Howard Stern finally addressed the departure of reporter Steve Langford on Tuesday morning's satellite radio broadcast, revealing that the Howard 100 News hound jumped ship while the Howard Stern Show was on vacation and never even called the him to say goodbye.
“Steve’s no longer with our show," confirmed Stern Tuesday. "He got another job.”
Steve Langford remembered: his greatest Howard 100 News stories (audio, photos)
Langford has been the chief correspondent for the Stern Show's running self-investigating news bit Howard 100 News since it's inception in 2006. Langford earned a reputation for his hard-boiled, deeply serious reporting on the lives of the HSS cast and associated personalities.
The reasons for Langford's departure are still murky, but both Stern and Sirius XM VP Tim Sabean referenced rumors of Langford's behind-the-scene smack talk about the King of All Media.
“I love Steve, although I heard he’s badmouthing me in a weird way…Is that right? I thought the guy’d be grateful to me. I gave him work for six years…I heard all kinds of stuff. It was Tim telling me. But, I always liked Steve. And Steve got a better opportunity I guess. It’s some new format or something and he’s going to be a reporter...Here’s my official statement on Steve: Steve’s a great guy. Steve’s a great reporter—did a great phenomenal job. Wish he would have stayed with us, but I understand he had a better opportunity and I’m fine with it. I don’t know. I don’t know why there are such hard feelings when people leave.”
Sabean said that Langford expressed frustrations regarding limitations that were put on his reporting, as well as being pre-empted by other Howard Stern Show segments.
“You pre-empted him a couple of times," Sabean explained to Stern. "And also…we don’t want to destroy anyone’s lives with Howard 100 News. So, there’s a sensitivity there and he wanted to go all out sometimes on some things--"
"We reined him in a little," finished Stern.
Langford contacted some of the Howard Stern Show staffers directly to say his goodbyes, including Sabean, producer Gary "Baba Booey" Dell'Abate and Confederate moustache rocker/limo driver Ronnie Mund--but not the King of All Media himself.
"He never even said goodbye or anything…It’s just weird,” said Stern, a bit like a jilted schoolgirl.
Radio-Info.com suspects Langford is headed for a gig at New York City's 101.9 RXP FM. The alternative rock station will be switching to an "all news" format some time in August.
Stern revealed that he has a personal relationship with the producers that swiped Steve Langford from under his nose Jay Leno style. Strike that--he had a personal relationship with them.
“I’m a little annoyed with the people who took him and didn’t even say anything to me," said Stern. "They’re alleged friends of mine but—that’s fine. I’ll work that out privately—or won’t work it out. I’ll just tune them out. They’re no longer friends of mine. That’s that. But I like Steve and I wish him well.”
Sabean stated that potential replacements for Langford are already being interviewed: "We got some really good people coming out of the woodwork."
Shuli Egar delivered Tuesday's live Howard 100 News report.
One thing is certain. There's a lot more to this story than anyone has revealed on air. If Steve Langford were still on the Howard 100 News team, he'd be all over the "Steve Langford Quits Howard 100 News" story like Adrianne Curry on a sybian.
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