Dr. Laura signs on with Sirius XM satellite radio

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Just added to Dr. Laura fans’ holiday gift lists: a subscription to Sirius XM Radio.

Laura Schlessinger follows in the big-name footsteps of Howard Stern in signing a multiple-year contract with the premium satellite radio service. Like Stern, ‘She will have far less listeners now, but she will be able to superserve her core [audience] with less compromise,’ according to Michael Harrison, publisher of the trade publication Talkers.

In August, she announced her departure from terrestrial radio amid controversy over her use of the N-word repeatedly with a black caller who’d asked for advice on how to respond to use of that word by her white husband and his friends. Schlessinger told The Times she’d already been considering ending her radio career, with the furor over the Aug. 10 exchange tipping the scales.

‘The first and most important thing that appealed to me was the freedom to speak my mind without advertisers and affiliates being attacked by activist groups that just love to censor anything they don’t agree with,’ Schlessinger said about Sirius, which contacted her the day after she announced on Larry King‘s show that she’d be off the air at the end of the year. ‘That just about made my heart and head explode.’

Dr. Laura’s new show will air 2 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, starting Jan. 3. It will also be available online and through apps on many smart phones, Sirius said; shows will be repeated on radio over the weekend.

RELATED:

Dr. Laura tells audience what’s hurt her the most [poll]

Bill Maher drops N-word to Larry King; nobody notices [poll]

David Arquette talks to Howard Stern about Courteney Cox split [polls]

-- Christie D’Zurilla

The Associated Press contributed to this report.