Opie and Anthony "Pests" Pay For Billboard to Annoy Orlando Radio
Host
Dateline: 08/18/05
In an amusing consolidation of effort, fans of the "Opie and Anthony
Show" pooled together money to purchase a billboard near the studios of
WTKS in Orlando to taunt talk show host, Jim Philips.
Fans calling themselves "The O&A Army" collected over $1,000 in
a 3 day span to erect a large advertisement along Florida's All American
Boulevard in the Orlando-Maitland area.
The billboard read: "Mr. Philips, The Pests win, you lose! Good day sir.
The Opie & Anthony Army. Commemorating the PatBattle of O-town."
The ad's text makes reference to a continuing joke in which the hosts, Gregg
"Opie" Hughes and Anthony Cumia, criticize commercial radio shows;
often pointing out their hosts' hypocrisies.
Opie and Anthony then continue the joke by suggesting to the fans (Whom they
call "pests") to call the offending shows, in the hopes of disrupting
it.
The "pests" proudly boast the billboard they purchased commemorates
a successful, multi-day disruption of the "Philips Phile Show" on WTKS,
a Clear Channel radio station.
The Opie & Anthony Army admits it has no official affiliation with either
the Opie & Anthony Show or XM Satellite Radio.
The Opie and Anthony Show can be heard 24 hours a day on XM Satellite Radio,
channel 202, with a live broadcast from 7 A.M. to 11 A.M. Eastern Time, and
repeating throughout the day.
- Portions From a PRWEB News Release
|
In what is almost surely a first in the broadcasting industry, fans
of the "Opie and Anthony Show" contributed money to purchase a
billboard advertisement - without the knowledge of the shows' stars.
ORLANDO, FL (PRWEB)
August 18, 2005 -- In what is almost surely a first in the broadcasting
industry, fans of the "Opie and Anthony Show" contributed money
to purchase a billboard advertisement - without the knowledge of the
shows' stars.
Fans calling themselves "The O&A Army" collected over $1,000
in a 3 day span to erect a large ad along Florida's All American Boulevard
in the Orlando / Maitland area.
The ad's text makes reference to a continuing joke in which the hosts,
Gregg "Opie" Hughes and Anthony Cumia, criticize commercial
radio shows; often pointing out their hosts' hypocrisies.
Opie and Anthony then continue the joke by suggesting to the fans (Whom
they call "pests") to call the offending shows, in the hopes of
disrupting it.
The billboard purchased by the "pests" now commemorates a
successful, multi-day disruption of local Orlando radio host.
When asked to comment, Hughes called the billboard "Classic,"
while co-host Jim Norton said it was simply "Phenomenal."
(Incidentally, the billboard was put up on Norton's birthday.)
The Opie and Anthony Show can be heard 24 hours a day on XM Satellite
Radio, channel 202, with a live broadcast from 7 A.M. to 11 A.M. Eastern
Time, and repeating throughout the day.
The Opie & Anthony Army is made up of volunteer pests (fans) of the
Opie & Anthony show and Army has no official affiliation with neither
the Opie & Anthony Shown nor XM Satellite radio.
Wackbag.com |
| Talk Radio's
Ron And Fez Join XM |
|
August 1,
2005
FMQB.com
Washington D.C. Talk radio personalities Ron And
Fez will bring their daily show to XM Satellite Radio,
beginning on September 12. Ron And Fez will broadcast weekdays from 11
a.m. to 2 p.m. on XM's High Voltage channel, with encores
airing at 7 p.m. and 2 a.m.
"It should come as no surprise that Ron And Fez are making the jump
to XM where they will have the opportunity to create the kind of radio
that has made them popular with their long-time fans and expand their fan
base to millions of XM listeners," said XM EVP Of Programming Eric
Logan. "Ron and Fez are two of the funniest guys on the
radio and XM's High Voltage is a perfect place for them to do
what they do best."
Before joining High Voltage, Ron And Fez will guest on Opie
and Anthony's XM show on Tuesday, August 9.
|
| O&A fans send 'pest' regards |
| Tube Talk |
|
|
 |
| WABC/Ch. 7's Marcis Solis gives report
in front of 'Opie & Anthony' banner. |
|
|
 |
| Pat Battle of WNBC/Ch. 4 delivering the
news from Surf City. |
|
|
Memo to self: Don't pick on Opie &
Anthony listeners.
No surprise, last week after I slammed the O&A fans who
disrupted newscasts by holding up signs behind correspondents, the
E-mails started coming in.
Okay, so I called some of them sycophants, idiots and jerks. But
after talking to Opie and Anthony on their XM Radio show, I learned
that they actually have a name for their fans - "pests."
"Don't you realize when you write about this s- it's just
going to get worse," wrote one "pest" who did not
give a name. "You can't be that f- stupid to think your article
is worth the paper it's printed on."
Actually, I believe the column is worth the full 50 cents cover
price of the Daily News. Not a penny more. Not a penny less.
"Maybe if you stopped talking about it and others did the
same, they would see that their efforts are a waste of time,"
wrote Curt Briscar.
True, but then I'd have nothing to write about.
"I normally agree with you, but not today my good
friend," wrote Dan Andrews. "The Opie and Anthony fans
have every right to turn the table on the media. It's the media that
exploits crimes and people into profit. ... If someone can beat the
media at their own game, then God bless them. Mr. Huff, your
articles always make me think."
Gary Rushneck wrote: "Who is really being hurt by this?
Yeah, it's annoying for reporters, but when is a reporter not
annoying? When they are chasing Average Joes down for interviews
when something happens? When they are outside the house of a
newsworthy person demanding interviews?"
The difference is that Average Joes don't have to speak to the
media, while a correspondent has no recourse when a "pest"
stands behind him shouting and holding signs.
(In fairness to O&A, instructions for the "Assault on
the Media" campaign say don't jump in front of the
correspondent, don't swear and don't pick fights. "Just be a
pest, because so many of you are SO good at just that," it's
written on their Web site.)
"I am 100% in your corner on the O&A thing," wrote
Mitch Beck, who said he was on the radio for 25 years. "If I
were a [program director], I would fire someone just for suggesting
this kind of crap. It's not funny. It's not interesting and it's
extremely rude and has no other point than to be rude and to promote
O&A."
That was my point, too, but Beck and I were with the minority on
this issue - at least among those who wrote.
"You didn't even allow me time to get mad at you this
morning," wrote Chris Orlando, "as by the time I finished
your article on O&A you were already on the air with the boys
explaining yourself and I was right there laughing along."
And then there were the pure attacks, many of whom did not
respond to requests for their names.
"You're an ass," wrote one.
"You sir, are a balding tool," wrote another.
"Shut up. Write about something important," wrote
Anthony Scarpelli, who said he pulled one of the O&A stunts in
Boston.
"Wow, just wow," wrote a female "pest" who
did not respond to a request for her full name. "I've seen
12-year-olds compose a better article. It's choppy and flows as well
as Crisco through an artery. You should consider looking into a new
career."
For the record, this is not the first time I've been told to find
a new career. Some of my colleagues suggest that often. Also, Connie
Chung yelled the same thing at me in 1995 when she was extremely
unhappy with something I wrote.
