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50 free Howard Stern trivia questions with answers — trivia quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
Howard Stern's first full-time radio job paid $96 a week, he rented a room in a monastery, and he once quit a Hartford station over a denied $25 raise. Two decades later he was syndicated in 60 markets with 20 million listeners, had topped the bestseller list twice and the box office once, and signed a $500 million satellite deal. These 50 questions trace the career: Boston University and WRNW, Detroit and Washington, the WNBC firing, K-Rock and national syndication, Robin Quivers, Fred Norris and Gary "Baba Booey" Dell'Abate, the FCC fines, the 1994 run for governor, Private Parts the book and the film, Son of the Beach, the move to Sirius in 2006, America's Got Talent, the Radio Hall of Fame and the Springsteen and Biden interviews. Career facts and production details only. Every answer is cited to a page we checked. Play in sets of ten or print the list.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01In which New York City borough was Howard Stern born in January 1954?
Queens
He was born in Jackson Heights; the family moved to Roosevelt on Long Island the next year and later to Rockville Centre.
Q 02Stern's father Ben worked as a radio engineer and co-owned what kind of business in Manhattan?
A recording studio
Cartoons and commercials were recorded at Aura Recording Inc., where young Howard watched voice actors like Don Adams at work.
Q 03At roughly what age did Stern first become interested in radio?
Five
He cited talk hosts Bob Grant and Brad Crandall as early influences and recorded mock shows on equipment his father provided.
Q 04Stern attended which school, where he started on the campus station WTBU?
Boston University
He turned down Elmira College in 1972 and graduated magna cum laude in 1976 with a major in broadcasting and film.
Q 05What was Stern's weekly pay when WRNW first hired him full-time in 1976?
$96
It was a six-day, four-hour midday shift. By November 1977 he was program director at $250 a week and living in a monastery room.
Q 06Where did the young Stern rent a room to save money while working at WRNW?
A monastery
The monastery was in Armonk, New York. WRNW was a progressive rock station in Briarcliff Manor.
Q 07During the 1979 energy crisis at WCCC, Stern urged listeners to boycott which company for two days?
Shell Oil
The Hartford stunt brought his first real media attention. He left WCCC in early 1980 after being denied a $25-a-week raise.
Q 08Which longtime writer did Stern meet at WCCC, where he was the overnight DJ?
Fred Norris
Norris, born Fred Nukis, is the longest-tenured staff member after Stern and joined as writer and producer in 1981.
Q 09Stern left Detroit's WWWW in 1981 after the station abruptly switched to which format?
Country
He refused to adapt and left two weeks later, turning down offers from WXRT in Chicago and CHUM in Toronto.
Q 10Robin Quivers was paired with Stern at which Washington, D.C. station in 1981?
WWDC
Quivers was a former Air Force nurse and news reporter at WFBR who accepted the job without meeting him.
Q 11Before radio, Robin Quivers served as a nurse in which branch of the military?
Air Force
She was commissioned a second lieutenant in 1975 and reached captain by 1978, having earlier worked in Maryland's shock-trauma unit.
Q 12In 1982 Stern signed a five-year, $1M deal to host afternoons at which New York station?
WNBC
He signed in March, four months before his Washington contract expired, and WWDC fired him that June.
Q 13With which WNBC morning host did Stern begin a long-running feud in the 1980s?
Don Imus
When Stern moved to K-Rock mornings in 1986 it was explicitly to compete head-to-head with Imus.
Q 21Staffer "Stuttering John" Melendez became known for doing what?
Asking celebrities awkward questions
He ambushed stars on red carpets and at press conferences. Melendez later became Jay Leno's announcer.
Q 22Which venue sold out in four hours for the 1989 Stern vs. Dell'Abate tennis match?
Nassau Coliseum
The match stemmed from an on-air challenge and was released on home video.
Q 23Stern's 1990-92 WWOR-TV variety show regularly out-rated which NBC program in New York?
Saturday Night Live
It began as four summer specials in 1990, was syndicated to 65 markets, and ended in 1992.
Q 14Stern nicknamed WNBC program director Kevin Metheny, who ran the seven-second delay, what?
Pig Virus
The character became Pig Vomit in the Private Parts film, where Paul Giamatti played him.
Q 15On what date in 1985 were Stern and Quivers abruptly fired by WNBC?
September 30
Management cited "conceptual differences." Within weeks he signed with Infinity Broadcasting to start at WXRK in November.
Q 16Which Philadelphia station began simulcasting the show on August 18, 1986?
WYSP
By January 1993 Stern had overtaken KYW-AM in Philadelphia's morning ratings, ending its 14-year run at number one.
Q 17At its peak, roughly how many listeners did the syndicated Howard Stern Show reach?
20 million
It expanded to 60 markets across North America during his two decades at WXRK.
Q 18Gary Dell'Abate's nickname Baba Booey came from mangling the name of whose cartoon sidekick?
Quick Draw McGraw's
On July 26, 1990, discussing an animation cel he might buy, he called Baba Looey "Baba Booey." Stern said they had "only scratched the surface."
Q 19What was Gary Dell'Abate's weekly salary when he was hired on the show in 1984?
$150
His duties included fetching Stern's lunch and scheduling guests. He has been executive producer ever since.
Q 20Which comedian was hired in February 1983 to make weekly appearances as a comedy writer?
Jackie Martling
"The Joke Man" stayed through the 1990s. Impressionist Billy West and intern Stuttering John Melendez arrived in 1988.
Q 24Stern's self-proclaimed title "King of All Media" began in 1992 as a jab at whom?
Michael Jackson
It riffed on Jackson's "King of Pop." Stern later filed a trademark for the phrase.
Q 25In October 1992 Stern became the first to top morning radio in both New York and which city?
Los Angeles
The same year he released the Crucified by the FCC compilation of censored segments.
Q 26Stern appeared at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards as which costumed character?
Fartman
The character originated in National Lampoon. A planned New Line film, The Adventures of Fartman, was abandoned in 1993.
Q 27Which publisher released Stern's first book, Private Parts, in October 1993?
Simon & Schuster
He wrote it with Larry "Ratso" Sloman and editor Judith Regan for roughly $1 million. It became the publisher's fastest seller within five days.
Q 28How many weeks did Private Parts spend at number one on The New York Times bestseller list?
20
Its first print run of 225,000 sold out within hours, and a New York City signing drew an estimated 10,000 people.
Q 29After Stern backed her 1993 campaign, Governor Christine Todd Whitman named what after him?
A highway rest stop
The Interstate 295 rest area south of Trenton got a $1,000 plaque, which was stolen within days and mailed to Stern.
Q 30On which party's ticket did Stern announce a run for Governor of New York in March 1994?
Libertarian
He promised to restore the death penalty, scrap tolls and limit road work to nights, then resign. He withdrew rather than disclose his finances.