Applause for shock jock Howard Stern

Howard Stern at a rally to celebrate his final broadcast on FM radio. Picture / Reuters

Thousands of people rallied to applaud "shock jock" Howard Stern, who after years of raging against government regulations on obscenity, broadcast his last show on public airwaves before heading to unregulated satellite radio.

"We broke every rule known to radio and mankind and I'm proud of that," Stern told supporters from an outdoor stage in midtown Manhattan.

"And I don't think this ride is over yet. Let the freedom bell be rung, and let it be rung by a stripper!"