Howard Stern / Robin Quivers

Jeffrey Lee Oct 05, 2022

Howard Stern, newly hired WWDC-FM radio morning jock; within his first two weeks on the air fast became a Washington topic of controversy and conversation along with his partner-in-crime, Robin Quivers. During their brief fifteen month onslaught from March 2, 1981 until June 29, 1982, the two garnered more newspaper and television coverage and criticism than the old fart politicians. Early on, my friend Brian Roman and I struck up an acquaintance with him and were invited on his morning show to co-host a quasi-tribute to The Three Stooges. We lugged a 19” television, a brutish RCA SelectaVision VHS deck and two dozen Stooges tapes. We had it all set up and working before he went on the air at 6:00 a.m. It was four hours of yucks, fun and cheeseburgers! We broke our stuff down, lingered on until 11:30 and left Howard with a sizable VHS Stooges library. Later he thanked us by sending an invitation to his live remote appearance at Garvin’s comedy club. It was a loose, impromptu hodge-podge of ill-rehearsed sketches and routines, and played as a poor man’s Ted Mack’s Amateur Hour - only longer. WRC-TV entertainment reporter, Arch Campbell was there and aired a feature piece the following evening…Brian and I could be spotted among the riff-raff acting our usual selves. As a bonus, the District Police left a pink slip on my windshield that morning; I promptly sent the unpaid parking violation to the DC101 business office with a note thanking them for the invite and telling them “You have deeper pockets than I do - please pay this!” Howard and Robin moved on to greener pastures and success at NBC in New York, but left a longer lasting legacy in terms D.C.s broadcast history. What price did Air Florida quote Howard on that one way ticket to the 14th Street bridge - I forget!