Just as he did last year as rumors swirled that he was in talks to become a judge on Fox’s “American Idol,” Howard Stern is relishing the spotlight as new rumors make the rounds that he is in negotiations to fill the open judge seat on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” (AGT). What he isn’t doing, though, is confirming or denying that any such talks are underway.
According to the Mark’s Friggin website, which provides a detailed rundown of Stern’s Sirius XM satellite radio show each day, the self-proclaimed “King of All Media” spent a great deal of Monday’s (11/14) show talking about the AGT rumors and playing various clips of news reports about the rumors.
“Everyone knows I love America’s Got Talent. I think it’s the greatest and I would be certainly honored to sit with Howie [Mandel] and Sharon [Osbourne] and judge these lunatics,” Stern said.
Were he to become a judge on AGT, Stern said, there would be “no nonsense” because he takes show business seriously. However, he said there is no deal with AGT. As to whether he is in negotiations on a deal, Stern said he would have no comment.
Stern did voice one concern about the rumors. He questioned why the Idol rumors last year had him being paid $35 million to become a judge, but now the AGT rumor is only $15 million.
Whether the AGT rumors are real or not, they’ve already gotten the attention of the Parents Television Council. The self-styled guardians of America’s broadcast airwaves are warning NBC not to hire Stern.
“If the rumors are true that NBC is considering the addition of radio shock-jock Howard Stern to the ‘America’s Got Talent’ judges table, the result will be the alienation of tens of millions of advertising dollars. Such a move smacks of desperation by the once-proud peacock network. Any short-term buzz from Stern’s shock value will result in a longer-term decline as families abandon the show for more suitable programming,” said a statement from PTC President Tim Winter.
RBR-TVBR observation: Howard loves to be in the media spotlight, so he’ll be encouraging AGT speculation until a replacement for Piers Morgan is actually named. And we, with this article, are just contributing to Stern’s media manipulation.
