Radio ta-ta!
Howard Stern has laid off around a dozen staffers from his SiriusXM show, Page Six hears, because he’s preparing to drop to just one new show a week after Labor Day.
After months of speculation about his future on the air, the radio titan signed a new contract in December of last year that he said would give him more “flexibility.”
Per our sources, staffers received the news over Zoom on Monday.
During the call, they were told that Stern plans to cut back to a single show per week after he returns from his summer break.
We’re told Stern kept a core team of veteran producers, but “he just doesn’t need that much content anymore.”
The rest of the air time is expected to be filled with tape from his vast archive.
It’s unclear how much the deal was for, but his previous five-year contract was worth a staggering $500,000,000.
We’re told the staffers were sent home immediately after the call and will receive severance packages according to how long they’ve been with the network.
Stern caused a frenzy last year when he announced to his staff on Labor Day evening that he wouldn’t be back on the air as expected after the holiday, the Daily Mail reported at the time.
He reportedly skipped the episodes out of “frustration” with contract negotiations.
When he did re-up for another three years in December, he said on his show, “I am happy to announce that I have figured out a way to have it all.”
“More free time and continuing to be on the radio,” he added, saying his new contract will give him more “flexibility.”
“I do like my days off. You know me, I’m never bored. I’m busy every minute.”
Shortly after the deal was inked, Stern’s wife, Beth, said on Andy Cohen’s Sirius show, “I think his new schedule is working out really well for him.”
“I feel that it’s very good for him to continue. He still enjoys doing it. He’s still, I think, very good at it. I think it keeps him connected,” she said, adding it gives her husband, 72, an “outlet” to share his thoughts.
Stern first went on the air in 1977. He pioneered the shock jock formula and went on to become one of the sharpest interviewers of A-list talent to ever work the airwaves. He then joined satellite radio network Sirius in 2006, a landmark deal in the broadcasting world.
Reps for Sirius did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
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