Posted on 05/15/2007 11:58:58 AM PDT by DCBryan1
XM Radio Suspends Opie & Anthony
WASHINGTON and NEW YORK, May 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- 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.
Comments made by Opie and Anthony on yesterday's broadcast put into question whether they appreciate the seriousness of the matter. The management of XM Radio decided to suspend Opie and Anthony to make clear that our on-air talent must take seriously the responsibility that creative freedom requires of them.
As a company, XM provides customers with tools to control what they listen to on XM. "The Opie & Anthony Show" appears on one of XM's explicit language channels (XL). Whenever a radio is tuned to an explicit language channel, the letters "XL" continuously appear on the screen. XM frequently mentions on its explicit language channels that the content may be inappropriate for certain listeners and tells how to "block" channels that feature this type of content. Channel blocking is available through xmradio.com or by calling 1-800-XMRADIO.
About XM Satellite Radio XM (Nasdaq: XMSR) is America's number one satellite radio company with more than 8 million subscribers. Broadcasting live daily from studios in Washington, DC, New York City, Chicago, the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Toronto and Montreal, XM's 2007 lineup includes more than 170 digital channels of choice from coast to coast: commercial-free music, premier sports, news, talk radio, comedy, children's and entertainment programming; and the most advanced traffic and weather information.
XM, the leader in satellite-delivered entertainment and data services for the automobile market through partnerships with General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Porsche, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota, is available in 140 different vehicle models for 2007. XM's industry-leading products are available at consumer electronics retailers nationwide.
For more information about XM hardware, programming and partnerships, please visit
http://www.xmradio.com.
Did you hear the comments or did the mass media tell you what they said?
Where are the subscribers threaening to cancel if they don’t fire them?
It’s non-XM listeners threatening XM.
I’m not giving you any money but I won’t give you anymore of the money I’m not giving you..............by golly.
The problem with XM’s reaction (which I think reeks of phony sanctimony), is that they hired the two knowing full well what type of stuff they were likely to do. They had been repeatedly fired for saying vulgar and inappropriate things. It’s like hiring Don Rickles to do your wedding, advertising to everyone that he will be there, and then acting indignant when he calls the bride a cow. XM made a point that they offered explicit shows, got a lot of people to sign on to hear them, and them went all wobbly when the shows were actually offensive.
Very possibly—this gets news, publicity, controversy, and a great deal more people now know who Opie and Anthony are.
Actually, it does. Specifically. The right is limited only where there is a compelling public safety issue. That's the reason it's illegal to shout FIRE in a crowded theatre. I imagine that the likes of King George probably was calling the Founding Fathers crude, repulsive & vulgar too. Ever hear this phrase: I may disagree with EVERYTHING you have to say, but I will defend to the DEATH your right to say it? The shock jocks are in that group. I agree that advocating the rape of a public official cannot be sanctioned. They probably violated existing law because I'll bet those comments could be equivocated to calling for the violent overthrow of the government. That's speech that isn't protected, either. But chilling the 1st Amendment simply because what is said happens to be sickening is inviting disaster when the liberals take control (God forbid). The first move will be to declare Rush, Neil and Sean all Hate Mongers and silence them.
Yeah, I expect this big baby type of reaction from big baby libs, not worldly conservatives.
True
You notice their story doesn’t mention anything specific about their comments, or who they were aimed at?
I even checked their website — no details.
Let’s get something straight. O&A did not start the conversation that got them fired. It was a crazy homeless guy ranting and raving in the studio. If they were guilty of anything it was laughing at the absurdity of what the guy was saying. That warrants a suspension? Hardly..
Not that I am going to defend these creeps, but isn’t this basically pay radio? Meaning unless you are paying to hear this garbage, you likely will not?
Does no one know how to turn the channel any more? And if one is not paying for the XM satellite service, why should you care what is said on it?
We are not muslims that fly into a tizzy at the slightest outrage, are we? Are there now people in this world wether we support them politically or not that are “more equal” or above reproach?
Again, I do not support their acts nor their comments, but it seems that especially since this is PAY TO HEAR radio people are simply making more of this than need be made.
Amen
Now THIS is the funniest comment I've read on this subject! Those who favor suspending these maroons may also want to go after HBO and the rest who offer pay subscription content. Hey why not suspend the foul-mouth posters at DU, they say stuff like this and worse all the time. Free speech, is why.
You have hit the central issue I think.
It’s mainly what a guest said on the show. They laughed at it then made jokes about his comments. Specifically, Homeless Charlie said he wanted to rape Condi, Laura Bush, and ueen Elizabeth.
What gets me is that they’ll suspend these guys but nothing ever happens to the producers and management that endorses these guys’ material and OKs it for the airwaves. Management should be catching hell for this, too.
“Freedom of speech doesn’t give one the “right” to be rude, coarse and vulgar — even if they’re paid for it, and even if people pay to hear it.”
And where exactly is it written that you, me or anyone else has the freedom to NOT be offended?
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