Howard Stern is crying because Clear Channel chose to drop his show, rather than face backlash for the crap he spews on the radio. Showing his ignorance as part of his whine to Fox News, Stern made the claim, "It is 100 percent a freedom of speech issue". It never ceases to amaze me how someone in broadcasting could not understand what freedom of speech is.

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects people from government persecution with respect to religion and expression. It doesn't say anything about compelling Clear Channel to provide Stern with a forum. In taking Stern off of his stations, Clear Channel President John Hogan said, "Clear Channel drew a line in the sand today with regard to protecting our listeners from indecent content and Howard Stern's show blew right through it. It was vulgar, offensive, and insulting, not just to women and African Americans but to anyone with a sense of common decency."

Frankly, I think Howard Stern's shtick is a bit played out. Whether or not Clear Channel feels the same way remains to be seen, but according to their statement, they just don't want to be associated with the shock jock any more. In trying to read between the lines, I think they're probably starting to see his ratings dip and decided to yank him rather than put up with all the complaints. The bottom line is that Hogan and Clear Channel no longer want to carry his show, and that is their right. Stern can express himself all he wants, but he cannot force Clear Channel to carry it, no more than he can force us to listen. Personally, I turned him off years ago.