Howard Stern

In mid-December the Federal Communications Commissio fined Howard Stern's corporate boss $600,000 for his "patently offensive" and "indecent" broadcasts over several radio stations, including one in Baltimore. Earlier, the FCC had fined one of those stations, in Los Angeles, $105,000 for a specific series of broadcasts.Mr. Stern is a talk show host who specializes in racial, ethnic and sexual conversation that is by almost any definition offensive. Aside from his emphasis on those themes, he also indulges in such disgusting diatribes as wishing an FCC member's cancer would spread and that "rival" Larry King would get AIDS.

I'm probably taking this show a little too seriously over here, but some presentation as to how the 24 acts are divided up into two groups would be nice, because the second week of the semi-finals is full of acts that could never compete with the ones from the first week. Brian Dittelman lost, even though that mind-reading nerd could whoop the majority of this week's semi-finalists. Makes no sense at all.  Onto week two's far more miserable group of semi-finalists. Recurring themes this week were big time acts going small, Avicii's dance hit "Le7els," and as always, Howard imparting wisdom no one asked him to impart.

Howard Stern is rock and roll -- offensive, honest, vain, worshiped, addicted to sunglasses. Too bad it took Rolling Stone forever to figure that out. The Feb. 10 issue features "the Rolling Stone interview" with Mr. Stern months after every other venue has done the shock-jock-turned-best-seller-feller to death. And here he shares nothing new -- his shtick seems to be stuck in neutral. He still loves lesbians: "Donahue knows it. Geraldo knows it. Oprah knows it. November rating sweeps come up, and it's lesbians, lesbians, lesbians."

This week, "America's Got Talent," the only place on television left for freaks and oddballs that doesn't demand they have some strange addiction or possess a nickname like "Honey Boo Boo," gave in to the regular guys. Too many of the show's strangest semi-finalists got sent home. Host Nick Cannon explained that this time they would "announce the results differently," which meant this first group of 12 semi-finalists got put into groups of three and then the results were revealed to each group.  Once cut down to four, it would be up to judges Howard Stern, Sharon Osbourne, and Howie Mandel, to eliminate one of the four, sending the other three to the finals.

"America's Got Talent" is in New York for a second night. Howard Stern brought his parents along. They look like a sweet old couple, but according to Howard, they've been complaining about waiting in the auditorium for the past two hours. First to audition is a singer/dancer named Ronald Charles. I can already tell his act isn't going to be pretty; his turquoise leggings and weird haircut are dead giveaway. I'm right. He's so awful, Howard gets his dad (who is conveniently equipped with a microphone)

I will admit it, I came to the season premiere of "America's Got Talent" to rip Howard Stern. But I walk away after two hours with nothing but admiration for Stern and the producers of this potent franchise. And I'm not simply praising AGT as a slick or skilled production. "America's Got Talent" connects with some of the deepest currents of American life today. For all its sideshow, freakshow silliness and weirdness  at times, it also speaks to a huge slice of American life that our politicians don't seem to know or care about one little bit any more as they move from fund raiser to fund raiser and TV studio to soundstage in their cocoons of media and million-dollar isolation from the masses.

I DON'T PLAN TO APPLY for a Howard Stern license plate from the Motor Vehicle Administration. But the hype surrounding the shock-jock and his new movie, ''Private Parts,'' afforded me an unsettling appreciation of the emotions felt by the Sons of Confederate Veterans in Maryland.The Sons were scorned after someone realized they were driving around with special license plates bearing the Confederate flag. African-American legislators and others were offended by state-sanctioned use of a banner under which slavery was defended.

The "indecent" language for which radio personality Howard Stern was cited by the Federal Communications Commission last week may lead to additional fines because it was heard on other stations -- including one in Baltimore.Three stations of the Infinity Broadcasting network, in New York, Philadelphia and Washington, each received an FCC inquiry late last week asking whether they had carried the programs for which Los Angeles station KLSX-FM was fined $105,000.The FCC said the offensive material aired on 12 separate days between Oct. 30 and Dec. 6 of 1990.

HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE: Mornings should get a lot more interesting in Baltimore soon, according to my radio sources. The popular bad boy of radio, Howard Stern, is expected to make his Baltimore debut in less than a month on the former WFBR-AM, which is owned by Infinity Broadcasting and is now WLIF 1300. (They also own Stern's contract.)Stern's morning show will be simulcast from WJFK-FM in Washington, the same station that recently hired the "Morning ,, Zoo" boys Don Geronimo (a.k.

WASHINGTON -- The Federal Communications Commission is raising the stakes in its campaign against Howard Stern, the New York radio personality whose on-air revels in scatological humor and sexual topics have already generated $1.2 million in fines.The agency has decided to delay deals totaling $170 million by Infinity Broadcasting Corp., Mr. Stern's employer, to buy three big radio stations while the FCC ponders a new series of complaints about Mr. Stern's program, which is heard by millions of listeners across the nation each weekday morning.

Baltimore's Spencer Horsman is one of 12 acts performing live tonight in the quarterfinals. After the show, America will vote and only four will advance to the next round.  Tonight's show starts off with The Untouchables, a Latin dance troupe of kids of all ages. They're so good, it's almost creepy. They dance just like adults and they're so professional -- I'll bet they go home, put their feet up and talk about the sagging economy while they watch the evening news.  Mike Price, "rock star" juggler, is up next.

Tonight's first live show in New York begins with a half-hour countdown full of outtakes, bloopers and behind-the-scenes clips of the judges. There are some pretty memorable moments of Nick Cannon panicking on a speedboat and Howard Stern and Sharon Osbourne trying to remove a blackhead from Howie Mandel's ear. "My God, it's huge!" Sharon says. "It's got a face!" "I gotta get a second opinion," Howie says, distressed. "I'm gonna talk to the judges from 'The Voice.'" Soon, it's time for the performances.

Thank the gods -- it's the last night of the brutal Las Vegas week on 'America's Got Talent.' In tonight's two-hour episode, judges Howard Stern, Sharon Osbourne and Howie Mandel will make their final decisions on which acts to advance to the next stage, the live shows in New York. The "judges' favorites" performed once again and have already filled many of the 48 total slots. Tonight, the "stand-bys" will finally have the chance to perform for the remaining spots. A few magicians are first to take the stage.

"America's Got Talent" is in New York for a second night. Howard Stern brought his parents along. They look like a sweet old couple, but according to Howard, they've been complaining about waiting in the auditorium for the past two hours. First to audition is a singer/dancer named Ronald Charles. I can already tell his act isn't going to be pretty; his turquoise leggings and weird haircut are dead giveaway. I'm right. He's so awful, Howard gets his dad (who is conveniently equipped with a microphone)

The search for America's next greatest talent continues in New York.  First up is The Flyte Cru, who I guess you could call basketball stunts-men. They use trampolines to do all sorts of somersaults as they shoot hoops. Their act is pretty entertaining, but I feel like I've seen it before, so I'm not very impressed. Judge Howie Mandel thinks the same thing and gives them a “no.” New judge Howard Stern has been surprisingly kind this season; he continues that streak and says he wants to see Flyte Cru move on to next round.

WLIF-AM (1300)is preparing to shock Baltimore's morning radio listeners.The station, which had been simulcasting light pop vocal selections with WLIF-FM (Lite 102), is expected to air the New York drive-time radio show of Howard Stern, the notorious king of shock radio, beginning tomorrow.WLIF-AM, formerly WFBR, has been off the air since Sept. 23 to make technical adjustments in its directional antennae system and prepare for the format change.The 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. show of Mr. Stern -- who has been called the Sultan of Sleaze and Vicar of Vice -- originates at New York's WXRK-FM and is simulcast on WJFK-FM in Washington and WYSP-FM in Philadelphia.

OVER THE past year, I've learned three new things abou Howard Stern: He's possibly the tallest Jew in the world; he carries a gun; and, as a cultural phenomenon, he is very much over.For this last, most pertinent, fact, he has the Office of the Independent Counsel to thank.Mr. Stern's new TV program, "The Howard Stern Radio Show," which appears Saturday nights on an ever-shrinking number of CBS-owned and affiliated stations, is a nonstarter.The show's problems go deeper than bad writing or crappy production values.