I didn't take the advice then, I'm not taking it now.
|
|
| Jerks playing
interference on live shots |
 |
| ...and Ch. 4's Pat Battle. |
|
|
 |
| Opie & Anthony fans disrupted live
reports by Ch. 7's Marcus Solis... |
Tube Talk
There's a saying in TV circles that the camera
is a $50,000 idiot magnet.
Viewers got to see just what an idiot draw a TV camera is a couple of
times this week when sycophants of radio jocks Opie and Anthony turned up
in the background of live news shots.
The incidents, part of a disruption campaign launched by the XM Radio
hosts, has forced local news producers to end live shots early, and take
other precautions to keep the knuckleheads off the air.
For example, Tuesday at noon, WABC/Ch. 7's Marcus Solis was ambushed
while reporting on the rape of a woman in Hunters Point, Queens.
As Solis delivered his live introduction, a man and woman ran behind
him carrying an O&A sign while shouting their names. But rather than
deal with the jerks, Ch. 7 never went back to Solis after his report.
"When will this distracting campaign stop?" asked a reader
Charles James. "A rape scene - an active crime scene - Solis was
doing his best to inform viewers of the heinous crime that took place. How
insensitive and inconsiderate of the Opie & Anthony camp."
And WNBC/Ch. 4's Pat Battle also had an O&A disciple descend on her
live report on a shark attack from the Jersey shore.
"We prepare our staffers, our journalists to handle these types of
situations professionally," said a Ch. 4 spokeswoman.
"We have procedures in place to protect the integrity of our
broadcasts," a WCBS/Ch. 2 spokeswoman said. "Our news department
is comprised of veteran reporters who should know how to handle these
situations."
Considering the Web site activity and planning of such stunts - there
are online instructions on how to pull off the prank - we're far from the
end.
No wonder. They're hard to stop, especially on a public street, and a
similar stunt, of course, got reporter Arthur Chi'en so fired up he
dropped an F-bomb on-air and was immediately canned by WCBS/Ch. 2.
And, yes, I realize just writing about them will empower more of the
weasels to hit the street.
Trouble is, it's a campaign with no other purpose than to boost the
visibility of Opie & Anthony, who were fired by WNEW after encouraging
a couple to have sex in St. Patrick's Cathedral. It's not a creative
prank, it's annoying.
At least when Howard Stern's fans call TV shows during breaking news,
they're supposedly proving that some of the media don't check references
before putting sources on the air. O&A's fan stunt isn't that smart.
|
Spoken Word
for the Space Age
By TSC
Staff
6/7/2005 12:19 PM EDT |
Audible (ADBL:Nasdaq
- commentary
- research),
a provider of audio books and other material based on spoken words, signed
an agreement with XM Satellite Radio (XMSR:Nasdaq
- commentary
- research)
to jointly offer products and programming.
In 2006, Audible and XM will introduce a portable handheld satellite
radio capable of playing both the XM service and Audible's content, which
can be downloaded from the Web. XM subscribers will also be able to buy
audio books and other offerings.
Audible plans to offer certain XM talk programs through its Web site
this year, beginning with shows from former NPR veteran Bob Edwards and
shock jocks Opie and Anthony. Also this year, XM will produce a new
Audible audiobook program for broadcast on the satellite radio service.
Separately, XM awarded Space Systems/Loral a contract to design
and build the XM-5 satellite. XM said the construction will be completed
in 2007. XM-5 is planned as a spare for the company's in-orbit fleet. Boeing
Satellite Systems has built XM's three Earth-orbiting satellites and
is completing a fourth that will be available for launch in 2006.
Shares of Audible were gaining $2.18, or 13%, to $18.51. XM was up 30
cents, or 0.9%, to $33.78. |
XM Satellite, Audible to Launch Device
NEW YORK (AP) - Audible Inc. and XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. on Tuesday
said they will co-launch a new portable device capable of playing XM's satellite
radio service and content from Audible, a seller of downloadable audio versions
of books, newspapers and other printed matter.
The handheld devices will be able to receive XM's roughly 150 digital radio
channels, as well as store Audible's audio programs from broadcasters and
publishers of newspapers, magazine and audio books, all of which can be
downloaded from the Internet, the companies said in a joint statement.
The value of the agreement was not disclosed. Audible shares soared $2.51, or
more than 15 percent, to $18.84 on the Nasdaq Stock Market, where they were
among the top percentage gainers in midday trading. XM Satellite Radio shares
added 29 cents to $33.77.
As part of the agreement, the companies said they will co-market the other's
services.
XM and Audible will each feature the other company's content on their Web
sites, which users can download onto the new devices. For example, Audible said
it will offer popular XM talk programs on its Web site this year, starting with
The Bob Edwards Show and Opie and Anthony.
Similarly, XM said it will make available Audible's 70,000 hours of
spoken-word programming on the XM Web site via a co-branded online store. XM
competes with Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. in the fast-growing market for
subscription-based satellite radio service.
The new handheld devices will be marketed under the "AudibleReady/XM"
name starting next year, the companies said.
© 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
|
Handhelds to play satellite radio, digital books
Published: June 7, 2005, 7:02 AM PDT
Handheld devices that can play both satellite radio and content
downloaded from the Web are expected to debut next year.
The devices, a joint project of Audible and XM Satellite Radio, will
play XM's
radio programs and Audible's
digital content, such as audio books and magazines, that can be downloaded
from the Internet.
Currently, Audible's content can be downloaded and played on computers,
MP3 players such as Apple Computer's iPod, and personal digital
assistants.
Audible will also starting offering XM talk programs such as "The
Bob Edwards Show" and "Opie and Anthony" on its Web site
later this year. In turn, the satellite radio service will broadcast a
program containing features, interviews and news focusing on audio books
and other spoken-word products from Audible.
Audible has recently signed content
deals to expand the market for its audio products, while XM has also
been actively looking for new
partners, such as with wireless carriers, to move beyond its primary
market of car radios.
"Together our respective technologies will enable the consumer to
listen to the finest in radio programming and the best of personalized,
spoken-word listening on their portable audio devices," Donald Katz,
CEO of Audible, said in a statement. |
Associated Press
XM Satellite, Audible to Launch Device
06.07.2005, 07:56 AM
Audible Inc., which sells downloadable audio versions
of books and newspapers, and satellite radio service provider XM Satellite Radio
Holdings Inc. on Tuesday said that in 2006, they will co-launch a new handheld
device that can play both the XM service and Audible's audio content.
The portable, handheld satellite radio devices will be
able to receive both XM's roughly 150 digital radio channels, as well as audio
programs from broadcasters, and audio book, newspaper and magazine publishers,
which can be downloaded from the Internet.
The value of the agreement was not disclosed. XM and
Audible said they will prominently co-market each other's services.
XM said it will feature Audible on the air, its Website
and other channels, and also make the company's spoken-word programming
available for downloading on the XM Website. Audible said it will offer popular
XM talk programs on its own Website, starting with the Bob Edwards Show and Opie
and Anthony.
