'Shock jock' slams Janet backlash

Stern has been dropped by six stations owned by the Clear Channel company, which says he broadcast explicit sexual remarks and racial slurs on Tuesday.

But he told listeners on Thursday he was "under attack" and regulators had been "after me since 1992".

"Then Janet whipped out her boob and it's all over," he said.

" It was vulgar, offensive and insulting to anyone with a sense of common decency "
Clear Channel Radio president John Hogan on Howard Stern

Stern's show was suspended after an interview with Rick Salomon, who was filmed having sex with hotel heiress Paris Hilton.

"[Clear Channel] are being forced to say that I did something wrong," Stern said.

Radio stations in New York, Pittsburgh, San Diego, Florida and Kentucky were among those affected.

But Clear Channel Radio president John Hogan in a statement: "It was vulgar, offensive and insulting to anyone with a sense of common decency."

Graphic material

Stern, whose show is also syndicated across the US by Infinity Broadcasting, reacted to the ban by repeating highlights from the interview on his programme on Thursday.

The action against Stern came a day after Clear Channel sacked Florida radio host "Bubba the Love Sponge".

Federal regulators accused him of airing sexually graphic material on Tampa's WXTB-FM and three other Florida stations.

Clear Channel is facing a fine of $755,000 (£403,000) for indecency on the Bubba show.

Fines

Meanwhile, US broadcasting executives apologised for indecent radio programming at a hearing of the Congress House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet on Thursday.

The Subcommittee has voted to press ahead with new laws that will increase fines for broadcasting indecent material to $275,000 (£147,000) per violation.

Some members of Congress are also backing an amendment that would see broadcasters having their licence revoked after three violations.

But broadcasters made no suggestion that they would pay fines for broadcasting indecent material.

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