Will Howard Stern Leave SiriusXM? Retire?

Howard Stern has less than two years left on his SiriusXM contract and there are signs that he may leave the satellite radio company when his deal expires.

Stern has actually been somewhat quiet about his future -- which is actually a little ominous.

Normally, once the radio host nears the final year of a deal, he starts making noise about being unhappy.

In many cases he implies that he might retire and, at other times, he implies that their are other suitors for his services.

This time, Stern has talked very little about his future. He has spoken aggressively about how he no longer wants to get up at 4 a.m. and how SiriusXM won't let him.

The most telling thing about Stern's future might be the obvious admiration he had for Chelsea Handler, a recent guest who walked away from her E! talk show in order to sign a deal with Netflix.

That contract not only offered her creative freedom, but also afforded her the ability to create something new.

Stern has always been very cautious.

He never abandoned his radio program for a late night talk show, even though he could have.

Now, however, he seems tired of working for anyone and seems to no longer understand why it matters that his program -- which repeats all day -- needs to start at 6 a.m.

When his deal ends, Stern would have no shortage of options.

He could move to a digital format, partnering with a tech company, or he could simply retire.

That seems unlikely as though he complains a lot, Stern seems to still like having a platform, but technology makes it so he no longer needs SiriusXM to reach his audience.

It's very possible that at the end of this deal, Stern goes into business for himself with a digital show taped whenever he wants to tape it.

Perhaps SiriusXM will make a deal to broadcast it, but, however it happens, the days of Stern doing a morning show appear to be coming to an end.