Editing Howard Stern (section)

===1985–1993: WXRK and early television and video projects===
After his firing from WNBC, Stern kept in touch with his audience by booking dates at clubs with a live stage show.<ref name=nymag92/> He declined offers to work in [[Los Angeles]], including NBC's offer of $50,000 if he accepted the move,{{sfn|Stern|Sloman|1993|p=185}} but chose to stay in New York to "kick NBC's ass".<ref name=rs1990/> In a press conference held in October 1985, Stern announced the signing of a five-year contract with [[Infinity Broadcasting]] worth an estimated $500,000{{sfn|Colford|1997|pp=147–148}} to host afternoons on its rock music station [[WINS-FM|WXRK]] from November 18.<ref name=act2guide/> WNBC agreed to let Stern out of his contract. Otherwise, the station was obliged to pay him for the remainder of his deal.{{sfn|Colford|1997|pp=147–148}} Determined to beat Imus and WNBC in the ratings, Stern moved to the [[prime time]] morning slot in February 1986. The show entered syndication on August 18 that year when [[WIP-FM|WYSP]] in [[Philadelphia]] began to simulcast the program.<ref name=act2guide/> In the New York market, Stern had the highest-rated morning radio program between 1994 and 2001.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/hot-97-returns-top-article-1.902936 |title= Hot-97 returns to the top |last= Hinkley |first= David |work=[[New York Daily News]] |date= April 23, 2001 |access-date= September 1, 2010 }}</ref> During Stern's twenty years at WXRK, his show was syndicated in 60 markets<ref>{{cite news |last= Deggans |first= Eric |title= Bubba, Relaunched |work=[[St. Petersburg Times]] |date= December 11, 2005 |url= http://www.sptimes.com/2005/12/11/Artsandentertainment/Bubba__relaunched.shtml }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last= Tucker |first= Ken |title= Communication Sharpens Syndie Sword |work=[[Billboard Radio Monitor]] |date= March 3, 2006 |url= https://business.highbeam.com/437739/article-1G1-148092952/communication-sharpens-syndie-sword |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160911084843/https://business.highbeam.com/437739/article-1G1-148092952/communication-sharpens-syndie-sword |url-status= dead |archive-date= September 11, 2016 |access-date= August 22, 2016 }}</ref> across North America and gained a peak audience of 20 million listeners.<ref>{{cite news |last= Condran |first= Ed |title= Stern producer flourishes by the skin of his teeth |work= [[The Morning Call]] |date= July 31, 1998 |url= https://www.mcall.com/1998/07/31/stern-producer-flourishes-by-the-skin-of-his-teeth/ |access-date= August 22, 2016 |archive-date= October 12, 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20161012131906/http://articles.mcall.com/1998-07-31/features/3214780_1_stern-s-radio-show-baba-booey-gary-dell-abate |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last= James |first= Renee A. |title= Hmmm? Stern's critics are plugged into regular radio |work=[[The Morning Call]] |date= October 1, 2006 |url= https://www.mcall.com/news/mc-xpm-2006-10-01-3707939-story.html |access-date= February 4, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last= Sullivan |first= James |title= Love him or hate him, Stern is a true pioneer |work=[[Today (U.S. TV program)|Today]] |date= December 14, 2005 |access-date= February 4, 2022 |url= https://www.today.com/popculture/love-him-or-hate-him-stern-true-pioneer-wbna10454035 }}</ref>

