HOWARD STERN RE-UPS
WITH INFINITY

After threatening that today's show might be his last, Howard Stern, the man behind "Fartman," "Private Parts"—the movie and book—and other such genius, has signed a five-year pact with Infinity Broadcasting. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, though CNBC reported that Stern was offered $18 million a year, compared with his current deal of $12 million per year. Stern has been with Infinity since 1985.

The self-dubbed "King of All Media" closed the deal before leaving on a three-week vacation. His show, broadcast from WXRK, is heard on 54 stations.

Infinity, the largest radio broadcaster in the country, will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Viacom when the merger between the two closes the second week of January. There are no plans to start simulcasting his show on Nickelodeon.