Sirius Shock: Pirates Hit Howard Stern Show

Since Jan. 9, when Stern debuted on Sirius, pirated versions of the shows have been made available for free via several online file-sharing networks just hours after Stern signs off. The New York-based broadcaster signed Stern to a five-year, half-billion-dollar contract in 2004.

Now, Sirius is, in a word, furious. "We don't condone the stealing of Howard's show, or any of the content on our more than 125 channels," Sirius spokesman Patrick Reilly said. "We vigorously protect our intellectual property rights and we will actively prosecute those who attempt to steal it."

It is not known how many Stern fans are sidestepping Sirius' $12.95-a-month subscription fee by illegally downloading his show. Because most hard-core fans are used to listening to the show in their cars, presumably many of them would subscribe rather than wait until they're in front of a computer screen.

And there is no question that Stern has been good for Sirius, which added 1.1 million subscribers in the last quarter of 2005. The company, which is behind industry leader XM Satellite Radio, reports 3.3 million listeners and expects to reach 6 million by the end of the year.

But ever since Stern traded the terrestrial airwaves for satellite, fans of his frequent interviews with porn stars have found ways to tune in to the self-proclaimed "King of All Media" for free.

A few weeks ago, when the first pirate radio stations began rebroadcasting Stern's show on unclaimed radio frequencies in New York and New Jersey, Sirius immediately notified the enforcement bureau of the Federal Communications Commission -- the very body against which Stern has so frequently railed. The FCC in 2004 cited Stern's show on Clear Channel for "repeated graphic and explicit sexual descriptions."

Sirius also moved quickly to crack down on websites that streamed audio broadcasts of the Stern show. The broadcaster sent cease-and-desist letters protesting such "blatant and willful infringements" and threatening to sue unless the underground broadcasters immediately went silent.

But as each one shut down, it seemed, another sprang up.