letters? Or email? It’s so easy for groups to arrange this “we sent this on your behalf” mails that are virtually identical that that means practically nothing. As opposed to the 200,000 comments on the attempts to hijack the organic food labeling laws (which was repelled) which apparently did come from mostly unique individuals.

  22. Tex Avatar
    Tex

    Agree w/ Jeff or not – when he posts, he’s finding things are new, and posting them. All the FCC-backers – your dissent registered, unless you have something new to say, can you stop comment-spamming? You keep repeating yourself.

  23. Mumblix Grumph Avatar
    Mumblix Grumph

    Ok, here it is, short and sweet:
    On scrambled or pay stations: Go Nuts! Swear up a storm!! and gimmie lotsa boobies!!
    On UN-scrambled or free stations: Keep really gross profanity out. (The kind of language that would get bleeped here)
    Any questions?

  24. trump Avatar
    trump

    All the FCC-backers – your dissent registered, unless you have something new to say, can you stop comment-spamming? You keep repeating yourself.
    Tex, you trying to stifle our freedom of speech?? :)

  25. KMK Avatar
    KMK

    What is the difference between the Bono curse on NBC and the Ritchie curse on Fox? They both used the same word. The FCC is going to review their finding in re Bono but I haven’t heard a peep about Ritchie.

  26. BtB Avatar
    BtB

    Good God Jeff! For a hackneed washed up writer (my Lord man–you wrote idiot reviews for TV!) you need to get over your bad self…
    There is some humor in your lost world of tin foil delusions (cue Jaws theme: “Next it’s YOU!, you stupid reader who is Blind to the Nazi Government figure pounding on your bathroom door..”), but this rant that you woke up and found your Oracle of Truth threatened by a government motivated not by worries over their next election, but sinister plots cooked up by right-wing zelots whom you hate; and your sicophantic licking of Stern’s boots as you try ever so hard to look like a “BIG THINKER” for your leftist friends is overwroght and overlong.
    You are wrong. You are a dupe to a petulant twit given far too much freedom over MY airwaves.
    Get yourself and Stern a soap box (like the one mom used to wash your mouth out), trot out to the public square and spew your filth to the millions who demand to hear you. But do not think you have a lock on MY airwaves: when OUR government (read: you and me, unless Jeff, like so many of your ilk, you do not vote) gave MY airwaves to companies free of charge, they changed the dynamic. It has been so since Victrola began, no matter how idiotic your assertions are (and you ASSert so much dribble and falsehood in these rants–no wonder you lost your real writing job –oops, come to think of it, the NYTimes is looking for your kind of looney thinking!).
    Get over your bad self (and Bad you are, trust me). Try to move past your fixation on Stern, or at some point acknowledge your errors (at least by May 7, 2004 and arbitrary date far enough in the future to shoot down your idiotic full faith in Stern’s claim; cause my bet is by that date Stern will STILL be on MY Airwaves talking about anus painting, who’s mom is screwing other women, and why black guys have such bid tools. Then Jeff, you can be happy and reassured that you still can hear your god of goodness–you want your MTV E! and other such tripe, you will always have it.) So take my bet, write a long and heartfelt appology to all the Stupid people you look down on when this May (and sadly, next May) Stern is STILL spewing filth over MY airwaves. The Stupid people did not start this fight, we just know who is right and who is wrong.

  27. James DiBenedetto Avatar
    James DiBenedetto

    Here’s a question: if HOward Stern is so f’ing smart and saavy and all that, how come neither Jeff nor any of his defenders ever wondered if maybe Howard’s “anybody but Bush” act is just that?
    That maybe after Boobgate, Howard knew the fines would be coming down, and started railing against Bush to (1) possibly scare the Administration into making the FCC back off for fear of looking like they’re trying to silence dissent, or (2) pre-emptively make himself a martyr?
    Isn’t that easier to believe than a grand, evil FCC conspiracy to squelch anti-Bush political speech?

  28. Charlie (Colorado) Avatar
    Charlie (Colorado)

    Good God Jeff! For a hackneed washed up writer (my Lord man–you wrote idiot reviews for TV!) you need to get over your bad self…
    Hedre, now. I used to like Jeff’s reviews. I even recognized his name when I first found his site.

  29. TC Avatar
    TC

    Hey, Jeff,
    If the consolidation of media sources is such a bad thing, how come you practice it in your professional life?
    I live on Staten Island. Damn near everything you put on our local paper’s website comes out of you Jersey homebase. I mean, get real. You can’t find a Soprano fan on Staten Island? Or a sportswriter?
    You are as bad as Clear Channel. You decide what gets published. Then you step back and say “I’m just a blogger.”
    Yeah, right.

  30. daudder Avatar
    daudder

    It’s good to see free speech in action, even if it is personal, off-topic or smartly critical.

  31. daudder Avatar
    daudder

    Trump: The best shows on TV:
    Simpsons
    24
    The Shield
    Curb Your Enthusiasm
    none of these survives your decency test. all would be very different after they are subject to fines and “censors”

  32. trump Avatar
    trump

    Trump: The best shows on TV:
    Simpsons
    24
    The Shield
    Curb Your Enthusiasm
    none of these survives your decency test. all would be very different after they are subject to fines and “censors

    Daudder-
    Get real. 2 of them are on cable, and are not subject to the rules of public airwaves. As for the Simpsons and 24, since they’ve both been around for awhile, can you please show me where they have broken FCC rules?

