Haven't you guys learned when you are being taken for a ride?
Howard has done this kind of schtick his entire career. In fact, he has built his career on fighting with his employer, his family, his listeners...
I have listened off and on for the last twenty years. I must have heard Howard announce he was going to walk out when his contract ended at least 20 times.
Do you remember his movie? What was that scene where the manager is reviewing his numbers and says something like, "The people who like him listen for an hour a day! And the people who hate him listen for two!!"
The economics alone should tell you that this is pure bull. They're going to let him walk from a $170 million a year revenue generator to one which at best, even if his show got every dime from every subscriber would be $60 million? (600,000 x $10 a month x let's just use 10 months instead of 12)= $60 million.
Oh please. As much as people love Howard, I don't think enough of his listeners are going to pony up $200 to $300 for equipment plus $120 a year just to hear him. And Clear Channel isn't going to let him go quietly into the good night. They know who butters their bread.
Is Howard going to give up ad revenues? Those satellite broadcasts don't have commercials, as I understand. Are you going to pay and still listen to those 10 minute commercial breaks on his show? I don't think so.
He won't survive in a place where he can say whatever he wants. He can do that now-- it's called a forest. He doesn't want to do his show in the middle of a quiet forest. He wants to keep chucking big rocks into the pond by your house.
So my prediction is that Howard will learn to live with both media. There is some stuff that he can't do now on the public airwaves that he would like to do. But there is no way you are going to get him off of the public airwaves unless you physically drag him away from the mic.
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