Hollander: "Five or Six" Hosts Inked To Replace Stern

INFINITY CEO JOEL HOLLANDER told an ADVERTISING WEEK audience at NEW YORK's MUSEUM OF TELEVISION AND RADIO that the company has signed "five or six" different replacement hosts for HOWARD STERN to take over mornings in different markets, including "some surprises." HOLLANDER, interviewed by FOX NEWS CHANNEL and WESTWOOD ONE host BILL O'REILLY, said that the new hosts, all of whom he said were now under contract, will be given about 1 1/2-2 years to see how they work out; he said that STERN accounts for about 5% of the company's overall revenue and admitted the host's departure for SIRIUS (which he said was "for two reasons, the FCC and money, not necessarily in that order") means INFINITY will "take a short-term hit." Among the hosts who won't be replacing STERN are "THE DAILY SHOW"'s JON STEWART, WHOOPI GOLDBERG, and FOX' GERALDO RIVERA, all of whom HOLLANDER said were approached before he decided not to replace STERN with a single national host.

HOLLANDER also said that when the company adds HD RADIO to its arsenal in the NEW YORK market, one of the additional streams would be a Country format (a "no-brainer"), and that while the JACK-FM format has started poorly in NEW YORK, it "will get there" and is working on the other eight INFINITY stations in the format.

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