  33. No Avatar
    No

    Jeesh…I’ll keep it as off-topic as the thread has grown (re: daudder, et al) and dump on their taste in television. Simpsons jumped the shark seasons ago, so did 24 late last year. So did (sob) Curb Your Enthusiasm this season with the defanging of the politically incorrect rants of Larry. Now it’s all about electric cars and softballing racial and ethnic material, mocking anglo golf clubs, yadda yadda. What ever happened to ‘are you my caucasian’, Wagner, Cobb salads and wheelchairs, Jeff’s porno stash. Now Larry’s just sick of sleeping with his wife! Yeah, as if.
    Sopranos seems to be staging a comeback (Buscemi!) as has the underrated new Practice (Betty White! Give her an Emmy) with James Spader’s arrival…though the recent Dedham pol plot was a little weak in the courtroom and distracted from the sexual anxieties of Spader (tip of the hat to the film ‘The Secretary’–right, David Kelly?

  34. Robert S. Avatar
    Robert S.

    In the interest of “fair and balanced” reporting, let it be known that Bush has dropped the F-Bomb before, too: “Fuck Saddam. We’re taking him out.”

  35. daudder Avatar
    daudder

    Trump, Simpsons show naked cartoon butt all the time…that’s just wrong!
    And tyhe point of the Stren debate is his show has been doing the same thing for 10 years…and NOW they get upset…they’re coming after the Simpsons next, just wait!

  36. Mike Rich Avatar
    Mike Rich

    Stern has been doing the same thing for 10 years, true. But, he has also been fined almost every other year throughout those 10 years. So why is this debate about how NOW they are upset with Stern?

  37. daudder Avatar
    daudder

    Not true, Mike. Sterns’ last fine was a decade ago. He appealed it for years and Infinty finally settled.

  38. Robert S. Avatar
    Robert S.

    Jeff already linked to http://www.stopfcc.com/ but I want to point out that there’s a petition you can sign there saying you “pledge our support for freedom of speech and expression on our airwaves, print, the Internet, broadcast, cable and satellite.”

  39. Robert S. Avatar
    Robert S.

    “When you allow mature people to create, you get creativity.”
    So Stern’s output is from a mature person and should be called “creativity”. I’ve seen more maturity from the kindergartners referred to.
    Theo, who says you get to provide your own definition of creativity and then expect the rest of us to buy into it?
    Besides, if having creativity were a hurdle one had to clear before making it onto radio or television, there’d be a lot more dead air.

  40. HH Avatar
    HH

    The new UPN toon Game Over had to cut out a naked cartoon butt…

  41. Trump Avatar
    Trump

    So Jeff….Kerry claims his comments about the “most lying and crookedest bunch ever) were about talk radio- Hannity and Limbaugh and NOT the administration (a weak excuse of there ever was one, but he’s a Democrat so the media will gove him a free pass) but my question is why you’re not going nuts blogging about how a Presidential candidate is trying to chill dissenting speech???

  42. APEX Avatar
    APEX

    Al-Qaeda has just claimed responsibility for the bombing in Spain. [sarcasm]I am soooooo going to to vote for Kerry to support Howard.[/sarcasm]
    It will be interesting to see how Howard spins the terror situation when Kerry is so obviously the wrong man for that job.
    The free speech situation is potentially scary, but I think Howie is barking up the wrong tree…
    A

  43. shark Avatar
    shark

    Al-Qaeda has just claimed responsibility for the bombing in Spain
    Maybe kerry can serve them arrest warrants!

  44. Kate Avatar
    Kate

    *sigh*
    I thought it was sad when Kevin “Bush Was Awol” Drum launched his blog off the deep end a few weeks ago.
    This is sadder.

  45. Chris A. Avatar
    Chris A.

    Why is Howard Stern all of a sudden this Bush hating extraordinaire? I’ve found it interesting that since he read Franken’s book, he’s almost done a complete 180 on his feelings about the war and Bush. Now this is not to say that Al Franken doesn’t make persuasive arguments in much the same way that Falwell’s arguments about the Teletubbies were persuasive, but isn’t it a little suspect that a grown man who has as strong a feelings as Howard does decides all of a sudden that Franken’s word is god? Would Stern really have us believe that this book was really the impetus that led him to believe that Bush was in fact the devil that he now daily portrays him to be? Listening to Stern lately (even before this obviously BIPARTISAN legislation and harangue began) you would think that he had completely switched sides from what has made him popular in the eyes of millions of middle income, (predominantly) white men. The same men, who overwhelmingly vote Republican, hate Al Franken, detest political correctness, and enjoy the cacophony of boobs and sex on his show. I find it interesting that no one comments on this (more or less) complete transformation from freedom loving conservative libertarian that actually ran as a Republican at one point (remember?) to a Bush-hating, anti-Republican, free-wheeling supporter of the Democratic Party.
    So my question is this: why has Howard Stern changed? I have theories. You may call it crazy, but I honestly think this is a lame ploy to stir up controversy again to make a buck. Stern has always been a lightning rod of controversy. The only problem is that he has not only encouraged it, but has actively sought it out whenever possible. It

  46. Charlie (Colorado) Avatar
    Charlie (Colorado)

    I

  47. sol Avatar
    sol

    “It’s a persuasive point. Sadly, sometimes defense of free speech includes defending morons.”
    The whole thing just makes this Stern listener want to vote for Bush all the more.