Issues@Hand
AFA initiatives, Christian activism, news briefs
April 1998 – Radio raunch-meister Howard Stern is threatening to destroy American Family Association, because AFA is convincing many sponsors of his show to invest their ad dollars in more socially responsible programs.
Stern, the self-proclaimed “King of All Media,” is broadcast in almost 50 markets in the U.S., and is known for his filthy talk and lewd conduct on air.
The E! (Entertainment Television) cable channel carries a nightly video version of the Howard Stern Show which features segments from the daily radio broadcast. Disney and Comcast nailed down a 1997 deal which gave the pair a 70% ownership in E!, but Disney is overseeing the entertainment channel’s decision-making, according to Daily Variety.
Thousands of AFA supporters have inundated Stern with postcards asking him to restrain his filth, also letting the shock-jock know that prayers are being lifted up on his behalf. In nearly half the markets where Stern’s show is aired, volunteers are monitoring the program daily. AFA supporters then contact Stern sponsors, asking them to drop the program when it is time to renew advertising contracts. Nationally the project has seen 84% of sponsors dump Stern.
However, America Online (AOL), the largest computer information service, remains the leading sponsor for Stern’s show. Despite AFA’s continued attempts to educate AOL about the nature of Stern’s programs, the company insists on remaining a sponsor.
Stern has angrily denounced AFA’s opposition to his radio program, and threatened to go after the organization. “...I’m probably going to teach them a lesson. Give them a little spanking...because, uh, I will take your money. I will bankrupt you,” he said. “...And I will sue not only the organization, I’ll sue the individuals who run the organization. I’ll find out the names of whoever’s printing that crap out of their basements on their computers, and I’ll wreck their lives.I’ll take their homes. And then they won’t be part of the American Family Association, they’ll be part of the American homeless association.”
In March Stern told his radio audience that he was tired of the pressure being applied to his advertisers by AFA and other opponents, and was thinking of pressing racketeering charges – laws usually reserved for prosecuting organized crime figures.
Stern has continually mocked AFA on his show, but on his February 18 radio show, his shenanigans turned blasphemous. Stern picked up the phone and called a 79-year-old grandmother named Connie, who had sent the shock-jock an AFA postcard. Stern told the woman he had become a Christian because of the concern she and others had shown for him.
“I started to think about my own situation and I realize now, through Jesus Christ, and through so many other influences in my life...that I want to do good for people,” Stern told her. “…Those cards and prayers and the Lord Jesus Christ knocked me on my butt… I’m going to use this show for a vessel for the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Stern added, “I’ve got Holy Ghost power and I’m going to tell you something…[W]e’re going to talk about Jesus, we’re going to talk about the Holy Ghost…God is holding me in His hand right now and He’s holding me up to the sun so I can get a tan and I’m tanning and basking in the light of the Lord Jesus Christ, my new co-host.
The woman was excited about the prospect of Stern changing his ways, but she became suspicious when he asked her for a donation. “And let me tell you something, this ministry has got to receive blessings and I hope people support it. Connie, I hope you’ll be sending me a check, I don’t care how small,” Stern said.
When she said she would pray about it, Stern pressured her to send money immediately. “Why can’t you send a donation?…Are you cheaping out on Jesus?…Can’t you cough up a ten dollar bill?…I just had a big conversion and now you’re not sending me dime one…You keep praying, but you better send cash or I’m going back
to Satan.” 
Action Address
America Online Chrm. Stephen M. Case
8619 Westwood Center Drive
Vienna, VA 22182
1-800-265-8088
