<P> After his firing from WNBC, Stern kept in touch with his audience by booking dates at clubs with a live stage show . He declined offers to work in Los Angeles, including NBC's offer of $50,000 if he accepted the move, but chose to stay in New York to "kick NBC's ass". 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 to host afternoons on its rock music station WXRK from November 18 . WNBC agreed to let Stern out of his contract . Otherwise, the station was obliged to pay him for the remainder of his deal . 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 WYSP in Philadelphia began to simulcast the program . In the New York market, Stern had the highest - rated morning radio program between 1994 and 2001 . During Stern's twenty years at WXRK, his show was syndicated in 60 markets across North America and gained a peak audience of 20 million listeners . </P> <P> Stern's first venture into television began when the Fox network sought a replacement for The Late Show, a late - night talk show hosted by Joan Rivers . Following discussions with the network that began in late 1986, Stern agreed to 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 . The show was subject to screen tests among focus groups in California, after which Fox decided not to pick it up; one Fox executive described the pilots as "poorly produced," "in poor taste," and "boring". Stern went on to host his first pay - per - view event, Howard Stern's Negligeé and Underpants Party, in February 1988 . The special was purchased in 60,000 homes and grossed $1.2 million . After Stern joked about drugs being used backstage at the show, Michael Levine of the Drug Enforcement Administration complained to the Daily News which sparked media attention, though no investigation was made . In October 1989, fans sold out Nassau Coliseum in four hours for 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 . Stern released both events for home video . </P> <P> In its 1990 feature on Stern, Rolling Stone predicted he was "on the fast track to multimedia stardom ." 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 million . In July 1990, Stern became the host of the Saturday night variety television show The Howard Stern Show on WWOR - TV, starring himself and his 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 . 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 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 Crucified by the FCC in early 1991 . </P> <P> 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 ." In October that year, he became the first to have the number one morning radio show in the New York and Los Angeles markets simultaneously . In the same month, Stern released 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 ." The video was a commercial success; approximately 260,000 copies were sold for a gross of over $10 million . In November 1992, Stern returned to Saturday night television as the host of The Howard Stern "Interview", a weekly one - on - one celebrity interview series on the E! network which ended in 1993 . Stern appeared at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards as Fartman, a fictional superhero originating from the humor 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 . 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 . Screenwriter J. F. Lawton was hired to prepare an outline to a script and to direct the film with producer David Permut which received a budget of $8--11 million . Lawton described the film as "a real comedy with a beginning, middle and an end with a strong story ." In 1993, the project was abandoned due to disagreements between Stern and New Line regarding the film's content, rating, and merchandising rights . </P>

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