XM Satellite Radio Suspends Opie & Anthony for 30 Days
XM Radio announced today that the company has suspended Gregg "Opie" Hughes and Anthony Cumia, hosts of "The Opie & Anthony Show" and ceased broadcast of the show for 30 days, effective immediately.
XM Radio deplored the comments aired on "The Opie & Anthony Show" last week. At the time, the company strongly expressed its views to Opie and Anthony, and they issued an immediate apology.
You can read the whole release here.
Background: Opie & Anthony Apologize for Condoleezza Rice Sex Bit
Listen: You can hear the UNEDITED bit here. WARNING: Profanity and Vulgarity.
An Opie & Anthony Quick Timeline:
8/23/02 - Fired Over the Sex in St. Patrick's Cathedral Stunt
8/05/04 - Programming Coup: Opie & Anthony Join XM Radio
12/07/05 - Opie & Anthony Draw Ire of New Jersey Governor Over Air Horn Stunt
Opinion: Why is Pay Radio Being Treated Differently from Pay TV?
Comments
Completely ridiculous decision. What is this country coming to? My XM subsciptions have promptly been canceled. I suggest all O&A fans do the same.
This is censorship at its best. This is a channel that is listed for mature adults only. What is the point of having a non FCC regulated Entertainment show when Jocks cannot have creative liberty. It was a joke bit on an Entertainment show. Simple as that.
We are extremely disappointed in XM radios management. You advertise that you are uncenssored and than suspend two DJ’s. You are listening two 1 big mouth and possibly 12% of the pop (what they don’t have dials?) We are cancelling our 2 XM radios!!
I don’t understand how this is different than other Opie and Anthony bits that have aired on XM. Free radio airwaves no longer allow free speech broadcasting, which is why people pay for XM and Sirius. If they are going to censor what goes on the air as well, where can people hear this kind of banter.
Is it because it mentions Condoleezza Rice? or is because of the Sirius deal which would probably kick Opie and Anthony off anyway?
botcott all xm & free radio sponsers.
O&A would want us to do that!!!!!
COMMENT BY CLIFF-MAY 16,2007@7:56 pm
I have cancelled my five radios because I am disappointed by XM Radio’s suspension of the Opie and Anthony Show. Advertisers are also withdrawing in support of the show.
One comment – the segment in question was not a pre-planned “bit”, but a spontaneous interview with a man they had just met.
I canceled my 2 subs as well !
If only americans would get this pissed when El Presidente get on television and repeatly lies to their face… but when you make every citizen a crimal they become extremely easy to control…