Impressed with his rapid rise in the ratings , WWDC management offered Stern an initial one-year extension to his contract , but Stern wished for a more long-term deal . At the same time , he was offered a five-year deal worth $ 1 million to work afternoons at WNBC in New York City , then an adult contemporary station , after radio manager Jerry Nachman became a fan of Stern and suggested his name to the station . Stern signed with WNBC in March 1982 , four months before his contract with WWDC was to expire . His relationship with station management declined there on , and repeatedly criticized them and other deejays on the air , including an incident whereby he revealed the manager 's salary . The situation culminated on June 25 , 1982 , when Stern was terminated from the station . Towards the end of his stay , Stern had more than tripled his ratings since he began and '' The Washingtonian '' named him the city 's best disc jockey . In his last few months , Stern secured a $ 35,000 advance deal with Wren Records to produce a comedy album of song parodies with Norris titled '' 50 Ways to Rank Your Mother '' , released in 1982 . It was reissued in November 1994 as '' Unclean Beaver '' . It was often believed that Stern was in fact suspended over a controversial bit regarding the January 1982 crash of Air Florida Flight 90 that made people believe he called the airline and asked for prices to the 14th Street bridge , the site of the crash , and if it would be a " regular stop . " But Stern said it was false , claiming " no one ever complained about it . " In April 1982 , four months before he started at WNBC , '' NBC Magazine '' aired a critical news report on shock radio by Douglas Kiker that centered around Stern and the controversial nature of his show . The piece caused NBC executives to discuss the potential withdrawal of Stern 's contract , but , rather than spend money on buying Stern out of the deal , management agreed to control Stern . To make matters worse , the station did not allow Stern to bring his show partners at first , which caused some friction between Stern and Quivers for several months . Stern began his afternoon show at WNBC on August 30 , 1982 , and was closely monitored , instructed to avoid discussions of a sexual or religious nature . In his first month , he was suspended for " Virgin Mary Kong " , a sketch about a video game where a group of men pursued the Virgin Mary around a singles bar in Jerusalem . The station then hired an attorney to operate a seven-second delay if Stern said something potentially offensive . This soon became the task of program director Kevin Metheny , who Stern infamously feuded with and nicknamed " Pig Virus " . While at WNBC Stern also began his longtime feud with its morning host Don Imus
Air Florida Flight 90
Air Florida Flight 90
Howard Stern