The Howard Stern Show

The late 1980's and early 1990s were the time live in. Especially if you had cable or big dish satellite and could pick up WWOR TV New Jersey 9 out of Secaucus. Howard Stern back then unleashed his adult brand of radio and TV humor that would be recognized later from E and Howard TV OnDemand.

This version of The Howard Stern Show was on the level of Public Access. It had that cheap budget on the fly kinda feel with a bit more lean towards Party Time and Rock On all night long.

The Howard Stern Show was sponsored by Snapple Ice Tea and this helped introduce it's pitch lady Wendy Kauffman "The Snapple Lady" to the rest of the world.

Today ownership rights of the master 3/4 inch video tapes keep changing hands and there is no possibility what so ever of this show ever coming to DVD and Blu Ray Disc unless Alpha Blue or Anchorbay Entertainment gets hold of them.

IMBD reviewers may have little recognition of this classic, since it was carried on superstation WWOR; unless you had a cable system that carried it or lived in the New York City vicinity, you may have only heard about it. In many ways this was far superior to the later CBS Saturday night syndicated show. Social commentary was mixed with satire--the hypocrisy of a real-life priest accused of exploiting the teenage boys in the shelter he ran was immortalized in a spoof of a K-tel type commercial. It parodied songs such as Ringo Starr's "Photograph" with "I like to take boys and make photographs...I can't believe that people think I'm so nice." A politically incorrect classic. Who can forget loveable Stuttering John getting berated by baseball legend Ted Williams--for asking him if he ever broke wind in the catcher's face! It was a little rough around the edges, like an upscale public access show, but the obvious low budget and cheesy set only added to its mystique. But do not be fooled; a lot of hard work and funny writing went into this. As the radio show gained more exposure over the years through syndication, there are probably many newer fans who are even unaware of the existence of the "Channel 9 show," as it was often called. They deserve a chance to witness it for the first time, and the rest of us deserve to savor it again.

Sterns best work. And possibly the raunchiest non-cable show in the history of television. Supposedly, every show was a battle with the station censors right up to show time. Luckily for Stern, it aired almost exclusively in New York City so it flew under the radar of the more puritanical populace.

No one was spared; Clarence Thomas, Ted Kennedy, Johnny Carson, Madonna were all brutally satirized. I remember two guest stars in particular - Rabert Vaughn and Larry Linville (from MASH) with a "what the hell am I doing here" look on there face while Stern flew through horribly acted, poorly organized; but incredibly hilarious skits.

I remember Nichelle Nichols of Star Trek fame pulled out of the show literally at the last second and avoided lending her name to a Star Trek spoof that was borderline pornographic - an unflustered Stern pulled a group of black women to audition to take her place.....and put the auditions on the air! The show was so controversial - rumors of cancellation came and went on a weekly basis. So what did Stern do? He orchestrated a fake cancellation on April Fools Day and started the show with a made up sports talk show. This prank became all the more poignant a few months later when the show was canceled for real.

I guess you can find episodes of this show on E-Bay, but according to Stern, the rights have been passed from company to company over the years and the odds of releasing the show on DVD are about zero.

Not for everyone - but this show was a shooting star - burned out fast and was over almost as soon as it started.

The way that real people talk when hung-up people, like the OTHER reviewers,aren't around. Sure to offend bible thumpers and child molesters, but others should get many laughs from it. All 69 (lol) episodes are hilarious and shouldn't bother any but the most uptight, Sadam Hussein like, joyless whiners. If you are offended by the three stooges or mash then don't watch, but if you want to see a lot of the early 90's and late 80's TV and movie icons, then tune in for sure. About the only way to get these classics is to buy them from ebay or download them from the internet.. both of these are not particularly the best way to see them, but, as they are not available on tape or DVD.. it is the only way to get them. Also, the other reviewer that was crying about the show never saw it, as his review is 10 years after the show aired, and it's never been repeated..

The "Channel 9" show was the best work Howard Stern and gang has done outside the radio. Since E! show is the radio show, this skit and interview show had some of the funniest moments in history.

Great moments. The Gilligan's Island crew turning to cannibalism(starring Bob Denver). Homeless Hollywood Squares. Iggy Pop calls Howard Stern an a*****e for asking him about David Bowie's sex life. Great Satire: Howard Stern dressing up as Clarence Thomas with his bad black accent and eating fried chicken. Howard playing Daniel Day Lewis's role in My Left Foot, etc.