NBC Entertainment News

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. - December 3, 2012 -- NBC announced today that Howard Stern, American radio personality, television host and author, will return as a judge for a second season on the top-rated summer alternative series "America's Got Talent," co-produced by Simon Cowell's Syco Television and FremantleMedia North America.

Stern will continue to provide his observations on the colorful array of hopeful future stars that are currently auditioning in major cities around the country for the show's upcoming eighth season.

The announcement was made by Paul Telegdy, President, Alternative and Late Night Programming, NBC Entertainment and Stern revealed his return to the AGT judging panel live this morning on his SiriusXM radio show.

Simon Cowell said "I'm delighted Howard is returning to the America's Got Talent judging panel. I really believe he and AGT will find the next great talent capable of global success. This show was made to uncover incredible talent of all types and ages, and has launched some massively successful careers all over the world. So America's relying on you Howard - no pressure!"

"Howard Stern's towering presence and opinions on last season's show as a new judge made a dramatic impact and added a sharper edge to the fascinating developments on stage," added Telegdy. "We know that Howard believes in 'America's Got Talent' -- which remains America's top-rated summer series -- and that dedication comes across in a genuine way to our viewers who share his passion about our amazing talent competition."

"Howard's infectious enthusiasm for the show was felt by contestants and viewers alike because he's truly a fan of 'America's Got Talent'," commented executive producer Trish Kinane. Adding, "We're auditioning now nationwide to bring the best new talent before the judges, and we look forward to more of Howard's passionate views as we welcome him back for another great season."

The auditions for "America's Got Talent" season eight will continue in Birmingham (December 10), Memphis (December 11), Nashville (December 13) and continues onto the East Coast, making stops in Savannah (December 14), Raleigh (December 15), Norfolk (December 16), before heading to San Antonio (January 12 and 13), Columbus (Jan 19 and 20) Chicago (January 26 and 27), New York (Feb 1 and 2) and New Orleans (Feb 15 and 16). For all the latest information and to pre-register, go to www.AGTauditions.com.

Stern helped to transform American radio and put syndicated satellite radio on the map on SiriusXM. As the outspoken, unedited and headline-grabbing host of "The Howard Stern Show" radio program, Stern was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005 and became a pop-culture icon with a massive loyal fan base. Since 1987, he has hosted numerous television shows, record-breaking pay-per-view events and home video releases. He also embarked on a five-month political campaign for governor of New York in 1994.

His two books, "Private Parts" (1993) and "Miss America" (1995), spent 20 and 16 weeks, respectively, on The New York Times bestseller list. The first book became a national sensation and was adapted into the feature film "Private Parts" (1997), a biographical comedy film that starred Stern and his radio show staff -- and was a box-office success. Additionally, Stern performed on the film's soundtrack which topped the Billboard 200 chart. Stern currently broadcasts his show "Howard 100" on the SiriusXM satellite radio station.

The 2012 edition of "America's Got Talent" ranked as the #1 summer series on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox in adults 18-49 and total viewers, marking the seventh straight year the show finished as the #1 summer series in total viewers. "Talent" ranked #1 among non-sports primetime telecasts on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox in total viewers for 12 of its last 14 weeks on the air this summer. The Monday edition of "Talent" averaged a 3.4 rating, 10 share in adults 18-49 and 11.1 million viewers overall, the Tuesday telecast earned a 3.4/10 in 18-49 and 11.7 million viewers and the Wednesday edition delivered a 2.9/8 in 18-49 and 10.4 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research.

"America's Got Talent" is produced by FremantleMedia North America and Simon Cowell's SYCO Television. Simon Cowell, Jason Raff, Sam Donnelly ("Britain's Got Talent") and Trish Kinane are the executive producers.

For embeddable clips and full episodes of "America's Got Talent," please visit NBC.com's official show site: http://www.nbc.com/americas-got-talent/

For artwork and a complete press kit from the show, please visit the NBC Universal Media Village website at http://www.nbcumv.com.

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About NBC Entertainment
NBC Entertainment develops and schedules programming for the network's primetime, late-night, and daytime schedules. NBC's quality programs and balanced lineup have earned the network critical acclaim, numerous awards, and ratings success. NBC has earned more Emmy Awards than any network in television history. NBC's roster of popular scripted series includes the Emmy Award-winning comedies "The Office" and "30 Rock," as well as the critically acclaimed "Parks and Recreation" and "Community," and new popular comedies "The New Normal," "Go On" and "Guys with Kids." NBC's drama slate is highlighted by the buzz-worthy new series "Revolution" and "Chicago Fire," veteran award-winning shows "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and "Parenthood," and the acclaimed recent additions "Smash" and "Grimm." Unscripted series for NBC include the vocal competition hit "The Voice" as well as "The Biggest Loser," "The Celebrity Apprentice" and the perennial #1 most-watched summer series, "America's Got Talent."

In late-night, NBC regularly delivers #1 broadcast results with "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon," "Last Call with Carson Daly" and "Saturday Night Live." NBC Daytime's "Days of our Lives" consistently ranks among daytime's top programs in the valuable women 18-34 category. The five-time, Emmy Award-winning NBC.com streams full episodes and provides original content for NBC entertainment shows online and through apps for mobile and tablet devices. NBC recently launched NBC Kids, a new Saturday morning programming block designed specifically to address the developmental needs of preschool-aged children. Programmed by the kids' experts at Sprout, the nation's first 24-hour preschool television channel, this new three-hour block will feature educational series that promote active, healthy lifestyles for younger children.

About FremantleMedia North America:
FremantleMedia North America (FMNA) is the U.S. production division of global media giant FremantleMedia. Based in Burbank, Calif., FMNA produces entertaining and innovative programs for network, cable, syndicated and online platforms, including the Emmy-nominated musical/reality phenomenon "American Idol" (FOX), "The X Factor" (FOX), "America's Got Talent" (NBC), "Family Feud" (SYN), "The Price Is Right" (CBS), "Let's Make A Deal" (CBS), "Total Blackout" (Syfy), "The Pet Collective" (YouTube), "Wedding Band" (TBS) and "Married to Medicine" (Bravo).

About SYCO:
Syco Entertainment is a global music, television and film production joint venture between Simon Cowell and Sony Music Entertainment. Syco's television and music assets include the global TV franchises "The X Factor" and "Got Talent," as well as international superstar artists such as One Direction, Leona Lewis, Susan Boyle, Il Divo, Cher Lloyd, Rebecca Ferguson and Labrinth. The Got Talent format is the world's top global entertainment format and is a ratings hit in every corner of the world. "America's Got Talent" is the longest-running iteration of the show after seven hit seasons attracting peak audiences of over 12 million viewers. "America's Got Talent" currently airs in 150 countries. Britain's Got Talent, is the U.K.'s number one entertainment show of the last decade, along with its equivalents in Australia, France and Russia with recent adaptations of format launching in French-speaking Belgium, Vietnam, Peru, Ecuador and New Zealand where it was the highest-rated locally-produced entertainment launch for seven years. "Britain's Got Talent" in 2009 launched the global singing career of Susan Boyle. Her debut Syco album sold over 8 million units in six weeks, making it the world's biggest-selling album of 2009 and the fastest-selling album in history with 20 million records sold to date. . Local versions of the Syco created and owned "The X Factor" format are now produced in more than 50 territories and the U.S. version of the show airs in over 166 countries.