Audible shares closed Monday at $16.33 on the Nasdaq,
and climbed $1.17, or 7.2 percent, to $17.50 in premarket activity. XM Satellite
shares closed Monday at $33.48 on the Nasdaq.
|
Published: May 27, 2005
ARTHUR CHI'EN did a foolish thing one morning last week. He acted
human. Where he went wrong was to do it in front of a television camera.
A reporter for WCBS-TV, Mr. Chi'en was on a Midtown street doing a
live standup on MetroCard swindles. This was for the benefit of however
many New Yorkers happened to be awake at 6 a.m. and tuned to Channel 2.
Behind him stood two dolts who taunted him on camera, gesturing vulgarly
and holding up a sign for the Opie and Anthony radio show.
Opie and Dopey, you may recall, are the geniuses who once broadcast a
live account of a couple supposedly having sex inside St. Patrick's
Cathedral. They're still around, heaven save us, on satellite radio.
Their idea of fun now includes sending dolts to torment hard-working
reporters.
Mr. Chi'en, acting human, lost his cool. After finishing his report,
he turned to his harassers and yelled something on the order of,
"What is your problem, man?" That last sentence is sanitized
here. The reporter's outburst included a well-worn expletive, one of the
seven dirty words deemed no-nos by the Federal Communications
Commission. You hear it on New York streets only, oh, three dozen times
a day.
That was Mr. Chi'en's foolish thing. He thought he was off the air,
he says. But he knew right away that he had gone too far. When he went
back live moments later, he apologized, but to no avail. Before the
morning was out, WCBS had fired him.
No question, he behaved poorly, Mr. Chi'en said the other day.
"I'm a professional, and I know I'm not supposed to use those
words," he said. "I thought the station had switched to tape.
But I'm not making any excuses. I should have known better."
Still, under the circumstances, was his sin so great that he deserved
a career beheading? Mr. Chi'en, 36, does not believe so. "I
definitely deserved disciplinary action," he said. "I wasn't
expecting to be fired."
Some of his colleagues were dismayed. So were people whom he covered
for Channel 2 and, before that, for NY1 News. Mr. Chi'en, a respected
reporter, specialized in transportation news. Letters of protest have
been sent to WCBS by representatives of the Metropolitan Transportation
Authority, the Transport Workers Union and the Straphangers Campaign.
Most days, you can't get those groups to agree on a lunch order.
Nobody is about to nominate Mr. Chi'en for a Peabody Award. Punish
him and even suspend him, say supporters like Tom Kelly, the
transportation authority's communications director. But dismissal in
this situation is "outrageous," Mr. Kelly said in a letter to
WCBS.
SOME of Mr. Chi'en's allies sense a climate of fear in the F.C.C.'s
pumped-up campaign against indecency.
In parts of the country, television stations have refused to
broadcast the film "Saving Private Ryan" because it shows
soldiers at war being, of all things, violent and foul-mouthed. Some
stations have rejected "Schindler's List" for showing naked
female prisoners in a Nazi concentration camp being herded to the
showers. Never mind that any viewer sexually titillated by that scene
probably needs a therapist.
It is in this climate that Mr. Chi'en lost his job, his supporters
say. "It's a gross overreaction," said Al O'Leary, a spokesman
for the police officers' union, who used to speak for New York City
Transit. "To sacrifice Arthur Chi'en's career on the altar of
political correctness is just wrong."
Not surprisingly, WCBS and its parent company, Viacom, disagree.
Mr. Chi'en is "a terrific young talent," said Fred
Reynolds, president and chief executive of the Viacom Television
Stations Group. All the same, "Arthur committed the most egregious
incident on air that I have ever seen."
Station managers are not running scared, Mr. Reynolds said, but
"there is zero tolerance" for this breach of the rules. To
him, the punishment fits the crime, which he likened to road rage. On
air, "you just can't lose your cool," he said.
It will probably not surprise you that Opie and Dopey, having created
this mess, get to keep on broadcasting and to chortle over how they
provoked a reporter into erupting.
As for Mr. Chi'en, his focus is on what comes next. He is talented,
and in all likelihood will land on his feet. He has wanted to be a
reporter, he says, since the fifth grade at Public School 59 on the East
Side of Manhattan, where he grew up, the son of Chinese immigrants.
"I love what I do," he said. He immediately corrected
himself. "What I did," he said.
|
Reporter
Fired For Using F-Word
May 22, 2005 10:28 a.m. EST
Hector Duarte Jr. All Headline News Staff Reporter
New York (AHN) - A reporter for WCGS-TV in New York was fired Thursday after
he uttered the curse word during a live broadcast.
Arthur Chi'en was delivering a live intro to a feature when two men walked up
behind him holding up signs and singing "Opie and Anthony," the
name of two popular shock jocks.
That's when Chi'en, under the impression the feed had cut away, turned around
and asked, "What the f*** is your problem, man?"
His words were broadcast live on the air.
WCBS-TV later confirmed Chi'en had been fired and the station apologized
"for the use of inappropriate language."
CBS Reporter Arthur Chi’en Fired Dropping F-Bomb
 For
those of you who remember the glory days of Opie
and Anthony before they were banished to XM satellite radio, you’ll
surely be delighted by the latest stunt from local shock jocks*, in which
they managed to get local CBS 2 reporter Arthur Arthur Chi’en to shout,
“What the fuck is your problem?” at a meddler during his live shot.
The guttersnipe, of course, was an intern from the radio show, who
happened to be holding a “O&A XM” sign. The footage is available here
for your gigglish enjoyment.
Honestly, we would’ve reacted the same way. But we talk like sailors
and don’t
get fired when we curse, which is what happened to Chi’en (read:
Reason #427 why TV news blows). God forbid a New York newsman react to
something like an actual New Yorker.
*That’s the first time I’ve used the phrase “shock jock”
since approximately 1998.
F-Word
Costs TV Guy A Job [NYDN]
XM’s
Opie & Anthony Get CBS Reporter to Swear Live On Air [AdRants]
Arthur
Chi’en Video [FoundryMusic] |
Reporter Swears At Opie & Anthony Hecklers On TV, Gets
Fired
http://www.wnbc.com/news/4511119/detail.html
POSTED:
8:19 am EDT May 20, 2005
UPDATED:
11:23 am EDT May 20, 2005
NEW YORK -- TV reporter Arthur Chi'en has been fired
for shouting the "F" word at two hecklers during his live report at
a subway train station.
Chi'en was doing a story about Metro Card scammers when two men began
shouting about radio shock jocks Opie and Anthony. The two hecklers were making
obscene gestures behind the reporter. Chi'en kept talking and when he finished
his report, he turned to the two hecklers and said "What the (expletive) is
your problem."
Chi'en thought he was off the air, but apparently the mike picked up the
obscenity.
With the FCC cracking down on obscenity, Chi'en was fired Thursday.
He said he's sorry and he apologizes to anyone who was offended.
Fans of Opie and Anthony are reveling in Chi'en's firing. They have mounted a
campaign to annoy TV reporters.
The two shock jocks are now on pay radio, after being fired from WNEW-FM for
promoting a contest that had a couple have sex in St. Patrick's Cathedral. (AP)
Shock jocks Opie and Anthony can curse all they want on
the radio these days. Veteran DJ Meg Griffin is free to schedule a
weekend-long tribute to Johnnie Johnson, Chuck Berry's late piano player.
