Howard Stern: The Next Generation of Talk Radio : Radio: Industry insiders predict that the nationwide popularity of the renegade morning man will spawn a host of imitators.

Now that Howard Stern has reached the coveted No. 1 spot among morning radio hosts in both Los Angeles and New York, industry insiders predict that there will be a wave of copycat marketing of radio personalities.

“You’re going to see imitators all over the country now and they are going to be loud and opinionated and obnoxious and dirty,” said Dan O’Day, a programming and on-air talent consultant. “And they’re going to have nowhere near the impact that Howard does.”

“Radio has never seen anything like this before,” said Ron Rodrigues, managing editor of the trade publication Radio and Records. “It’s really going to define the shape that radio will take in the future. We’re going to see more of these kind of avant-garde types of network radio--non-traditonal networks where you assemble these young guys together and turn it into a new generation of talk radio.”

Stern’s New York-based comedy show debuted here on KLSX-FM (97.1) July 25, 1991, and is now heard in six other cities around the country, with another six to be added soon, beginning with Chicago next Thursday.

In the Arbitron ratings released Tuesday, which covered June 25 to Sept. 16, 1992, Stern surpassed Mark Thomspon and Brian Phelps of KLOS-FM (95.5), who had held the top spot for three years.

“I don’t remember somebody becoming No. 1 that fast ever,” said consultant O’Day. “Mark and Brian came to L.A. and it took them 3 years to become No. 1, which was a very impressive feat, a career-making feat. Howard became No. 1 in a year.”

Stern vowed when he came on the air in Los Angeles to hold a mock funeral for the pair when he overtook them, and plans for that event are under way, said Andy Bloom, KLSX program director.

Though he’s attained the status of national radio phenomenon, naysayers abounded when the controversial Stern first came to Los Angeles. A repeated concern was that a non-local, non-traditional show would never succeed.

In the high-stakes world of morning radio--where the greatest number of listeners congregate and where, therefore, the most advertising revenue stands to be gained--Stern is a risk-taker. Unlike almost every other morning deejay, he plays no records, doesn’t give the time of day or traffic reports, has no sports update and doesn’t even finish his show at the same time each day (it’s heard on KLSX, live and then again on tape, weekdays from 3 a.m. to about 10:30 a.m.).

More unusual is the content: Stern’s show focuses heavily on his sex life--he discusses masturbation and love-making with his wife--and his sexual fantasies. He regularly baits in-studio guest actresses, strippers and other women to disrobe in front of him, or to submit to a spanking, often labeled “butt bongo.” He asks celebrity guests about their sex lives. “Lesbian Dial-a-Date” is a regular feature. Stern’s bathroom habits are another favorite topic.

In more than a decade on the air in New York, he has been accused of being sexist, racist and homophobic, has come under fire from Christian fundamentalists and was cited by the Federal Communications Commission for indecent broadcasting.

“You figure Howard has got to be reveling in this: After years of people telling him, ‘You can’t do that on the radio,’ now everyone’s fallen in line,” O’Day said.

Stern was observing the Jewish holiday Wednesday and could not be reached for comment. But Don Buchwald, his agent of eight years, asked to explain his success, said, “Funny is funny. It doesn’t matter where it is. He’s funny in New York, he’s funny in Los Angeles, he’s funny in Dallas.”

Sternmania is growing. His appearance on “The Tonight Show” last July drew hundreds of fans to the show, the biggest crowd since Jay Leno became host. Stern made the cover of Esquire magazine earlier this year, has a movie deal, was mentioned on Monday’s episode of the popular CBS series “Northern Exposure” and made a derriere-baring appearance on the MTV Awards show last month.

What his impact will be is uncertain. Most radio insiders agree that Stern has succeeded in pushing the envelope to such an extent that all morning shows can be--and are--racier than they used to be.

“The things that people on the extreme edge of broadcasting do open the doors for others, for better or worse,” said Ken Minyard, whose far tamer “Ken and Barkley” show on KABC-AM (790) has consistently been in the Top 5 among Los Angeles morning shows for the past 15 years.

But Minyard thinks that people tune in to Stern primarily for the shock value, so he expects that that effect will wear off and listeners will tune out.

“I certainly listen, but I’m no longer sensationalized by hearing him talk about body parts or scatological things,” Minyard said. “It doesn’t turn me on or shock me anymore. I don’t really find it funny. It seems to be the same thing all the time. He’s got some babe in there and he’s asking her to take her top off and it just got boring to me. I would guess that other people, as they get over puberty, will feel the same way.”

And while imitators are expected, the experts think that duplicating Stern’s success may prove elusive.

“Howard’s interests are on the junior high school level,” O’Day said. “He really does read Penthouse, he really does rent Kung Fu movies. He really doesn’t like art movies. It works for Howard because he’s genuinely interested in that. Others would do it only because it works for Howard Stern and they’d be ripping it off.

“It’s not just the titillation factor. There’s a genuine enthusiasm, a glee. You can (almost see) the twinkle in Howard Stern’s eye when you get a nubile young woman who will take off parts of her clothing in the studio. He’s not sitting in an office, analyzing it, saying ‘The last time we got a young woman in, it really worked.’ He just does it.”