Summary4 min read

Podcast Summary:

Your Podcast Consultant: Podcast Tips To Avoid Podcasting Mistakes
Episode: How Did Howard Stern Lose His Audience?
Host: Dave Jackson
Release Date: July 24, 2026
Episode Length: ~9 minutes

Episode Overview

In this episode, Hall of Fame podcaster Dave Jackson explores why legendary radio host Howard Stern lost a significant portion of his audience in recent years. Through a mixture of analysis and personal reflection, Dave draws lessons for podcasters about audience engagement, the risks of divisive commentary, and the potential consequences of making strong political statements on air.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Howard Stern’s Legacy and Shifting Appeal

Dave’s admiration: Dave opens by declaring his long-standing fandom and respect for Howard Stern's interviewing skills, calling him "the best interviewer, period. Hands down." (00:48)
Audience reach: Stern’s transition from traditional radio (with 11 million daily listeners) to satellite radio initially maintained much of his audience, but numbers have since diminished due to inconsistency and less frequent shows.

2. The Controversial Turning Point

Change in Show Frequency: Stern now broadcasts only once a week, prompting Dave to suggest it “is almost like, why not just retire?” (01:28)
The Political Shift: Stern’s move from mainstream to more extreme political views, particularly veering "far left," is identified as the turning point where he alienated the moderate center of his fanbase.
The "Point of No Return" Quote: Dave highlights a specific 2020 broadcast where Stern made an explosive remark to Trump supporters in his audience.
- Howard Stern (audio clip, paraphrased):
  
  "I’m talking to you in the audience, the Trump voter... He despises you... I hate you for voting for him... I hate you. I don't want you here."
  (02:45)
Dave’s reaction: Dave is shocked and disappointed, remarking,

“Holy cow. So obviously, I don’t think you would ever say that. And I’m still scratching my head because he always talked about how much he loved his audience.” (03:14)

3. The Risks of Polarizing Your Audience

Lesson for Podcasters:
- Talking politics is inherently risky unless your show is specifically about politics.
- “If you want to watch your numbers drop, start talking about politics.” (03:26)
- Even in explicitly political shows, realize: “50% of the potential audience is going to hate you.” (03:37)
Amplified risk at the extremes:
- “When you go far left or far right, you’re going to lose that middle.” (01:54)

4. Advice for Podcasters

Be Yourself, but Be Mindful:
- Dave encourages authenticity while cautioning against attacking the audience.
- “Be yourself, voice your opinion, and be okay that not everyone’s going to agree with it. But I would strongly recommend you never tell your audience you hate them and you wish that they would tune out.” (04:25)
Microphone is Always On:
- Dave underscores the permanence of published audio.
  
  “Once you publish something, the Internet writes in ink... Somebody probably took a screenshot, and somebody has that file on their phone.” (04:18)

5. Support for Podcasters

Coaching Offer:
- Dave encourages those seeking to refine their on-mic presence to work with him, highlighting resources at School of Podcasting with a special coupon offer.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

On Stern’s interviewing:

“He gets stories out of A-list celebrities that nobody else will.” (00:55)
On audience alienation:

“If you really want to lose your audience, start talking politics.” (01:42)
Direct quote illustrating Stern’s divisiveness:

“I hate you. I don’t want you here.” — Howard Stern, cited by Dave Jackson (02:57)
On online permanence:

“... the Internet writes in ink.” (04:16)

Notable Timestamps

00:48–01:56 | Dave’s respect for Stern, overview of Stern’s radio career and shift in audience
01:56–02:45 | The dangers of talking politics, and Stern’s move “far left” as the breaking point
02:45–03:14 | Stern’s controversial on-air rant against Trump supporters (quote provided)
03:14–04:25 | Audience reaction and the importance of not alienating listeners; core podcast lesson
04:16–04:25 | Dave’s warning: what you publish is permanent online

Takeaways for Podcasters

Talking politics can deeply divide and shrink your audience unless you’re intentionally a political show.
Extreme stances and attacking segments of your audience can irreparably damage your brand—even for seasoned pros.
Be authentic but think before you speak; there's no undo button on the Internet.
Respect your listeners—even if you disagree with them.

For more guidance on strengthening your presence and message as a podcaster, Dave Jackson invites listeners to visit schoolofpodcasting.com.