And FM legend Kid Leo is able to sandwich the White Stripes' "Blue
Orchid" between classics by the Rolling Stones and Jerry Lee Lewis.
In an age of rigid playlists and Federal Communications Commission
crackdowns, these developments sound like radio from outer space -- and
that's exactly what they are. Welcome to the rapidly expanding world of
satellite radio, where two competing broadcasters, XM and Sirius, are
giving programmers and DJs a degree of freedom unheard of since the
earliest days of free-form FM. "It's a scenario just like 1969, when
AM radio was stuck in this Leave It to Beaver world," says
XM chief programming officer Lee Abrams. "Much as FM liberated radio
back in the late Sixties, satellite is liberating radio now."
An increasing number of customers are lining up to pay thirteen dollars
a month for that liberation. The larger company, XM, has added 541,000
subscribers so far this year, bringing its total subscribers to 3.77
million, while Sirius added 306,500, bringing its total to 1.5 million.
And satellite's profile will grow even higher in January, when Howard
Stern moves his morning show to Sirius. "It's growing every day --
that's the fun part about it," says Stern competitor Opie (born Gregg
Hughes), who jumped to XM with partner Anthony Cumia after they lost their
FM show due to an FCC-baiting sex-in-church stunt. Adds Cumia, "When
we got into this, we were thinking, 'God, what if there's no callers?' But
the phones have been lit up since the beginning."
For all its rapid growth, satellite's audience is tiny compared to the
ninety-five percent of Americans who listen to conventional radio.
"We have more listeners on our three stations in New York than
satellite has customers," says Rick Cummings, president of Emmis
Communications' radio division, the company that owns Hot 97, New York's
top-rated hip-hop station.
Sirius president Scott Greenstein replies that cable TV faced similar
doubts: "Remember when they said MTV is great, but they don't have a
lot of viewers?" And many signs do point to cable-style growth for
the satellite broadcasters. According to XM, sixty percent of drivers who
get a free trial in their new cars opt to sign on as paying subscribers.
"Once you have it, it's really hard to do without it," argues
Kid Leo, a DJ on Sirius' Underground Garage station, started by Little
Steven of the E Street Band. "It's immediately addicting. It becomes
part of your life."
Both companies offer dozens of channels of commercial-free music,
including specialty stations -- such as the garage-rock-themed Underground
Garage -- that go beyond anything on terrestrial radio. Jose Mangin, a
tattoo-laden twenty-eight-year-old, plays bands from Black Sabbath to
Mastodon as a DJ and format manager of Sirius' Hard Attack, one of Sirius'
seventeen rock channels and possibly the nation's only all-metal radio
station. (XM recently relegated its metal channel to an online stream.)
"It's like being able to bring my life of metal to everybody across
the country," says Mangin. And Tobi, the programming director for
XM's ultra-eclectic college-rock station, XMU, routinely stays in the
office until 1 a.m., adding 200 tracks at a time to her library from bands
like the Decemberists and Maximo Park. "If I like it, I play
it," she says.
Still, executives at both companies acknowledge that their most popular
stations tend to be their mainstream offerings. "If you have a
hit-driven channel, people are going to hang out there," says Eric
Logan, an executive vice president of programming at XM. But even XM's
most FM-like channel, Top 20 on 20, operates with unusual freedom:
Programmer Michelle Cartier recently began spinning a track by Tegan and
Sara amid the Eminem and Alicia Keys hits.
Execs say they remain committed to small channels such as Sirius
Disorder, home to the Johnnie Johnson tribute. "A niche channel may
have a relatively small audience base," says Steve Blatter, Sirius'
senior VP of music programming. "But if that audience is extremely
satisfied with what we are providing to them, then that is a very
important channel to us."
Sirius remains the underdog in the satellite-radio race but doesn't
intend to stay that way for long. The company spent $63.9 million on
programming last year -- almost twice as much as XM's $32.7 million -- a
difference Sirius' Greenstein attributes mostly to its deals to acquire
Stern's show and the rights to broadcast NFL games. But XM executives
accuse Sirius of wasting money on deals with personalities such as Eminem
(who helps program the Shade 45 channel), bicyclist Lance Armstrong and
Martha Stewart.
"Sirius has demonstrated that they are willing to pay
record-breaking numbers for celebrities who are not necessarily radio
people," says XM's Logan. Sirius' Greenstein points out, though, that
most of the company's celebrity deals cost less than $100,000 -- and that
XM has enlisted its own cadre of celebs, including Snoop Dogg.
XM execs also claim they have deeper music playlists than Sirius (which
Sirius denies), and they blast Sirius for putting too much focus on their
DJs. But Sirius' Blatter says the idea is to make the company's stations
"more than jukeboxes": "It's one thing to play a new song
by an unknown artist. But it's another to have a personality to give you
some background information about that artist and present that song in a
way that makes it more interesting."
Even as the rival companies feud, many of their staffers seem to share
common goals. "Radio fell into the hands of people who completely
forgot about the human touch," says Sirius programmer and DJ Griffin.
"They wrecked it. And now we're un-wrecking it."
BRIAN HIATT
(Posted May 19, 2005) |
Jericho Has Very Strong Words
Concerning Edge-Lita-Hardy
Reported By ryancain
4/18/2005
www.impactwrestling.com
Thanks to Andy for sending this along:
Chris Jericho was a guest on The Opie & Anthony XM Satellite Radio Show this
morning and a listener emailed a question concerning the whole Edge-Lita-Matt
Hardy situation and the email said "watch Jericho squirm". Jericho
said he has nothing to be ashamed about, as he wasn't involved in that mess.
Jericho said it was a "f***ed up situation". He said it was "bad
business" and it's wrong to fire Matt Hardy when he did nothing wrong.
When asked about Triple H dominating Raw, he said he doesn't think Triple H is
hurting business, "He is the star of the show, he is what Hulk Hogan was 10
years ago".
Jericho was on to plug Raw in MSG and his Fozzy CD which Opie and Anthony
complimented and said was actually a good CD unlike other wrestlers' CDs,
including Hulk Hogan's "I Want To Be A Hulkamaniac" and Macho Man's
rap CD.
XM, Sirius jockey
for top spot in satellite radio
By Dean Johnson BostonHerald.com
Thursday, April 14, 2005 - Updated: 02:01 AM EST
The
news this week that the XM satellite radio service has forged a deal with
America Online for a new Internet radio network is only the latest blow in
the ongoing battle between XM and rival satellite network Sirius, one that
long ago resembled two heavyweights duking it out in a phone booth.
XM signs shock jocks Opie and Anthony,
who broadcast their Monday and Tuesday shows this week from Boston.
Sirius counters with a fat contract for
Howard Stern, who is due to make the jump to satellite radio next year.
Sirius obtains the broadcast rights to
all the National Football League games; XM sews up all Major League
Baseball contests.
XM has corporate giants Clear Channel and
General Motors as minority owners; Sirius signs up legendary radio guru
Mel Karmazin to run the ship.
So which one is in the lead, and who is
likely to win?
