Man, I miss Howard Stern on WNBC. Like, really miss him. Back when radio wasn’t just a graveyard for car ads and weather drones, Stern was out there on Channel 4’s airwaves—well, not Channel 4, that’s the TV part, but you get me—WNBC 660 AM, shaking things up. Now? It’s all gone, and I’m sitting here whining about it like some old geezer. Let’s unpack this mess.
The Glory Days (Or Whatever)
Okay, so Howard Stern hit WNBC in—what, ‘82? ‘83? Something like that. Point is, he rolled into New York like a tornado with a mic, and suddenly radio wasn’t just elevator music or stiff suits reading news. The guy was nuts—crude, loud, totally unhinged. You’d tune in and he’s ranting about boobs or yelling at some caller, and it was gold. Pure, chaotic gold.
WNBC wasn’t ready for him, though. They were all “we’re a serious station” with their fancy NBC pedigree, and then here’s Stern, farting into the microphone or whatever. I mean, he got fired in ‘85—big surprise—after too many fights with the suits. But those years? Man, they were something.
Why It Worked
Stern on WNBC was like catching lightning in a bottle—or maybe a beer can. He had Robin Quivers tossing zingers, Fred Norris doing… Fred things, and the whole vibe was this sloppy, beautiful mess. You’d hear him roasting some guest, and it felt real—not this polished podcast crap we get now. It was New York, raw and loud, and WNBC accidentally let him run wild for a minute.
And the fights! Him vs. management was better than any soap opera. They’d try to rein him in, he’d push harder—classic Howard. No wonder they canned him, but damn, it was fun while it lasted.
What’s Left? Nada.
Now WNBC’s gone—well, the AM side anyway. It’s all sports talk or something boring now, I don’t even keep track. Stern bolted to K-Rock after, then Sirius, and good for him, I guess. But that WNBC era? Dead and buried. You can’t even find decent clips unless you’re some archive nerd with a tape deck. I miss flipping the dial and hearing him just… go off. Nothing fills that hole, y’know?
Today’s radio’s too safe. Too many playlists, too many “family-friendly” hosts who sound like they’re reading a script for toothpaste. Stern was a middle finger to all that, and WNBC was dumb enough—or smart enough—to let him loose.
My Whiny Take
I dunno, maybe I’m just old and grumpy, but I miss it. Howard Stern on WNBC was like your crazy uncle crashing a wedding—messy, loud, maybe rude, but you couldn’t look away. Now it’s all corporate mush, and I’m over here like, “bring back the chaos!” Won’t happen, though. He’s off counting his Sirius millions, and WNBC’s a ghost. Sucks, man. Really sucks.