Howard Stern

Howard Stern is an American radio personality best known for his radio show, which was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005.  Stern gained wide recognition in the 1990s when he was labeled a “shock jock” for his outspoken and sometimes controversial style.  In 2006, Stern signed a radio deal with Sirius XM Radio, a subscription-based satellite radio service.  In the deal he was given an annual budget of $100 million for all production costs, including staff and programming.  On January 9, 2006, the day of his first broadcast, Stern and his agent received 34.3 million shares of stock from the company worth $218 million for exceeding subscriber targets.
A second stock incentive was paid to Howard in 2007, with Stern receiving 22 million shares of Sirius stock worth $82.9 million.  In 2011, Stern was given the estimated net worth of $500 million.  He holds an annual salary of $80 million.  In December 2010, Howard signed a new contract with Sirius to continue his show for five more years.  Following the agreement, Howard and his agent filed a lawsuit against Sirius on March 22, 2011, for allegedly failing to pay stock bonuses promised to them from the past four years while helping the company exceed subscriber growth targets.  Some other wealthy radio personalities include Rush Limbaugh ($350 million), Ryan Seacrest ($125 million), and Glenn Beck ($85 million).