Radio consultant Holland Cooke called the
XM/AOL deal a ``bombshell. . . . Radio people accustomed to looking down
their noses at satellite radio are paying attention to this one,'' he
said. ``Suddenly 22 million AOL subscribers can receive XM without having
to pay a subscription fee.''
But not everyone thinks the deal puts XM
in the lead.
``If I am an investor, I'm looking at
revenue streams vs. outstanding debt and losses, and there is an enormous
cash drain on both sides right now,'' said Bruce Mittman, president of the
local Mittcom consulting group.
``It just doesn't seem to me at this
point they can continue to operate under the current model without a
financial day of reckoning in the not-too-distant future,'' he said. ``So
it's my belief they will either merge, or one will go out of business
entirely, or one or both will end up in bankruptcy and a restructuring
will occur.''
Inside Radio editor Tom Taylor thought
the XM/AOL deal was good for both parties. Nevertheless, he believes
Sirius is slowly winning the war.
``In terms of (new) month-to-month
subscribers, Sirius feels they have parity with XM now, and Stern has
definitely helped push them ahead of XM in terms of name recognition,'' he
said. ``But both have come a long way since they started.''
By the end of last year, 4.5 million people subscribed to satellite
radio, a healthy figure given that the medium is 3 years old. It took
nearly six years for that many people to start using wireless phones.
XM currently has 3.8 million subscribers,
while Sirius has 1.2 million. A recent study by Forrester Research
estimates that more than 20 million households will listen to satellite
radio by 2010.
Asked which firm he'd go with if forced
to choose, Mittman said, ``Sirius. Between Mel and Howard and football, I
think they're a better play, even though XM has more listeners at the
moment.
``Both companies have tumultuous
financial problems waiting in the wings, and I think Karmazin can shepherd
them through them,'' he said.
``There is also nothing I see in the near
future at XM that is going to create the sparkle and buzz that Stern will
do when he jumps to Sirius.''
``I'd hesitate to bet on one or the
other. I'd bet on both, because it's hard to say which one will win,''
Cooke said. ``But Wall Street loves Mel, and he's a pretty smart guy.
``Also, Stern going to Sirius will be
huge,'' he said. ``He sneezes, and the media gets the flu. He is going to
do three channels full-time and populate them with like-minded talent who
will bring their fans with them, who will then discover other shows.'' |
Opie and Anthony Hold Bizarre Audition Process for New XM
Line-up
Submitted by
IanR
on Mon, 2005-03-14 10:10.
By Ian Rice
Arts and Lifestyle Editor
Radio giants Opie and Anthony, who returned to the burgeoning satellite
radio market as a premium feature on XM Radio in October of last year, held
a bizarre set of auditions for their “High Voltage” channel line-up on
Friday.
When the subscriber-based XM service eliminates its premium options April
2nd (as part of its price restructuring drive), Opie and Anthony will find
themselves filtered into the mainstream listening pool. The duo will have
full input into the programming line-up featured on the revamped “High
Voltage” channel (202 on the dial), which will add other programs in an
effort to gain new listeners.
On their March 11th program, Opie and Anthony urged listeners to call in
nationwide and let the duo listen to local terrestrial radio morning shows
and see if they could “make the cut” for the new line-up on their
stream. This strange audition process started when the boys listened in to
show member Jim Norton’s appearance on Baltimore morning show “Kirk,
Mark and Lopez” while promoting an area stand-up appearance.
Shows that made an appearance via telephone on the program included
Worcester, MA’s “Hillman Morning Show,” Boston, MA’s “Lorne and
Wally Show” and Ocean, NJ’s “Freebeer and Hotwings Show.” Very few
of the shows “auditioned” during the process seemed worthy of making the
cut for the new “High Voltage” line-up, which arrives as part of the
duo’s shift from a 6 AM to a 7 AM program start. Despite all being morning
shows, the shows up for evaluation by Opie and Anthony would be candidates
to fill the space after the duo sign off at 11 AM. Currently, the channel
features back-to-back replays of “The Opie and Anthony Show” following
the conclusion of the live stream.
The rumor mill was successfully fueled during the “audition” process as
well. Featured in the slue of terrestrial radio programs that morning was a
show by the name of “Dan and Dan.” Attentive listeners could identify
the quick segment as Washington, DC’s “Ron and Fez Show,” which airs
each weeknight on WJFK-FM. Opie and Anthony are longtime friends and
associates of the hosts of the aforementioned show, Ron Bennington and Fez
Whatley, following their shared time on New York City’s WNEW-FM (often
under the moniker of "The AFRO [Anthony, Fez, Ron, Opie] Show").
Rumors have been abound concerning the addition of “The Ron and Fez
Show” to the “High Voltage” line-up and cryptic remarks have been made
on-air during both programs over the last few weeks. “The Ron and Fez
Show” currently remains under contract with Infinity Broadcasting.
There is no official word yet as to what will actually comprise the
programming of the “High Voltage” stream, but listeners are well-advised
to stay tuned.
XM Satellite Radio's Opie & Anthony to Modify Daily Time Slot
Dateline: 03/12/05
Beginning Monday, March 14, XM Satellite Radio's "Opie &
Anthony" will air from 7:00 AM to 11:00 AM ET, one hour later than
the program’s current timeslot.
Opie and Anthony offer a brand of adult-themed talk that incorporates
headlines and pop culture.
Encore airings of the show, hosted by Gregg “Opie” Hughes and
Anthony Cumia, will continue to run throughout the day.
XM, a provider of Satellite Radio to more than 3.2 million subscribers,
says the daily talk program, which had been exclusive to High Voltage (XM
Channel 202) at a fee of $1.99 per month, will now be included in a newly
revamped basic service package launching April 2, 2005.
XM
Radio Online, previously $3.99 per month, also will be included as
part of the new basic service. XM’s new basic service will increase to
$12.95 beginning April 2, 2005.
- Portions from an XM Satellite Radio News Release |
|
Opie & Anthony Hold Open XM Auditions
|
 |
| March 11, 2005
What started with a listener calling to
say that comedian Jim Norton was "killing" on
the Kirk, Mark & Lopez show at WIYY
(98 Rock)/Baltimore, ended up turning into a national
talent search during today's Opie & Anthony Show
on XM Satellite Radio. The pair listened in on Norton's
segment and then "we decided to see what other morning shows were
doing around the country," explains Opie. "Listeners started
calling in with their local shows and we proceeded to goof on all of them.
It was a blast and we look forward to doing it again!"
Opie & Anthony announced they
will soon be starting their show at 7 a.m. EST, one hour later than
their present start time. They will also be adding new programming to
their High Voltage channel that will replace the daily replays of their
program. "It's true that we're looking for some other shows for
our channel on XM," added Opie. "Who knows one of these shows
may end up surprising us!"
Some of the other shows the duo checked in
on were WZZO/Allentown's Bearman & Keith,
WDHA/New Jersey's The Big Greasy Breakfast,
WRKI/Danbury's Ethan & Neil, WGIR/Manchester's
Greg & The Morning Buzz, WAAF/Boston's Hillman
Morning Show, WOKI/Knoxville's Phil
& Gina, KTBZ/Houston's Rod Ryan,
KIBZ/Lincoln's Tim & The Animal, KEZO/Omaha's
Todd & Tyler Show, along with the syndicated Bob
& Tom and Bob & Sheri.
|
| Trucking
Headlines |
| |
XM
upgrades basic service, raises fee
By
Lance Orr
XM Satellite Radio is upgrading its basic
service, but the changes will cost customers more.
