Howard Stern Is the Only Choice To Replace Simon Cowell

It has been a week dominated by the buzz of Howard Stern potentially making the jump from satellite radio to Fox to replace Simon Cowell on 'American Idol.' Entertainment newscasts proclaim just how much money Stern could be offered ($100 million! More!), speculation of Stern coming to 'A.I.' cast a bizarre shadow over Ellen DeGeneres' debut on the show and Stern himself has spent hours upon hours on his Sirius/XM show laughing about the opportunity and having seven months off a year to count his 'A.I.' money.

The topic has divided our readers. We asked you on Wednesday whether you approved of the potential move. 80,000 people voted and 68 percent said "thumbs down" to Stern in place of Cowell. Our Facebook fans battled back and forth: Some would never watch the show again! Some would start watching only if Stern joined. Our own Girls on Pop editors questioned the move, saying that Stern does not bring enough musical experience to the show (they also state Ellen doesn't have any either). Many of our readers in their comments have stated that Stern would bring nothing but a potty mouth and stripper skits to a popular and family-friendly franchise.

As a devoted listener of Stern's for 16 years, it's time to speak up. The hiring of Stern to replace Cowell is a game-changing, series-saving move and there is no one on the planet more qualified to take Simon's seat.

So many Stern detractors claim he has no place on 'Idol' because he has no connection to music. They ask why anyone would listen to a shock jock's opinion on matters he knows nothing about. What they forget is that Howard Stern and music are synonymous.

Remember that before Stern ever appeared as Fartman on the MTV Awards, he spent years forging a career through the back channels of rock and roll radio when radio actually meant something. Howard was a true tastemaker, slaving away on rock stations such as WRNW in New York, WCCC in Connecticut and WWWW in Detroit in the days when DJs were true influencers, making artists surge on the charts before there was any such thing as MySpace or YouTube.

Stern created his own style, breaking away from the strict formats of radio that demanded traffic and weather and news had to be delivered at certain moments. And while his searing social commentary and his chatter with guests and his own staff became the backbone of his show in the '80s through today, Stern never lost that intimate connection with music.

It still fuels the Stern show. Anyone listening daily knows that the show kicks off with replays of musical performances or that everything from current rock to recent pop tunes are played as bumpers going in and out of commercials. A sizable chunk of Stern's best guests over the years have included musical artists from every genre, from Paul McCartney to Stevie Wonder to Katy Perry to 50 Cent.

His conversations alone with McCartney show a deep and thoughtful appreciation of both Beatles' and music industry history.

 Howard Stern

Simon Cowell