Howard Downshifting To One-Day Week?

• Howard Stern laid off nearly a dozen staffers earlier this week, according to Page Six, because he’s reportedly preparing to reduce his on-air presence to one new show a week after Labor Day.

After months of speculation about his future on the air, Stern signed a new contract in December of last year that he said would give him more “flexibility,” and this certainly fits that description.

Sources told Page Six that the downsized staffers received the news over Zoom on Monday. During the call, they were told that Howard plans to cut back to a single show per week after he returns from his summer break. Those staffers were apparently sent home immediately after the call and will receive severance packages commensurate with how long they’ve been with the company.

Stern will reportedly retain a smaller core team of veteran producers, but “he just doesn’t need that much content anymore,” a source said. The rest of the week’s schedule is expected to be filled with “Best Of” segments from Stern’s vast audio archives.