Howard Stern Revisited

Salon and a number of other publications, including this one, are stating that one of the reasons Howard Stern may have been pulled in strategic Clear Channel markets is not the same old crap he's presented every day of his broadcasting career.

Instead, charges Howard and some others, it was only after (just 3-4 days after) Howard returned from a vacation to go on the warpath against the Bush Administration, stating we needed to get him out of the WH, did Howard get canned.

Howard, in the past, has tended to favor GOP candidates: Pataki, Whitman, and Schwarzenegger. And except for going against Bush, those who listen to the show tell me that Howard's schtick and MO had not changed one bit. They question the timing of the kill: the same week Howard actually spoke out against Bush, coupled with the cushy comfort between the Bush family and the owner of Clear Channel.

It would be interesting to see if this conflict kills Howard altogether, redefines him as a more political commentator on issues (albeit still trying to appeal to the same audience), or the brouhaha just dies off.