Stern's first venture into television began when the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] network sought a replacement for ''[[The Late Show (1986 TV series)|The Late Show]]'', a [[late-night talk show]] hosted by [[Joan Rivers]]. Following discussions with the network that began in late 1986,<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.proquest.com/docview/285428298 |title= Inside New York |work= [[Newsday]] |date= November 24, 1986 |first1= Michael |last1= Fleming |first2= Karen |last2= Freifeld |first3= Susan |last3= Mulcahy |via= [[ProQuest Archiver]] |url-status= live |access-date= August 16, 2016 |archive-date= August 26, 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160826105719/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/newsday/doc/285428298.html |id= {{ProQuest|285428298}} }}</ref> Stern agreed to [[Howard Stern television shows#The Howard Stern Show (Fox)|five one-hour pilots]] that were produced for an estimated $400,000, with guitarist [[Leslie West]] as his band leader and comedian [[Steve Rossi]] as the show's announcer.{{sfn|Colford|1997|p=181}} The show was subject to [[screen test]]s among focus groups in California,<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.proquest.com/docview/277867425 |title= Inside New York |work= [[Newsday]] |date= June 4, 1987 |first1= Michael |last1= Fleming |first2= Karen |last2= Freifeld |first3= Susan |last3= Mulcahy |via= [[ProQuest Archiver]] |url-status= live |access-date= August 16, 2016 |archive-date= August 26, 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160826113030/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/newsday/doc/277867425.html |id= {{ProQuest|277867425}} }}</ref> after which Fox decided not to pick it up. One Fox executive described the pilots as "poorly produced", "in poor taste", and "boring".<ref>{{cite news |last= Kubasik |first= Ben |title= TV Spots |work= [[Newsday]] |date= August 12, 1987 |access-date= August 19, 2010 |url= https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/newsday/access/104577134.html?dids=104577134:104577134&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+12%2C+1987&author=By+Ben+Kubasik&pub=Newsday+%28Combined+editions%29&desc=TV+SPOTS&pqatl=google |archive-date= September 7, 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100907041423/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/newsday/access/104577134.html?dids=104577134:104577134&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+12%2C+1987&author=By+Ben+Kubasik&pub=Newsday+%28Combined+editions%29&desc=TV+SPOTS&pqatl=google |url-status= dead }}</ref> Stern went on to host his first pay-per-view event, ''[[Howard Stern videography and discography#Negligeé and Underpants Party|Howard Stern's Negligeé and Underpants Party]]'', in February 1988.<ref name=act2guide /> The special was purchased in 60,000 homes and grossed $1.2&nbsp;million.{{sfn|Colford|1997|p=186}} After Stern joked about drugs being used backstage at the show, [[Michael Levine (DEA)|Michael Levine]] of the [[Drug Enforcement Administration]] complained to the ''[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]]'' which sparked media attention, though no investigation was made.<ref name=rs1990/> In October 1989, fans sold out [[Nassau Coliseum]] in four hours for ''[[Howard Stern videography and discography#Howard Stern's U.S. Open Sores|Howard Stern's U.S. Open Sores]]'', a live event that featured a tennis match between Stern and his producer [[Gary Dell'Abate]] following an on-air challenge.<ref name=rs1990/><ref name=act2guide /> Stern released both events for home video.

In its 1990 feature on Stern, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' predicted he was "on the fast track to multimedia stardom".<ref name=rs1990/> He re-signed with Infinity Broadcasting that year to continue his radio show for five years, a deal that ''[[New York Magazine]]'' estimated was worth over $10&nbsp;million.<ref name=nymag92/> In July 1990, Stern became the host of the Saturday night variety television show ''[[The Howard Stern Show (WWOR)|The Howard Stern Show]]'' on [[WWOR-TV]], starring himself and his [[The Howard Stern Show staff|radio show staff]]. Initially produced as four, one-hour specials and broadcast during the summer, the show continued to air and entered syndication in 1991 to a peak of 65 markets across the country, including cities where the radio show did not air.{{sfn|Colford|1997|pp=197–201}} In the New York area, the show frequently beat ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' in the ratings during the thirty minutes when the two overlapped. Stern ended the program after 69 episodes, in 1992.

By this time, the radio show had been the subject of [[Federal Communications Commission fines of The Howard Stern Show#First Infinity fine (1988–1991)|several fines]] issued by the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) over material it deemed indecent. As part of his rally against the FCC's actions, Stern released a compilation album of censored radio segments titled ''[[Howard Stern videography and discography|Crucified by the FCC]]'' in early 1991.<ref name=act3guide>{{cite web |title= The History of Howard Stern Act III On-Air Schedule |work=[[Sirius Satellite Radio]] |url= http://www.sirius.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Sirius/Page&c=FlexContent&cid=1258752021436 |date= December 2009 |access-date= January 10, 2010 }}</ref>

