One of the worst-kept secrets in the broadcasting industry was revealed today when Infinity Broadcasting announced that former Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth [ tickets ] will be one of several hosts who will fill the void left on the company's airwaves when Howard Stern makes the jump to satellite radio.

As part of what Infinity refers to as its "Howard Stern replacement strategy," Roth will take over the morning-drive time slot at Stern's flagship New York City radio station (WXRK), as well as in Boston (WBCN), Philadelphia (WYSP), Dallas (KLLI), Cleveland (WNCX) and West Palm Beach (WPBZ).

Stern's final live broadcast on terrestrial radio is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 16, and, as it has done each year during Stern's holiday vacation, Infinity will fill the gap leading up to Roth's Jan. 3 debut with pre-recorded best-of segments culled from the "Stern Show" archives.

Stern proclaimed on the air weeks ago that Roth would be among the talkers who would take over his morning-radio empire after he departs for his new five-year deal with Sirius Satellite Radio, but executives at Infinity remained mum on the subject until Tuesday's (10/25) announcement.

Stern currently airs on 27 Infinity stations across the country. Roth will split some of that pie with comedian Adam Carolla, who will take over for Stern in Los Angeles (KLSX), San Francisco (KIFR), San Diego (KLPN), Phoenix (KZON) and Las Vegas (KXTE). Infinity is morphing a number of the remaining stations to various formats, including one dubbed "Free FM," which will offer listeners a "combination of powerhouse local and national personalities," according to a press release.

Roth rose to fame in the late '70s while fronting Van Halen. After releasing six albums between 1978 and 1984, Roth and the rest of the group--guitarist Eddie Van Halen, drummer Alex Van Halen and bassist Michael Anthony--split on bad terms in 1985. The flamboyant singer subsequently embarked on a solo career and, while each of his solo albums has sold fewer than its predecessor, he continues to tour regularly.

Stern recently joked on his radio show that, as an up-and-coming disc jockey in the late-'70s and early '80s, he never could have foreseen that the lead singer of Van Halen would be vying for his job, and suggested to Roth--who was a surprise guest on the Tuesday (10/25) edition of "The Howard Stern Show"--that Roth's transition from rock legend to radio host was a demotion.

For his part, Roth--who has always categorized himself as an entertainer rather than a singer, and whose best-known traits include a penchant for non-stop talking--told Stern he has always wanted to work in radio.