From Triple M to Howard Stern: Sarah’s excellent adventure

Reporter

When you dream, it doesn’t hurt to dream big.

Just ask Sarah Faour, who’s back on home soil in Melbourne after five years of living in New York City, two and half of which were spent working for SiriusXM Satellite Radio and The Howard Stern Show and channels.

Sarah – a former senior producer on Triple M’s Hot Breakfast Show with Eddie McGuire – tells Radio Today that working for The Howard Stern Show had always been on her vision board.

“I was a fan of the show for so many years and visualised myself working there. I just felt compelled to go for it. Why not?”

As Sarah and her future hubby Juice had already planned to get married in New York in September 2017, the couple decided to go the whole hog and chase their dream of moving to the Big Apple.

“We saved and researched for a year. We networked with anyone we could. We quit our respective jobs and packed up our home and took a gamble.”

Six months after moving to New York, Sarah fell pregnant.

“I’ll admit I thought my dream of working for Howard Stern was over. Without many friends and no family support, I wasn’t sure I wanted to have our baby in New York. But we stuck it out and I’m so glad we did.”

It took many tears and rejections along the way, but in the end, self-belief and determination won out. Exactly two years after moving, in September 2019, the dream finally came true. In one of life’s true ‘pinch yourself’ moments, Sarah landed a job at SiriusXM and – as fortune would have it – found herself working on The Howard Stern Show.

So excited was Sarah by the whole experience, she says even walking into the office was a huge thrill for her.

“Some highlights included working alongside world class producers – some of whom had been working with Howard for 30+ years, navigating how to broadcast from our homes during covid (side note: WFH while pregnant is a definite perk!) And witnessing some killer live musical performances such us Metallica and Miley Cyrus (together).”

It’s a world away from the days at Triple M’s Clarendon Street headquarters in South Melbourne.

Sarah says the US radio experience was an eye-opener.

“The culture is different and the medium is very different, too. For one thing, SXM is purely subscription based so the content can be A LOT edgier. C bombs at 7am were a regular thing!”

“Working for The Howard Stern Show is so unique. It’s a national service with over 35 million subscribers. The show is long-form too, so there’s never any pressure to get to commercial break or squeeze in a four minute celebrity interview (it’s more like a two hour deep and meaningful conversation with a celeb).

“I learned so much. It was a total brain explosion.”

Now a married mum of two young children, Sarah has mixed emotions about being back in Australia.

“It’s been so wonderful to be back and to see family – especially after being apart for so long due to Covid.

“But I think I will forever pine for New York City!”

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Gary Dell'Abate
19 May 2022 - 1:31 pm

I wonder if she ever met Howard?

Sarah
19 May 2022 - 4:25 pm

Lol. Hi Gary!

MW
20 May 2022 - 11:57 am

Working on a show that built its fame on blatant misogyny (throwing sausages at women) and taking advantage of the disabled (the infamous Wack Pack) is nothing to be proud of. Stern amplified Trump’s image before his election by hosting segments where he encouraged Trump to comment on famous women’s looks. No offence, Sarah, but you’re better than working for this horrid man.

Sarah
23 May 2022 - 2:57 pm

MW – Howard has evolved considerably as a human and a broadcaster. If you listened to him recently, you would know that.

dajuan
24 May 2022 - 11:41 am

Yo what about sirus xm going military…how much money in that?

Annie are you O.K
27 May 2022 - 1:15 pm

Congrats and all…. Slow news day?

I don’t quite understand the point of this article? Live your deams?

(Waits for Sarah’s smart A$$ response…. if the above are anything to go by)

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