His name is Howard Stern, and most of America's mainstream media is scared of him.

Stern, who rose to infamy largely because of his shocking radio shows, is a major media mogul, dabbling in everything from publishing to music to cinema.

Wikipedia lists him as the most fined person in radio broadcast history, Stern's infamous shows ranging from the sexually explicit to the downright blasphemous.

His latest target? American Idol, a show Stern has said he wants to 'kill.'

And his weapon of choice? 17-year-old participant Sanjaya Malakar, judged by many as Idol's worst finalist ever and one who continues to sail through towards the finals.

Who cares about singing? Sanjaya can win Idol!

Stern has made full use of his top-rated radio programme over the last couple of weeks to heavily promote VoteForTheWorst.com, a site that aims at derailing American Idol by getting the worst singers picked.

That, and a tremendously supportive Indian diaspora focussing on Sanjaya's roots, have ensured the singer has remained in the top 9, a fact much celebrated on Stern's official website.

'We're corrupting the entire thing,' the New York Times quotes Stern as saying. "It's so great. The No 1 show on television and it's getting ruined."

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