XM Radio suspended Gregg "Opie" Hughes and Anthony Cumia, hosts of "The Opie & Anthony Show" and ceased broadcast of the show for 30 days.
Fox News summed up the problem: "XM Satellite Radio shock jocks Opie and Anthony apologized Friday for airing a homeless man's crude comments that he'd like to have sex with Condoleezza Rice and Laura Bush. The remarks were made on their show Wednesday by a guest the duo call Homeless Charlie. As the name of each woman came up, the guest said he would like to have sex with her -- using language not fit for print."
Granted, Opie & Anthony weren't censored, but they were censured by XM Satellite Radio and suspended to boot.
Look at XM's own advertising copy for Opie & Anthony and you'll quickly see that their promise of "uncensored comedy" was a little bit too much for their management to handle. Yet, the company had no problem promoting that slogan - or taking money from subscribers expecting it.
Bottom line: You can't promise uncensored comedy if you're going to punish hosts who deliver what you promised. Get a backbone, XM.
Notable 2007 Event
Tom Snyder Dead, Began Career in Radio
Tom Synder died of leukemia in July. The longtime broadcaster was 71. The sometimes quirky late-night TV host who had successful programs on both NBC and later CBS, began his broadcast career as a radio reporter in Milwaukee, Wisconsin during the 1960s.After Snyder's "Tomorrow Show" was canceled on NBC in 1982, Snyder "...moved back to Los Angeles, was a guest host on Larry King's radio show on the Mutual Network and for five years had a call-in show on the ABC radio network," according to bloomberg.com. 7/30
