E! ending run of new Stern shows

Even before Howard Stern leaves his syndicated radio show for satellite, the TV version that airs nightly on E! Entertainment Television is coming to an end. The cable outlet says the final original installment will air July 8; thereafter it will be showing only reruns.

“The Howard Stern Show” has been a late-night fixture on E! since 1994, helping to put the struggling network on the map and often drawing its highest ratings. E! President Ted Harbert called the value of Stern’s contributions “incalculable” but said that with his morning radio show getting ready to make the jump to a pay service, “it is time for our late-night programming to evolve as well.”

Stern is scheduled to leave Infinity Broadcasting for Sirius Satellite Radio in January. He still hopes to make a deal with another TV outlet for a daily highlight show.