King of All Media Loses His TV Show

By Stephen M. Silverman

Thursday November 15, 2001 09:55 AM EST

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Howard Stern's weekly syndicated late-night series, populated by lesbian strippers and the like, will end its three-year run on Saturday, reports Variety, which quotes the show's syndicator, King World, as saying that the decision to end TV's "The Howard Stern Radio Show" was the shock jock's own. Still, other factors are believed to have come into play, such as falling ratings and content that left something to be desired. The show first debuted in August of 1998 and caused an uproar from critics and, initially, because the pace of radio is different from that of TV's, some viewer impatience. Not that Howard, 47, and his motley crew weren't often entertaining. Still, ratings were never anything to write home about. The show, which has been in repeats since August of this year, premiered in about 70% of the country's TV markets. That has since dropped. (In many markets, the show airs on CBS-owned stations.) In the 28 markets where the show's ratings are measured, it has reportedly averaged a 1.7 rating so far this season, down 15% compared with this time last year. But rest assured, Stern will not go completely missing from the tube. His E! "The Howard Stern Show" will continue.