His father set up a microphone, tape machine and turntable in the basement of his home which Stern used to record his make-believe radio shows, incorporating different characters and pre-recorded prank calls, sketches, and commercials. He was an infrequent listener in his youth, but names talk personalities Bob Grant and Brad Crandall as early influences. Stern wished to be in radio at the age of five. Looking at how my father was so reverential to those people, I thought that maybe he could look at me with that kind of respect if I could get behind a microphone. When I saw my father as a recording engineer .
He recalled his time there as "the greatest experience". From the age of nine to his second year at university, Stern spent his summers at Camp Wel-Met, a youth camp in Narrowsburg, New York where he worked camper, kitchen, and counselor duties. He formed a band with two school friends, the Electric Comicbook, on vocals and keyboards. As a youngster Stern took five years of piano lessons and took an interest in marionettes, using them to entertain his friends with explicit shows. Stern also attended Hebrew school where he was given the name Tzvi. In 1955, the family moved to Roosevelt, New York, on Long Island, where Stern attended Washington-Rose Elementary School followed by Roosevelt Junior-Senior High School. Stern described his older sister Ellen as the "complete opposite" of himself and "very quiet". He later worked as a radio engineer at WHOM in Manhattan and as a co-owner and operator at Aura Recording Inc., a Manhattan recording studio where cartoons and commercials were cut. Army on Long Island and in California during the war. Ray was an office clerk in New York City before she became a homemaker and later took up work as an inhalation therapist. Stern's parents are Jewish, and their families are from Poland and Austria-Hungary. Howard Allan Stern was born on January 12, 1954, the second child of Ben and Ray ( née Schiffman) Stern, in the Jackson Heights neighborhood of Queens in New York City. 2.8 2010–present: Sirius contract renewal, America's Got Talent, and third book.2.7 2004–2010: Signing with Sirius and terrestrial radio departure.2.6 1998–2004: Television and film projects.2.5 1995–1997: Miss America and Private Parts film.2.4 1993–1994: Private Parts and run for Governor of New York.2.3 1985–1993: WXRK and early television and video projects.Stern's third book, Howard Stern Comes Again, was released in 2019. Stern performs on its soundtrack, which charted the Billboard 200 at number one and was certified platinum for one million copies sold. It topped the US box office in its opening week and grossed $41.2 million domestically. The former was made into a biographical comedy film in 1997 that had Stern and his radio show staff star as themselves. Two of his books, Private Parts (1993) and Miss America (1995), entered The New York Times Best Seller list at number one and sold over one million copies. He hosted and produced numerous late-night television shows, pay-per-view events, and home videos. Stern has described himself as the "King of All Media" since 1992 for his successes outside radio. Stern became one of the highest-paid radio figures after signing a five-year deal with Sirius in 2004 worth $500 million. He became the most fined radio host when the Federal Communications Commission issued fines totaling $2.5 million to station owners for content it deemed indecent. Stern has won numerous industry awards, including Billboard 's Nationally Syndicated Air Personality of the Year eight consecutive times, and he is the first to have the number one morning show in New York City and Los Angeles simultaneously. From 2012 to 2015, he served as a judge on America's Got Talent. In recent years, Stern's photography has been featured in Hamptons and WHIRL magazines. In 1985, he began a 20-year run at WXRK in New York City his morning show entered syndication in 1986 and aired in 60 markets and attracted 20 million listeners at its peak. From 1976 to 1982, he developed his on-air personality through morning positions at WRNW in Briarcliff Manor, New York WCCC in Hartford, Connecticut He worked afternoons at WNBC in New York City from 1982 until his firing in 1985. Stern landed his first radio jobs while at Boston University. He has broadcast on Sirius XM Satellite Radio since 2006. He is best known for his radio show, The Howard Stern Show, which gained popularity when it was nationally syndicated on terrestrial radio from 1986 to 2005. Howard Allan Stern (born January 12, 1954) is an American radio and television personality, comedian, and author.