Overview

• SiriusXM executives are altering on-air schedules to prevent Howard Stern and Alex Cooper from encountering each other in New York.
• Insiders say renewal talks have stalled over cost concerns and doubts about Stern’s value as his contract expires this fall.
• Cooper’s 2024 $125 million deal with SiriusXM has generated hundreds of millions of hits and fueled her rapid ascent as a leading podcast personality.
• Stern has reportedly grown frustrated with SiriusXM’s heavy promotion of Alex Cooper and Andy Cohen’s interviews over his own.
• To court younger audiences, SiriusXM has prioritized blockbuster podcast deals that have heightened pressure on legacy radio hosts facing listener declines and contract uncertainty.