Despite the hype surrounding Stern's debut, the show's ratings are down more than 15 percent from last year.
By Gil Kaufman
Howard Stern
Photo: MTV News
Over the past week it has felt like Howard Stern was everywhere. The self-proclaimed "King of All Media" was doing his best to make that title sing in the lead-up to his debut as a judge on "America's Got Talent," by doing a rare publicity swing of talk shows and feature interviews.
He was excited and he wanted America to be excited, and by the looks of the blanket ads, billboards and promotional stunts, NBC clearly thought that adding the controversial shock jock to the mix on the family-friendly show was going to be big news. Stern did his part , delivering a warmer, fuzzier version of his outrageous radio persona on Monday night's two-hour debut and earning almost universal praise for his playful, personal touch.
The ratings, however, were another matter. According to overnight figures from Nielsen, Monday's show was seen by 10.3 million viewers and earned a 3.6 rating, which was solid, but meant that viewership was down 33 percent (from 15.3 million) and ratings fell 16 percent from last year's debut (4.3).
Stern spent a while on his SiriusXM satellite radio show on Monday tamping down expectations for the first night's ratings, mixing a cocktail of his own self-deprecation with the cold-hard facts about the competition. According to Entertainment Weekly unlike last year, when "AGT" bowed at the end of May and was paired with the first season of "The Voice," Monday night's episode went up against the one-hour season finale of "How I Met Your Mother," as well as the season finales of "Two and a Half Men" and "Mike & Molly." Oh, and it also had to contend with the penultimate performance night on "Dancing with the Stars."
While the ratings may not have been the kind of slam-dunk success NBC was hoping for, Stern may have one less potential headache to deal with (for now). After lambasting NBC for hiring Stern for the show , citing the broadcasting veteran's more risqué radio bits over the years, the Parents Television Council was mostly mute when reached by MTV News on Tuesday (May 15).
"My understanding was that he was actually very clean," said Melissa Henson, director of communications and public education at the PTC. While she was unable to watch the show, Henson said she was glad to hear Stern toned down his act, "because it's a family show and that's what's appropriate. I'm glad he decided to rein it in or maybe the bosses at NBC told him to do that. I'm not surprised by that ... maybe he's initially keeping it clean so he can say, 'I told you so.'"
That doesn't mean Henson and her group have put their guard down, though. She said Stern's safe-as-milk debut doesn't change what she called NBC's track-record of misogyny, citing last year's swiftly canceled "Playboy Club' series and Stern's reputation for sexually-explicit radio programs.
"He may keep it clean on 'AGT' for a couple of episodes, or maybe the whole season," she said of Stern. "But that doesn't change the fact that for most of his career has been one of the most misogynistic entertainers out there."
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