When Sirius XM released its iPhone application last week, one of the conspicuous omissions was Howard Stern. After fielding a call from a fan on Monday, Stern discussed why his channels won't be featured on the iPhone app.
"It was a rights thing, a contractual-rights thing," Stern told listeners. "It was a rights issue and a whole entanglement thing. So, we're not on it. Maybe one day, we will be."
Stern sidekick Artie Lange chimed in, saying, "Apple shouldn't profit off Howard Stern."
After trying to find the words to answer Lange, Stern responded with a simple, "Yeah, that's it."
Stern's production company is paid $100 million each year by Sirius XM. I guess that fee just isn't enough to include his channels in its iPhone app.
Discuss: Stern blames 'rights' for iPhone app no-show