Now, two years later Opie and Anthony have been granted asylum at XM Satellite Radio on the newly created “High Voltage” stream on channel 202.
So, is this significant?
Yes, because satellite radio has raised the bar on entertainment just a little higher. Because satellite radio does not have to live by the same legal rules as terrestrial Radio, Opie and Anthony are free to say and do anything they want. And the listeners who hear it are choosing to pay a premium (an extra $1.99 per month besides their subscription) to listen.
Nobody has any valid reason to complain anymore. Their content is not freely accessible by children flipping channels, righteous adults looking to enforce their own morality, or anyone else who might be offended.
Even though our society and mores have changed dramatically over the past 100 years, much of the laws governing terrestrial radio and its content have not been updated to reflect the reality of today’s listeners or listening patterns.
The current “Indecency” crusade by the F.C.C., certain lawmakers, and other pressure groups, has only served to make traditional Radio blander while competition from satellite radio and Internet radio continues to offer more choices and options than ever before.
That’s why today’s debut of Opie and Anthony is significant: satellite radio just became the new Ellis Island for Radio’s refugees. Maybe on both of XM’s Boeing 702 satellites circling the globe it should read on a small plaque:
“Give me your fired, your terminated, your talented.”
