Howard Stern - Tv Personality, Facts and Life

Howard Stern was born in Queens, New York City, USA on 12 January, 1954 to Ben and Ray Stern. He was brought up along with his older sister, Ellen, in the Jackson Heights neighborhood of Queens. Howard was an extrovert, while his sister was comparatively quiet in going about her routine.

His father, Ben, served in the US Army and later took up a job as a radio engineer, while his mother, Ray, worked as an office clerk and later became a Respiratory therapist.

A year after Howard was born, his family moved to Roosevelt, New York where he completed his studies. He attended Washington-Rose Elementary School and later went to Roosevelt High School. He also attended Hebrew school and was given the name Tzvi, a famous Jewish name.

As a youngster, he was interested in marionettes and conducted puppet shows to entertain his friends. He also took piano lessons and formed a band called ‘Electric Comic Book’ along with his friends. He was the lead pianist and vocalist for the band.

He also visited his father’s recording studio and was influenced by radio artists like Bob Grant and Brad Crandall. He wanted to become a radio jockey from the age of five and persuaded his father to build a make-believe studio at the basement of his house, where he entertained his friends.

Because Roosevelt was witnessing a rise in the dominance of the black community, his family moved to Rockville when he was 15 years old. There he attended the South Side High School from where he graduated in 1972.

He went on to complete a degree in Communications at Boston University where he worked at the campus radio station. He started off by playing music and reading news to his listeners and later went on to host interviews and live shows.

He finally earned a first class radio-telephone operator license from the Federal Communications Commission which got him his first professional job with WNTN Network, Massachusetts in 1975.

Stern started his career as a marketing executive for the New York advertising agency, ‘Benton & Bowles’. He later joined the creative department of the agency. However, he always knew that he belonged to a radio station and hence started looking out for jobs in the entertainment field.

He got a job as a radio salesman from where he worked his way up to handle a four hour midday shift at the radio station and later became its production director. Along with his production work, he started engaging in commercials and comedy which made him famous among his listeners.

His first independent show was with the radio station, ‘WWWW’. Though the station was not doing well, his work was recognized and he went on to win the Billboard Award for Album Oriented Rock Personality of the Year in 1980.

Despite his best efforts, ‘WWWW’ was going nowhere and hence Stern had to quit his job. He then went on to host the morning shows of ‘WWDC’ in Washington, DC. His show became an instant hit and he was offered a five-year deal with the company. Stern took up the contract and also agreed to host an afternoon session with ‘WNBC’. Though he had several differences with the management, his shows were widely appreciated and his ratings soared in America.

In 1984, he went into a contract with ‘WNBC’ and made his debut appearance in the television talk show, ‘Late Night with David Letterman’. He was also featured in the People magazine that boosted his popularity among his fans. However, his differences with the management continued, which resulted in his contract being terminated in 1985.

After being fired by ‘WNBC’, he started doing live performances in clubs and other venues that brought him closer to his fans. It was not long before he was offered a contract by ‘Infinity Broadcasting’. Around the same time, he was also offered an afternoon slot by ‘WXRK’ music station.

By 1986, Stern began to venture more into television and appeared as a host for several shows including ‘The Late Show’, ‘Howard Stern’s Negligee & Underpants Party’ and ‘The Howard Stern Show’.

In 1993, he struck a deal with ‘Simon and Schuster’ and wrote his first book titled ‘Private Parts’ which became a bestseller. This was followed by another book titled ‘Miss America’.

He founded the ‘Howard Stern Production Company’ for original film and television production and joint development ventures in 1994 which was recognized as one of the top production companies.

His television shows include ‘The Howard Stern Show’ (1987) and (1990 – 1992), ‘The Howard Stern Interview’ (1992 – 1993), ‘The Howard Stern Radio Show’ (1998 – 2001) and ‘Howard Stern On Demand’ (2005 – 2013).

He has appeared in a couple of movies like ‘Ryder, P.I.’ (1986) and ‘Private Parts’ (1997).

Stern released a few hit albums like ‘50 Ways to Rank Your Mother’ (1982), ‘Crucified By the FCC’ (1991) and ‘Private Parts: The Album’ (1997).

In 1998, he won the Blockbuster Entertainment Award under the category, Favorite Male Newcomer for his performance in ‘Private Parts’.

He won a Special Achievement Award at the 2000 Adult Video News Awards.

He was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2012.

In August 2015, Stern was named the highest paid media personality by Forbes.

Stern married his Boston University sweetheart, Alison Berns, at the Temple Ohabei Shalom in Brookline, Massachusetts on 4 June, 1978. They have three daughters named Emily, Debra and Ashley.

In October 1999, he decided to live separately in an apartment in the Upper West Side of Manhattan due to work pressure. He later settled for an amicable divorce in 2001. In the intervening period, he dated Angie Everhart and Robin Givens. Later, he entered into a relationship with television host and model, Beth Ostrosky, whom he married in October 2008.

Stern got hooked on Cannabis, Quaaludes and LSD. He then suffered from obsessive compulsive disorder until his mother introduced him to Transcendental Meditation which got him back on track.

Stern gave himself the title, ‘King of all Media’, in 1992, which was widely accepted.

In March 1994, he filed a nomination for the post of Governor in New York, but later withdrew his candidature as he did not want to disclose his income.