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I'm pretty sure. Not all the Stern staff are on vacation this week (I know Sal and Rich are in the studios). Howard mentioned having meetings throughout this week because there may be some big changes in the Howard channel lineup after Labor Day.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dolemite
Frankly, taking so much time off in his first year on Sirius is a bad business move. He should be trying to convince people to subscribe and while his show is massively improved over K-Rock, taking off half the summer and almost every Friday isn't going to do it. Nobody gives a shit about Bubba the Love Sponge, Ferrell, Riley Martin, Cabbie, etc., they're subscribing to hear new Howard shows. If someone's on the fence about signing up and they hear that Stern's off all the time, they might reconsider.
And, while Stern's so excited about his K-Rock tapes and the all-request weekend, I couldn't give a shit. All I see the tapes as are an excuse to play old shit and not to have to come up with as much new material. I really hope they just play the K-Rock stuff when it's relevant to what's going on and not as a crutch so they can be lazy. I've heard that shit already.
I dunno it's kind of cool to hear old shit and Gary puts a great spin on it with all his knowledge.
But I agree with the first paragraph. They really should be pulling a Jay Leno sort of schedule here (if you notice he almost never takes weeks off). At least for the first year.
Don't get me wrong, I like the old stuff when it's used moderation or in a historical context, especially on the Friday show. In fact, playing K-Rock stuff should be a huge part of the Friday show, moreso than recapping the past week. I just have no interest in hearing it replace what should be new content on the actual Stern show unless it somehow relates to current events.Quote:
Originally Posted by Diff-chan
I wouldn't mind Howard taking one Friday off a month, but every Friday off, along with four weeks vacation during the summer was ridiculous. I'm calling the Sirius line to complain if he takes off the Friday after Labor Day.
I'm a little surprised that Howard didn't do some promotion for Sirius during the summer (probably too busy vacationing at the Hamptons), but I remember he said there's going to be a huge marketing push during the Fall.
They've got the K-Rock tapes going now - they're playing a bit with some of the original voices from the Rocky & Bullwinkle show and it's hilarious. I'm impressed so far.
It's outrageous that a guy making 100 million dollars per year (plus 150 million in stock options) doesn't work fridays and takes 10 weeks per year off. Every show is filled with shameless "Sirius is a Godsend" segments, the rate of commercials is rapidly rising (which is no suprise with Mel Carmizan in charge; he's the reason Stern had 18 minute commercial breaks on K-Rock). The Howard 100 News is nothing more than a giant ego trip with no worthwhile content and I'm so tired of the Howard TV plugs. If I was paying for Sirius I'd have cancelled a long time ago; the only reasons I listen for free are Artie, Richard, Sal, and Crazy Alice.
I cringe everytime John Hine comes in, because of that played out "rich nerd" song and also how seriously he takes the show; who are these pathetic people that care about what Howard drinks while he plays chess online?
The rich nerd song is awesome. I find myself singing it in the shower sometimes.
The Marge Schott appology is so awesome. I'm enjoying the tapes more than i thought i would. My biggest complaint is they are playing way way too much music. It's like 1:1 bits to musical performances, but i don't give a shit about the music.
Listening to the tapes was better than I expected, especially since I'm hearing some of these bits for the first time. Some highlights for me.
* The Rocky and Bullwinkle sketch was fantastic.
* The story behind Fred's bachelor party. It was mentioned in bits and pieces throughout the years, but to hear the entire story (and the Gary bashing as he tried to call 911) was great.
* The Dabella Funeral. I was always curious to hear how Howard conducted these funerals when he beat his competition, and it was great listening to it. The fact that he did outside the Zookeeper's building was simply awesome.
* Conan O'Brien vs. the Jackie Puppet. I always heard about how awesome Billy West was, and after hearing this segment, I definitely concur. What made this segment even more brilliant was that Howard decided to throw Conan a farewell party when he came in because there were rumors in the papers that NBC was going to fire Conan after his first year in his late-night show.
* Howard and Gilbert Gottried call Jerry Seinfeld's answering machine. Gilbert is one of my favorite guests, and this bit Howard and Gilbert did (as Jerry Seinfeld Jr.) is now one of my favorites.
* The Gary Apology Tape. Now I've heard the tape here and there, but this was the first time I heard the tape in its entirety. Hysterical, but what made it better was that there was an audience in the studio when they first aired the tape. Gary was absolutely destroyed (and I mean, DESTROYED).
Good listening. Can't wait to hear the aftermath on Tuesday.
The all-request weekend was actually pretty cool, but I agree with Stormy that they played too much music. I don't care about Howard's musical guests. Just play the bits.
As for the complaint that the number of commercials was rising, I don't see it. Driving to work this morning, Stern cut to commercial and was back on the air in what seemed like 3 minutes. The breaks last as long as they need them to depending on what's going on.