[SirFozzie]

Because he's signed a deal with Sirius.

NEW YORK - Top-ranked shock jock Howard Stern he is leaving Infinity Broadcasting Corp. to join Sirius satellite radio, beginning in January 2006, where regulators can't limit his salacious antics and he'll get the national audience he has coveted.

Stern announced Wednesday that he has signed a five-year, multimillion dollar contract with Sirius, a national distributor of commercial-free music and sport programming. Stern will be heard in every market across the country, according to a joint statement from Stern and Sirius. Shares of the satellite radio comapny surged 18 percent on the news.

Stern's show corners the radio market among males 18-49 years of age, a lucrative market, and ranks No. 1 in many of the 46 major markets where his show is broadcast.

"It has been my dream to have the top-rated show in radio since I was five years old," Stern said in a statement. "Sirius -- the future of radio --will take this dream to a whole new level as I bring my fans my show my way. It will be the best radio they will ever hear."

Sirius CEO Joseph P. Clayton said, "Signing Howard Stern is, without a doubt, the most exciting and transformational event in the history of radio.

"He is an entertainment force of unprecedented recognition and popularity in the broadcast world, who is capable of changing the face of satellite radio and generating huge numbers of subscribers for Sirius."

A call to Infinity for comment was not immediately returned.

Stern has fought to keep his show on the air in some conventional markets.

Earlier this year, Clear Channel Communications dropped Stern from the six markets, including San Diego and Pittsburgh, after complaints from federal regulators. Stern's show often features sexually explicit remarks and off-color humor. In June, Stern announced his show would go on the air in nine new markets owned by Infinity, including four where Clear Channel stations dropped it.

Like cable television, satellite radio does not face federal indecency scrutiny because it is only available to paid subscribers.

Sirius reaches more than 10 million DISH Network satellite TV and Sirius Satellite Radio subscribers nationwide, providing listeners with over 120 channels of commercial-free music, sports, information and entertainment.

Infinity, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc., has about 185 stations in 40 U.S. markets, according to Hoovers.com.