Howard Stern is not returning to his Siriusxm show this week as previously announced ..
The 71-year-old TV company informed his 95 employees via e-mail on Labor Day that he would not be back on the air on Tuesday, despite teasing a comeback after the summer earlier in August, according to Daily Mail.
Sources described the carefully formulated message as “out of the blue” but designed to avoid alarming employees.
In addition, Insiders suggest that Stern’s decision comes from frustrations over ongoing contract negotiations with Siriusxm.
His current five-year-old $ 500 million agreement is set to expire at the end of 2025, potentially ending a two-year race with the satellite radio giant.
In addition, it is also said that the veteran “Shock Jock” is busy with personal affairs, including the declining health of his mother, Ray Schiffman Stern, who will be 98 in October.
According to the business, Stern has previously spoken on-air about her fight with chronic pain and calls it “heartbreaking.”
Speculation about his return was intensified after Stern suggested in mid -August that he would tackle his future on September 2nd, which was given questions about retirement, cancellation or renewal of the contract.
Critics, including former employee Steve Grillo, rejected the structure as an advertising stunt, while others pointed to Stern’s dwindling audience compared to his top from the 1980s – 2000s.
Once known as “King of All Media”, Stern’s terrestrial radio program drew 20 million weekly listeners at its height.
According to the publication, Estimates now sets its Siriusxm audience as low as 125,000.
Furthermore, Siriusxm President and CCO Scott Greenstein have previously said that Stern will determine the time of his own exit, “As many great artists he is able to stop when he wants.”