Beginning April 2, the monthly subscription price for XM's basic
service will increase to $12.95 – the same monthly fee as Sirius
Satellite Radio, XM’s chief competitor.
Existing XM customers, however, can lock in the current $9.99
monthly rate with prepaid plans of one to five years, as long as
they are set up before April 2.
The expanded XM basic service will include the Internet service XM
Radio Online, which offers more than 70 channels of XM music and
talk programming that was previously available at $3.99 per month,
and the High Voltage channel, featuring controversial “shock
jocks” Opie and Anthony, which was previously available for $1.99
a month.
“This new pricing approach will help fund future technology
development, enable us to offer more attractively priced radios and
maintain our programming excellence,” said Hugh Panero, XM
president and CEO. “Together, these initiatives should result in
XM exceeding its current target of 20 million customers by 2010.”
The price change will not affect XM's Family Plan, which allows XM
subscribers to add up to four additional subscriptions for $6.99 a
month per radio.
Launched in 2001, XM claims 3.2 million subscribers listening to its
151 channels. Sirius claims 1.1 million subscribers listening to its
120 channels. |
|
XM Changes Program Structure, Faces New Indecency Standard
Proposals
Submitted by
IanR
on Mon, 2005-03-07 10:04.
By Ian Rice
Arts and Lifestyle Editor
XM Satellite Radio (the nation's leading provider of satellite radio with
more than 3.2 million subscribers) made an announcement last week that it is
expanding its basic service package, in an effort to counter the fact that
their monthly subscription price for said service will increase from $9.99
to $12.99 beginning April 2. To make the price jump an easier transition for
current subscribers, XM is also offering existing customers the opportunity
to keep the $9.99 monthly rate provided they sign-up for a one-year prepaid
plan. More substantial discounts can be obtained by purchasing a two, three,
four, or five-year prepaid plan with the provider. The price change will not
affect XM's Family Plan, however, a package which permits XM subscribers to
add up to four additional subscriptions for $6.99 a month per radio.
With the April 2 increase, XM's expanded basic service will include XM Radio
Online, which offers more than 70 channels of XM music and talk programming
via an Internet stream. Additionally, the High Voltage channel (202) will be
taken out of “premium” status (which required an additional fee to
access). The High Voltage channel is the home of talk radio duo Opie &
Anthony, who will begin building the channel after the April 2 changeover.
The duo’s plan, according to recent discussions on their program, is to
add other shows that they feel fit into the format they are trying to
create, a format billed by the company as “Extreme Talk.” Among the
rumored additions to the High Voltage channel are Opie and Anthony’s
terrestrial radio friends Ron and Fez, who broadcasted on WNEW-FM during the
same period as Opie and Anthony. At present, Ron and Fez remain under
contract with Infinity Broadcasting and host a daily show on Washington
DC’s WJFK-FM in the evenings.
Since the national launch of XM Radio in November 2001, the satellite
provider has dramatically expanded its channel lineup from 100 channels to
151 channels, converting most to a commercial-free format in the process. In
addition, XM spent a great deal of capital to introduce 21 traffic &
weather channels, 16 channels dedicated to Major League Baseball, nine
college sports channels and XM Public Radio. The April 2 increase remains
the only price change since the provider’s aforementioned debut.
Hugh Panero, XM President & CEO, noted last week that "XM's growth
to date demonstrates that the potential for satellite radio is far greater
than anyone anticipated. This new pricing approach will help fund future
technology development, enable us to offer more attractively-priced radios
and maintain our programming excellence. Together, these initiatives should
result in XM exceeding its current target of 20 million customers by 2010.
Most importantly, XM is instituting the pricing change in a way that adds
value to the basic service and provides existing customers the opportunity
to lock in the current lower monthly rate -- a unique opportunity rarely
offered by subscription entertainment services, including satellite radio,
satellite television and cable television."
The news of XM’s programming alterations comes on the heels of a
government push to permit FCC regulations on both cable television and
satellite radio. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens said last
week that he would “push for applying broadcast decency standards to cable
television and subscription satellite TV and radio.” Previously, cable
television and satellite radio providers were exempt from FCC regulations
and indecency standards, as their services are only available to those who
subscribe and regularly pay a monthly fee. Since the Janet Jackson Super
Bowl debacle last year, however, the government is seeking to heighten the
terms of their indecency standards.
"Cable is a much greater violator in the indecency area," Mr.
Stevens told the National Association of Broadcasters, which represents most
local television and radio affiliates. "I think we have the same power
to deal with cable as over-the-air" broadcasters. Although Mr. Stevens
did not directly address XM radio (or its competitor Sirius) in his initial
statements, he did note that "there has to be some standard of
decency.”
Mr. Stevens clarified his statements, later confirming that he would push
legislation to apply the standards to cable TV and satellite radio and
television providers. In fact, the issue could become a small part of a
larger pending bill to substantially increase fines for broadcasters who
violate indecency. If Mr. Stevens is successful, the broadcasting industry
would be a whole new business.
It is uncertain at this point whether or not Mr. Stevens would have the
support of the US Senate or of his fellow committee members. Last year, the
Senate Commerce Committee narrowly defeated an amendment to a bill raising
indecency fines that would have included cable and satellite services.
Senator George Allen, a Commerce Committee member and Virginia Republican,
told reporters he would be "hesitant to expand it to those"
services.
Currently, the U.S. House of Representatives has approved legislation to
raise fines to a dizzying $500,000 on television and radio broadcasters that
violate indecency limits. As of right now, the fines only stand at $32,000
per violation. In addition, the Senate has legislation pending to increase
fines as well. But neither bill has provisions within it that would extend
indecency restrictions specifically to cable and satellite services and the
White House (while admittedly in support of the House bill) has yet to make
any public pronouncement in favor of the Senate measure.
Some information within this article was provided by CNN.com and
FoundryMusic.com
|
XM Radio's
subscribers to pay some X-tra bucks |
|
By DAVID HINCKLEY
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER |
|
XM Satellite Radio, which has done a splendid
job of attracting subscribers but still wades deeply in red ink,
yesterday announced it is raising its basic monthly subscription
charge from $9.99 to $12.95, the same as rival Sirius.
The increase will be effective April 2, and while it is the first
increase since XM launched in 2001, it doesn't come at the best time
for XM.
Sirius, which has only about a third of the subscribers of XM,
has been riding a wave of publicity from its $500 million signing of
Howard Stern, who starts there in January 2006. Just last week
Sirius also raided XM to swipe NASCAR, which will jump to Sirius in
2007 under a new $107 million deal.
XM vice president Chance Patterson said yesterday, however, that
the NASCAR matter "has no relevance" to the price change.
He noted that XM still has an exclusive on Major League Baseball,
which he called "the crown jewel of sports," and that
"there are thousands of baseball games a year, while there are
only 36 NASCAR races."
Patterson also said the price change "has already been
factored into" XM's subscriber projections of 5.5 million
customers by the end of 2005 and 20 million by 2010.
