Martha Stewart to join shock jock Stern at US satellite radio service

by Staff, Brand Republic 18-Apr-05, 15:55

NEW YORK - Shock jock Howard Stern is to get an unlikely new stablemate at US satellite service Sirius, with news that the doyenne of housewives Martha Stewart is to get her own channel at the network.

Stewart, who has proven that a stint in prison has not lessened her popularity, has signed a four-year deal that will see the creation of a 24-hour radio channel featuring programming for women about cooking, gardening and entertaining.

It is the third big deal she has signed since being released from prison earlier this year after serving a sentence for fraud relating to the sale of shares.

She has also signed television deals to present a new daily cooking show and to create a version of the hit reality series 'The Apprentice'.

Sirius is undertaking a serious drive to win subscribers to its subscription-only satellite radio service.

In October, Stern, one of the most popular radio personalities in the US, revealed he was quitting Viacom for Sirius after signing a five-year, multimillion-dollar deal.

Sirius broadcasts commercial-free music and sports programming via satellite to homes and cars across the US. It has 1.2m subscribers, compared with rival satellite broadcast XM Satellite's 3.8m.

If you have an opinion on this or any other issue raised on Brand Republic, join the debate in the Forum.