This summary omits ads, introductory/outro banter, and non-content material to focus on actionable lessons and the episode's core message.

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Transcript5 lines

[00:01]
A
The fun thing about podcasting is you can say whatever you want and people will claim free speech. And that's true. But you're not free of consequences. And today, I heard something that I can't believe I heard. And it explains why Howard Stern has lost a huge amount of his audience.
[00:23]
B
Welcome to your podcast consultant, Small lessons with big value. With more than a decade of experience and millions of downloads, this hall of fame podcaster is a featured speaker, author, and mentor to thousands. Now he wants to work with you. He's your podcast consultant. Dave Jackson.
[00:49]
A
I am a huge Howard Stern fan, have been for decades. And it's not that he is one of the best. No, he is the best interviewer, period, Hands down. He gets stories out of a list, celebrities that nobody else will. And I've heard people talk about when you're on the show, you feel like you're just talking with one person. And in his heyday, when he was on regular radio, he was reaching 11 million people a day. He went to satellite radio, took a huge amount of his audience with him. But over the years, he's been a not as consistent. He's not daily anymore. In fact, his new contract has him down to one day a week, which is almost like, why not just retire? But it was about five years ago, in 2020, when Howard said something, because the one thing, if you really want to lose your audience, start talking politics. And that's not new to Howard, but there's politics where the Democrats kind of feel we need government programs, and the Republicans feel, nope, we just need people to work harder. And I'm very generalizing there. And then there's the far right and the far left, because really, the first part is kind of what I grew up with. And when you go far left or far right, you're going to lose that middle. And Howard went far left. And then I really can't believe he said this, but after, apparently, Trump was elected on May 15, Howard told his audience this. And this is why I think he lost his audience, because they would do anything that he asked them to do. And, well, he said this.
[02:45]
C
I'm talking to you in the audience, the Trump voter who, you know, idolized the guy. He despises you. I don't hate Donald. Donald's doing his thing. I hate you for voting for him, for not having an intelligence, not able to see what's going on with the coronavirus, not able to see what the Justice Department is doing. I hate you. I don't want you here.
[03:14]
A
And so the audience did exactly What. What he said. And a lot of people went and unsubscribed, which is a bummer, because this is going to. I hope not. But it. It's probably going to tarnish his image, which he was trying to clean up. Look, in the early years, he was talking to young males, and his humor was very. Pull my finger, that kind of thing. And I was laughing all the way. And then later, he kind of switched and started doing a list celebrity interviews. And this is where he really shined as an interviewer. Getting people to talk about things that they don't talk about on other channels and other shows. And it was amazing. But he also did something that I do not recommend. And look, there are politics, and there's kind of medium. There's a little left and a little right. But when you go far left or far right, you're going to lose some people and then throw on top of it. You just blatantly say, I don't want you here. I hate you. Holy cow. So obviously, I don't think you would ever say that. And I'm still scratching my head because he always talked about how much he loved his audience. But if you want to watch your numbers drop, start talking about politics. And if you're like, Dave, but I do a political show, that's fine. Just realize that 50% of your audience, of the potential audience is going to hate you. And my goal here was just to remind you not to play it super safe. Be yourself. But also realize that you may say something that someone's not going to agree with. And if this is just Howard being Howard, well, I wouldn't blame him for that. He's a smart guy. He's very media savvy, and I honestly don't understand why he would say that, but he did. And be careful, because the microphone's on. And once you publish something, the Internet writes in ink. You can take down an episode, you can do all sorts of stuff, but somebody probably took a screenshot and somebody has that file on their phone. So be careful with what you say. Be yourself, voice your opinion, and be okay that not everybody's going to agree with it. But I would strongly recommend you never tell your audience that you hate them and you wish that they would tune out. Now, if you need help trying to shape your opinion, shape it. To find yourself to be comfortable behind the mic, I can definitely help with that. Our website is schoolofpodcasting.com Use the coupon code LISTNR when you sign up for either a monthly, quarterly, or yearly subscription. And of course, that comes with a 30 day money back guarantee. So if you're a little worried about it, you can get your money back on Day 29. I'm Dave Jackson. I help podcasters. It's what I do. Been doing it for over 20 years and I can't wait to see what we're going to do together because I want to be your podcast consultant.