He said XM projects that it will reach break-even on cash flow by
"mid-2006," which would stem years of heavy losses.
XM reported it ended 2004 with 3.2 million subscribers, revenues
of $244 million and a net loss of $642 million. Sirius reported 1.14
million subscribers, revenues of $67 million and a net loss of $456
million.
While XM has not spent as much on marquee programming lately as
Sirius, it committed $650 million for Major League Baseball and
signed high-profile hosts Bob Edwards, formerly of National Public
Radio, and Opie and Anthony.
Opie and Anthony have been on an XM "premium" channel,
costing an extra $1.99 a month. After the boost in basic fee, they
will become available to all XM subscribers. XM's adult Playboy
Channel will continue to require a premium fee.
XM, unlike Sirius, originally sold advertising on some music
channels. But Sirius' ad-free pitch proved seductive enough that XM
decided to follow.
Both services have also added several dozen channels over the
last two years, including localized traffic information services.
XM is retaining a number of discount subscriber incentive
programs, such as letting subscribers add up to four additional
radios at $6.99 each per month.
XM has outpaced Sirius in subscribers from the beginning. It got
into the game first and has been more aggressive in making deals
with car manufacturers. But XM also has used its lower price as a
sales pitch, and while Sirius had no corporate comment yesterday on
XM's boost, an on-air Sirius staffer said, "Basically, we're
doing cartwheels. This goes a long way toward leveling the playing
field."
Originally published on March 1, 2005
|
|
XM to Increase Monthly Fees
February 28, 2005, 1:51 PM
In an unexpected move, XM Satellite Radio increased its monthly access fee
to $12.95 per month, in line with its competitor SIRIUS. The change will take
effect April 2; however, the company said customers who sign up for a prepaid
plan before that date would be able to lock in the old $9.99 rate from
anywhere between one to five years.
While the new rate is nearly $3 more, XM sweetened the deal for its users.
All basic customers will now have access to XM Radio Online, formerly a $3.99
per month premium service. XM Online allows customers to listen to programming
over a broadband connection.
Also joining the basic lineup is High Voltage, Opie and Anthony's XM channel.
"XM's growth to date demonstrates that the potential for satellite
radio is far greater than anyone anticipated," XM CEO Hugh Panero said.
"This new pricing approach will help fund future technology development,
enable us to offer more attractively-priced radios and maintain our
programming excellence." Panero also reiterated the company's forecast of
20 million subscribers by 2010.
Monday's move could be seen as part of a plan to bring XM into
profitability. In a mid-month conference call for investors, Panero told the
group he expects cash flow break-even by 2006. The company is also spending
less to acquire customers, at $100 down from $137 at the end of 2003.
Clearing
The Air
Feb. 6, 2005
CBSNews.com
Last year's Super Bowl was
highlighted by perhaps the most famous dance since Salome and her seven
veils cost John the Baptist his head, reports CBS News Correspondent
Jim Axelrod for Sunday Morning.
By those standards, Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" was
cheap—costing Viacom only $550,000. But it did trigger an incalculable
amount of public outrage.
"The infamous Super Bowl halftime show which was clearly offensive
and outrageous... is just the latest example of a growing list of
deplorable incidents over the nation's airwaves," said Michael
Powell, who was the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission,
which is tasked with enforcing the nation's indecency laws.
Within days, he made a promise to Congress, and issued a warning:
"This commission, me and my colleagues, are pushing what I think is
the most aggressive enforcement regime in decades, and we're just getting
started."
Last February Clear Channel Communications agreed to a $755,000 fine for
broadcasting explicit sexual talk, during a show hosted by disc jockey
Bubba the Love Sponge.
Then in June, the same company reached a $1.75 million dollar settlement
for indecency charges, mostly against Howard Stern, and his repeated
references to anal sex.
In November, Viacom, the parent company of CBS, agreed to pay the FCC $3.5
million for complaints against Stern and other broadcasters. It was enough
to drive Stern off broadcast radio. He'll take his act to the unregulated
world of satellite radio next year.
"They are destroying the business. If anybody wants to do anything
revolutionary or different they can't do it," says Stern.
The numbers tell the story: in 2000, the FCC received 111 complaints
against roughly 100 programs. Total fines: $48,000. In this last year
since Nipplegate, there have been more than a million complaints and
almost $8 million in fines.
"I think there's no question that television today is the worst its
ever been," says Brent Bozelle, the founder of the Parents Television
Council.
One million strong, the PTC generates thousands of complaints to the FCC a
year.
He cites an "utter disregard and disdain for values of simple
decency. It is the program that has to portray violence in its most
graphic, abusive manner. It is the show that has to have sex in your face,
as raunchy as descriptive as possible. It's language that has to be as
filthy as they can possible get away with."
The PTC monitors television and produces a best and worst list. An FCC
complaint form is easily available on its Web site.
A PTC crusade against the Fox show "Married in America," which
had scenes of young men licking whipped cream off of Las Vegas strippers,
led to a $1.2 million fine.
Yet Bozelle thinks the FCC is too soft. Recently it rejected 36 complaints
brought by the PTC.
One, from a show called "Everwood" that aired in September,
complains that one character remarks to another: "I got this black
eye because of you, dick."
Another, from the show "Fast Lane," complains about the line,
"In my next life I'm coming back as a pair of pliers and pull off
your nutsack."
Bozelle says some complaints were worse than that, including a program
with a prostitute attempting to have sex with a horse.
Starting in the 1930's, the FCC was given power to hand out licenses.
Station owners agreed not to broadcast anything that was obscene or
indecent.
For years the FCC did just about nothing because nothing happened. Then in
1973, comedian George Carlin came along.
Carlin had a routine called "7 dirty words"—words that could
not be spoken over radio or television. A California radio station
broadcast it. The FCC threatened, only threatened, action against the
radio station. The case went to the Supreme Court, which supported the
FCC.
Bozelle says the FCC has done a terrible job overall. "Until three
years ago, they have never fined anybody for indecency in the continental
United States," he says. "And then Janet Jackson decided to do
her strip tease on the network. And what happened? There was an outpouring
of outrage."
Outrage is an interesting word, but not all of it is aimed at the FCC for
being too late to the game, and not doing enough. On the other side of the
huge philosophical canyon currently dividing so many Americans is outrage
that the FCC is doing far too much.
"It's not the government's job to regulate content or speech,"
says Jeff Jarvis, who used to write for TV Guide and People magazine.
Now he's a blogger, writing " Buzzmachine."
"Look at Bozelle's little complaint factory. He has prigs and prudes
sitting there in front of the TV, listening for the word "dick".
'Look we found one, let's tell the government!'" he says. "And
now you go off and government lawyers say, 'Did they say dick?' Yes they
did. And it wasn't a name. And then we have a finding come out saying,
'Well this is going to ruin the morals of the country.' How silly is
this?"
Jarvis acknowledges that people want to protect their children, but notes
that parents have an on-and-off button, and the responsibility to use it.
"You don't need Michael Powell to be your nanny," he says.
If you don't want to have to explain to your six-year-old child what
erectile dysfunction is when you watch a football game together,
"complain to the manufacturer, complain to your network, complain to
somebody else. It's not the government's job," says Jarvis.
