Originally posted on July 14, 2024 @ 9:22 am

The Icons That Built America Recap for Shock Jocks

-This week’s episode of The Icons that Built America focuses on Shock Jocks….namely, Howard Stern.

-Forty years ago, radio was struggling to remain afloat and was looking for cheap content. Top 40 music was popular on the medium, with DJs trying to make a name for themselves.

-Jeff Christie was one of these men. He is better known to the world now as Rush Limbaugh. He wanted to make it in radio, but his father wanted him to go into law. Rush, alias Jeff, lasted less than a year in college and continued to pursue his dream by telling stories on air, often forgetting to play commercials and records due to talking too much.

-Rush gets fired and continues to pursue his dream….initially failing.

-Another man struggling in the field is a man named Howard Stern. He ends up on a radio station in Detroit, making $30,000 per year. He is only supposed to announce the next song, but he also wanted to talk and share his thoughts with the world.

-Despite this dream, he knew better than to rock the boat, since he had a family to support. To live his dream, he performed at a club, getting pelted by eggs and pushed by patrons. This is a pivotal moment for him….and would soon lead to him becoming the legend we all know as a household name.

-One day, a woman calls into the station and rants about the station. Howard plays into her game and finds out she is a dominatrix. He loves this and keeps talking to her to keep her on the phone.

-As an aside, Howard did X-rated puppet shows as a kid to entertain for his friends.

-Howard wants to do this kind of show, but the station manager is against it. He keeps trying it, but the station ends up being sold and becomes a country music station.

-Howard keeps his job, but leaves when he is no longer allowed to keep up his antics. He looks for new jobs and ends up in Washington, DC. He is told to follow certain rules, so he complies, while trying to find a way to do his own kind of radio.

-Little does he know that the strait-laced news reporter would be the one to help make this dream come true. The two developed a banter that would soon become a hit.

-The two became co-hosts and found different ways to push the limits. However, things become dicey when he makes a joke about a plane crash that people consider to be in poor taste.

-Howard brings the ratings, but he gets fired due to his antics.

-Rush is still trying to find his big break in radio and eventually gets a job reading news at the top of the hour. This time, he does it as himself, not Jeff Christie.

-Rush loved his job, but kept inserting his opinion into everything, costing him his job.

-Howard bounces back and ends up with a $200,000 contract at WNBC radio. The station is struggling with new competition, but Howard is determined to make a name for himself. He does this by having the first naked woman on air…describing every moment.

-Ratings began skyrocketing and took WNBC to #1. While people loved him, but the station manager isn’t happy with the content and puts him on a tighter leash—no sex, religion or politics.

-There was a head-to-head battle with Howard and the general manager, leading to a dump bell which would send the show to commercial if things got too wild.

-Howard took the battle on air, taking the bosses head-on. He kept pushing and pushing and ends up on top, with the manager even leaving his job.

-Rush is now in California to try out for a talk radio show. It is a massive hit and he ends up with a job. He is a one man show who talks about the news with his own opinion added in for good measure. He also accepts calls from listeners to add their own opinions and to debate with him.

-Rush soon had a huge impact on political radio, saying what people only discussed in the privacy of their own homes. Ratings soared and he soon ends up with a job in New York, namely, WABC radio.

-New York ends up being a challenge and he soon ends up with some enemies….to the point where he ends up having to move out of the hotel he was staying in.

-New York didn’t know what to make of Rush, but he wasn’t going to give in to their demands that he change. He instead took it to the next level, doubling down on his beliefs and opinions.

-Despite the controversy, Rush dominates the ratings and ends up going national, becoming the most listened to show in the country. He was raking in over 25 million dollars a year.

-Howard, for his part, loses his job at WNBC and goes on to work at K-Rock, which gives him more leeway on what he can do on air. WNBC would soon close down, while K-Rock would dominate the ratings.

-In 2006, Howard would go on to work in satellite radio, becoming a pioneer for the new platform. He would soon end up on TV, writing books and doing everything in between.

-Rush would also end up in the same boat, doing his own TV and books.

-The two ended up setting the path for the radio and podcasts we have today.