Stern's rise as a popular radio and television figure in 1992 led to the first instance of his self-proclaimed title "King of All Media".<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.newspapers.com/image/528605489/ |title= Shock jock will rock big screen |date= July 25, 1992 |newspaper=[[The Herald-News]] |page= 2 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date= March 25, 2019 }}</ref> This was initially a tongue-in-cheek jab at [[Michael Jackson]], who had been dubbed "King of Pop".<ref>Donofrio, Craig (April 25, 2019) [https://www.workandmoney.com/s/howard-stern-facts-bio-5f25817e281546e3 Hey Now! How Howard Stern Became the King of All Media] ''Work+Money''. Retrieved August 6, 2019.</ref> In October 1992, Stern became the first to have the number one morning radio show in the New York and Los Angeles markets simultaneously.<ref>{{cite news |title= Howard Stern Talks His Way to No. 1 Status |date= October 7, 1992 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-10-07-ca-640-story.html |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |first= Claudia |last= Puig |access-date=February 4, 2022}}</ref> In the same month, Stern released ''[[Howard Stern videography and discography|Butt Bongo Fiesta]]'', a home video containing the highlight feature of "butt bongoing", an act Stern described as "frenetic spanking in time to a rock record playing in the background".{{sfn|Stern|Sloman|1993|p=441}} The video was a commercial success; approximately 260,000 copies were sold for a gross of over $10&nbsp;million.<ref name=act3guide/><ref name=mills/> In November 1992, Stern returned to Saturday night television as the host of ''[[Howard Stern television shows#The Howard Stern Interview|The Howard Stern "Interview"]]'', a weekly one-on-one celebrity interview series on the [[E!]] network which ended in 1993.<ref>{{cite magazine |url= https://www.ew.com/article/1993/01/22/howard-stern-interview |title= The Howard Stern Interview |first= Ken |last= Tucker |date= January 22, 1993 |access-date= November 8, 2014 |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] }}</ref> Stern appeared at the [[1992 MTV Video Music Awards]] as [[Fartman (Howard Stern)|Fartman]], a fictional superhero originating from the humor magazine ''[[National Lampoon (magazine)|National Lampoon]]''. Presenting an award with [[Luke Perry]], Stern appeared on stage in the Fartman costume with his buttocks exposed. According to the trademark Stern filed for the character in October 1992, he first used Fartman at WWDC in July 1981.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=74323667&caseType=SERIAL_NO&searchType=statusSearch |title= Fartman Trademark |work=[[United States Patent and Trademark Office]] |date= October 16, 1992 |access-date= November 9, 2014 }}</ref> Development for ''The Adventures of Fartman'', a feature film based around the character, began in late 1992 with Stern reaching a verbal agreement with [[New Line Cinema]] to release it.{{sfn|Colford|1997|p=202}} Screenwriter [[J.&nbsp;F.&nbsp;Lawton]] was hired to prepare an outline to a script and to direct the film with producer [[David Permut]], and it received a budget of $8–11&nbsp;million. Lawton described the film as "a real comedy with a beginning, middle and an end with a strong story".<ref>{{cite web |url= https://variety.com/1992/film/news/lawton-directs-stern-in-wind-breaking-film-101587/ |title= Lawton directs Stern in wind-breaking film |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date= November 24, 1992 |access-date= August 22, 2016 |first= Andy |last= Marx }}</ref> In 1993, the project was abandoned due to disagreements between Stern and New Line regarding the film's content, rating, and merchandising rights.<ref>{{cite news |last= Brennan |first= Judy |title= Stern's New Year's Party Fallout 'The Miss Howard Stern Pageant' was a pay-TV bonanza but may have cost him a movie career |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date= January 30, 1994 |url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-01-30-ca-16883-story.html |access-date=February 4, 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |first= Stephen |last= Schaefer |title= Howard Stern's "Fartman" movie a no-go |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date= May 7, 1993 |url= https://www.ew.com/article/1993/05/07/howard-sterns-fartman-movie-no-go |access-date= May 7, 2010 }}</ref>

In November 1993, Stern was again in talks with Fox to host a late-night talk show, this time replacing [[Chevy Chase]], whose [[The Chevy Chase Show|show]] had been cancelled in October of that year.<ref>{{cite news |title=Fox network courting Stern to replace Chase, insider says|work=[[Los Angeles Daily News]]|date= November 25, 1993 |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/winnipeg-free-press-nov-25-1993-p-49/ |access-date= September 18, 2019}}</ref>