"That's a dangerous, slippery, oily, miserable slope."
Jarvis felt the culture took a few steps more down that slope when more
than 60 ABC affiliates—fearing fines—decided not to show the
Oscar-winning movie "Saving Private Ryan" because of its violent
language—even though it was a re-broadcast, and the FCC had ruled the
language was OK.
Another example from Jarvis: when Fox covered the naked buttocks of a
cartoon character in the animated series "The Family Guy."
Of course, if you think about it, the FCC is focusing its efforts to
police content on the part of the media universe that's shrinking.
It has no oversight of content on cable TV or satellite radio.
Why? Because we pay for it. We invite it into our homes.
Satellite is where you'll find radio personalities Opie and Anthony.
They were a little on guard when we visited their studio.
"What usually happens is that we'll say something really bad and
outrageous and they'll have the sound up on that. And then they'll turn it
down and do the voice over of 'how horrible they are'," says Anthony
Cumia.
Opie and Anthony were fired from a Boston station in 1997 for an
April Fool's joke — they falsely reported the mayor was dead.
In 2002 they were fired from a New York radio station after taking a phone
call describing a couple having sex in New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral.
"You know, morally it was obviously wrong," says Greg
"Opie" Hughes. "I guess it was a mistake on that level. But
as far as what we do, it's made us bigger."
Opie and Anthony now broadcast nationwide on XM Radio without any
fear of the FCC.
"It gives us a lot more freedom," says Anthony. "It's
getting on the air and being able to discuss anything without worrying
that it's going to come back and bite you."
"It's basically talking about adult subjects like adults talk about
it when - they're at their friends house, maybe in the locker room, maybe
around the water cooler," says Opie. "We know there's an
audience for it. That's why we're doing it. That's why we get paid a lot
of money to do it."
With moves a foot to pump up the fines on traditional broadcast TV and
radio, the route of Opie and Anthony may turn out to be a road more
traveled.
Because make no mistake—there's a cultural battle underway in America
that could be every bit as bruising as what you' see in the Super Bowl. At
least, during the game.
Half-time? Given what happened last year, it's a safe bet you can let your
children back in the room for that. |
Opie 'n' Anthony sidekick is awfully entertaining
Sunday, January 30, 2005
By TOM TRONCONE
STAFF WRITER
NorthJersey.com
It's a Wednesday in early December, and comedian Jim Norton claims he's had
sex with four prostitutes in the past week.
His mother wants him to renounce "ladies of the night" and replace
them with running on a treadmill at the gym, where he might meet a nice girl.
But it isn't likely that "Little Jimmy," who appears nearly every
night at the Comedy Cellar, on MacDougal Street in Greenwich Village, will stop
paying for sex. The stand-up comic, cable television regular and all-around
pervert is addicted.
Though the self-described "weak-chinned nothing with fat-man
breasts" doesn't share the marquee with Gregg Hughes and Anthony Cumia,
better known as the radio duo Opie 'n' Anthony, Norton has been every bit the
little "n" since the twosome reemerged on XM Satellite Radio in
October.
And the Jersey native is helping O&A attract listeners to the
free-for-all, uncensored landscape of satellite radio. By all accounts, the
listeners are signing up in droves to listen to the show that was once the
highest-rated afternoon radio program in the metropolitan area in virtually
every male demographic.
Neither Hughes nor Cumia will discuss numbers, saying only that management
has told them that they have "far exceeded" expectations.
And the absence of restrictions has clearly benefited the potty-mouthed
Norton the most.
"Jim adds this side that is so dark and perverse," Cumia said.
"It's not that we wouldn't go there. We wouldn't even think about going
there."
There are no topics off limits in the cuttingly obscene, cringe-humor world
of Jim Norton. Pedophilia. AIDS. Gays. Down syndrome. Minorities. Abortion.
Norton was a regular O&A cast member when Infinity Broadcasting reacted
to pressure from religious groups and pulled the plug on the radio funnymen
after a sex stunt at St. Patrick's Cathedral in August 2002.
The Opie and Anthony show had about 5 million listeners - including a massive
North Jersey following - when it was syndicated nationwide on FM radio. Today,
their office in XM's 57th Street studio where Norton, Hughes and Cumia each sat
for a recent interview is little more than a closet.
Light bulbs in metal cages adorn the ceilings. The furniture consists of two
tables with a single telephone on each - one labeled "Opie" and the
other "Anthony." A mop leans in the corner, and a lone stapler sits in
front of a window overlooking a nondescript New York alley.
Norton sits back in a chair and plops his leg on the table with the
"Opie" phone.
He is an odd mix of confidence and self-deprecation. He clearly knows he is a
top-notch comic. But does he really embody the prison locker room humor persona
he adopts on-air or onstage?
"It's an exaggeration at times," Norton said. "But I am a
pervert. I'm a creep. I'm a sex addict."
The stories about prostitutes are real, he claims. It's part of what he
brings to the radio show - brutal candidness.
"He's brought complete honesty," Hughes said. "We all have
some ... [skeletons] in our closet. He just opens the closet."
"I would hate to think he has something in his closet that he won't talk
about," Cumia said. "How demented that would be."
Behind the comic act, however, it's apparent that Norton, 36, is intelligent.
He's quick-witted. He's knowledgeable about world events. He doesn't rely on
just being dirty to get laughs.
Norton was an alcoholic at a very young age. He was voted "class
clown" of his high school graduating class at North Brunswick High School
in Middlesex County, but the school wouldn't give him the award because he was
in rehab after an alcohol-induced suicide attempt. But he no longer drinks.
Instead, other vices - like paying for sex - have taken its place.
Norton attended Middlesex County College for one semester, where he received
"one B and three F's," he said.
The fact that he can joke about himself, Norton said, helps him justify some
of his vicious attacks on others.
"To me, contentwise, anything is fair game, because I am so brutal with
myself," Norton said. "There is nobody whom I hit with the hatchet
more than myself. ... I'm honest about my awful life, and people relate to my
awfulness. They know they are in the same toilet that I am."
Norton's particular brand of humor can make for awkward personal moments.
Christmas at his parents' house, for example, is difficult. His mother and
father both listen to the radio show, and his dad is often forced to convince
Norton's mom that the topics he mocks and exploits he details on the air are
simply for show.
"It's awful," Norton said. "Nobody wants their mom to know
they double as a toilet."
Hughes, 41, nicknamed "Opie" for his boyhood resemblance to Ron
Howard's character on "The Andy Griffith Show," said that he and Cumia,
43, first brought Norton onto the show to act as a "sniper," someone
who could interject an "exclamation point" into a conversation.
"Ant and I are radio guys," Hughes said. "We learned how to be
dirty without cursing. ... A comedian like Norton is used to the clubs where
anything goes."
Which, apparently, translates well to satellite radio. Norton is now free
from censors and the influence of advertisers to discuss just about anything he
pleases.
But, according to Hughes and Cumia, once the mics are turned off and the
crowds are gone, Norton tones down his persona.
"Off air, he is one of the nicest guys you'd ever want to meet,"
Hughes said.
"But those nasty, evil thoughts are there," Cumia said with a
laugh.
