Peril in the Air for Bush: Howard Stern

Ratings are up since about half of his show is now about why not to vote for Bush.

Stern has been at odds with the FCC for years, but these latest proposed fines, and the looming threat of more, have driven Stern to a new level of apoplexy ? and to broadcasting the most pugnacious anti-Bush vitriol anywhere in the mainstream media. In Stern's view, he is the victim of a witch hunt, singled out by an administration in the grip of fundamentalist Christian ideologues bent on morality regulation.

Although Stern's approximately 8.5 million listeners are often dismissed as overgrown frat boys, they might more accurately be called swing voters. They are overwhelmingly white and male, many are well educated and well off, and they vote. And millions of them listen to Stern's show in battleground states ? Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, Missouri, Tennessee, Florida ? where the election will be decided.

How bad is this hurting stations that dropped Howard - Gary comes into the studio to deliver some incredible ratings news from San Diego. It turns out that the Clear Channel station that dropped Howard?s show went from an 8.9 with Howard to a 0.7 without him.

BBC - Radio DJ Howard Stern has increased listening figures for his controversial US show, despite being dumped by six stations earlier this year.

The Howard Stern Show - website ratings also way up. Now second most popular celebrity site, after Oprah, with eight million visitors in two days.

Oprah herself is believed to favor Kerry and may slant some airtime his way. She is still mad about Karen Hughes and the White House slamming her on an Afghan trip she was too busy to go on and Bush's slopping mugging! ;-)

Stern and others have compared some language he was fined for on his show with some on Oprah's.