Only in the entertainment industry is “Judged Sybian contests” a stand-out on resumes. E!Online via The New York Post is reporting that American Idol producers are courting Howard Stern to replace Simon Cowell once the vitriolic judge departs at the end of this season. Cowell, who’s been with the show for all of its nine seasons, was reportedly earning $50 million a year, which could be an attractive figure for Stern, whose $100 million-a-year contract with Sirius XM Radio expires at the end of this year. The source for the Post claims that producers are looking for someone controversial and combative: "They know he would be great TV and would clash with the other judges such as Ellen DeGeneres and the contestants. Idol will do what it takes to sign him.”
A move to FOX would put Stern under the authority of the FCC once again, as well as the oppressive creative control of a show like Idol. Though it seems doubtful at this time that Stern will agree to any deals, Howard Stern’s presence on American Idol once Cowell catches his British Airways flight out of L.A. would certainly do something to ratings.