HOT FLASH: Howard Stern, the wildly controversial...

HOT FLASH: Howard Stern, the wildly controversial morning deejay from New York’s WXRK-FM, makes his local debut this week on KROQ-FM, which is picking up Stern’s syndicated weekly radio show. The three-hour program will air each Saturday from 6 to 9 a.m. Stern has made a name for himself, first in Washington and more recently in New York, with his outrageous humor, which lampoons various ethnic minorities, gays and political figures. One popular morning show feature is Stern’s “Dial-A-Date” routine, where he tries to match callers with in-studio guests, who have included lesbians, midgets and local celebrities. According to KROQ program director Rick Carroll, the show has been “customized” for the L.A. market with special features and station identification messages. Asked why KROQ was airing the show on Saturday morning, Carroll explained: “We want to give people a reason to get up early on Saturday, and we think Howard can do it.”