The wave of anti-Howard Stern sentiment that has been washing over North America since the premiere of his new television show has now crested at A-Channel in Edmonton.

The independent station has decided not to add the self-proclaimed King of All Media's The Howard Stern Radio Show to its lineup after all.

"We screened the first couple of episodes that came down," said A-Channel Edmonton general manager Jim Haskins.

"Our feeling was there was material in both episodes that contravened the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council guidelines."

Stern's show was slated to enter the A-Channel schedule on Sept. 12. Haskins said a replacement show hasn't been picked yet.

A-Channel is the latest North American television station to turn its back on Stern's new show, which has been trashed by critics and largely avoided by viewers.

In its two weeks on the air, the show has featured a female bodybuilder groped by Stern and makeovers for women left badly scarred after surgery for brain tumours.

Toronto-based CHUM Ltd. yanked the show from CityTV after the first episode, and pulled Stern's syndicated radio show from its Montreal FM station as well.

An independent station in Phoenix and the Fox affiliate in Lubbock, Texas, were the latest two stations to jump off the Stern bandwagon. The manager of the Lubbock station called the show "morally offensive and impossible to defend."

While Stern's radio show continues to enjoy solid ratings, the television show - essentially a videotaping of the radio segments - seems to be turning people off completely.

"Maybe its the theatre of the mind of radio versus the reality of TV," said Haskins.


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