NBC ANNOUNCES HOWARD STERN AS THE NEW JUDGE ON THE TOP-RATED SUMMER COMPETITION SERIES "AMERICA'S GOT TALENT" AS IT HEADS INTO SEASON SEVEN

Series Finds a New Home as Production of the Live Shows Moves to New York

Auditions for Season Seven Continue Around the Country

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. - December 15, 2011 - NBC announced today that Howard Stern, American radio personality, television host and author, will serve as the new judge on the top-rated summer alternative series "America's Got Talent," produced by FremantleMedia North America and Simon Cowell's SYCO Television.

Stern will provide his feedback on the colorful array of hopeful future stars who are currently auditioning in major cities around the country for the show's upcoming seventh season.

Production of the live shows of "America's Got Talent" also will be moving to New York, where Stern will continue to helm his SiriusXM radio program.

The announcement was made by Paul Telegdy, President, Alternative and Late Night Programming, NBC.

"Howard Stern's larger-than-life personality will bring a thrilling new dynamic to 'America's Got Talent' starting this summer," said Telegdy. "He's a proven innovator and his track record in broadcasting is truly remarkable. Howard is very passionate about this show and is fully committed to its future success."

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.

"America's Got Talent" was the #1 non-sports telecast on ABC, CBS, NBC or Fox in total viewers every week it aired over the summer of 2011, making it the #1 summer series in total viewers for a sixth year in a row. Last summer, "America's Got Talent" delivered its highest-rated cycle ever.

"America's Got Talent" is the only talent competition show that is open to any age and any talent. Auditions for season seven kicked off in October with upcoming open calls set for Austin, Texas, Charlotte, N.C. and San Francisco, Calif. For all the latest information and to pre-register, go to www.AGTauditions.com.

"America's Got Talent" is produced by FremantleMedia North America and Simon Cowell's SYCO Television. Simon Cowell, Cecile Frot-Coutaz ("American Idol"), Jason Raff, Ken Warwick ("American Idol") and Georgie Hurford-Jones are 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/

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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 critically acclaimed comedy Emmy winners "The Office" and "30 Rock," starring Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey. Veteran, award-winning dramas on NBC include "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and "Chuck." Unscripted series for NBC include the new vocal competition hit "The Voice" as well as the popular "The Biggest Loser," "The Celebrity Apprentice" and "America's Got Talent." NBC's late-night story is highlighted by "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 finishes among daytime's top programs in the valuable women 18-34 category. On Saturday mornings, the network broadcasts Qubo on NBC, a three-hour block that features fun, entertaining, and educational programming for kids, including the award-winning, 3-D animated series Veggie Tales.

About FremantleMedia North America:

FremantleMedia North America (FMNA) is the U.S. production division of global media giant FremantleMedia. Based in Burbank, California, FMNA produces entertaining and innovative programs for network, cable, syndicated and online platforms, including the Emmy-nominated musical/reality phenomenon "American Idol" (FOX), "America's Got Talent" (NBC), "What Chilli Wants" (VH1), "Hole In The Wall" (Cartoon Network), "Let's Make A Deal" (CBS), "Family Feud" (syn), "The Price Is Right" (CBS), and "The X Factor" (Fox).

About SYCO:

Syco, with offices in London and Los Angeles, is a global music, television and film production joint venture between Simon Cowell and Sony Music Entertainment. Syco Television owns and produces the BAFTA Award-winning "The X Factor," which has topped the charts around the world. Syco Television is also the owner of the "Got Talent" television format. Versions of both "The X Factor" and "Got Talent" are co-produced by Syco, and are shown in more than 70 countries and have won multiple awards including national television awards and BAFTAs.

Syco is also the record label home for such diverse international recording stars as Leona Lewis and Il Divo. Cowell has worked with artists selling more than 200 million albums and delivering more than 180 #1 records. 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, selling a total of 20 million records to date.