Anybody hear this?

http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=450

Freedom of speech, or way over the line?

XM Satellite Radio. Unregulated….pay “radio” If this is the kind of content that people want to pay their hard earned money for, I say, let ‘em. They get what they deserve. It seems that younger "broadcasters" want that kind of freedom to do on their show this kind of content. If that’s what they want, then the pay radio is the place for them. I, for one, find it vulgar, childish, immature, and classless. It takes no talent to do that kind of show.

I'm with Tommy on this one.

Only listened for 20 seconds and it seemed the only word they know is the F-bomb.

True lack of talent.

Opie and Anthony are on satellite for one reason, and for one reason ONLY! To shock and offend people, it gets people talking.
Ever heard the phrase "Bad press is still good press."

Or "There is no bad publicity, just bad publicists."

I imagine William S. Paley would be disgusted at the new concept of "radio network" and "serving the public" on our airwaves. He may have wanted profits first, but he had solid boundaries. I find it interesting that we jail veteran journalists for truth seeking, asserting their rights, or taking a stand, but a forest of f-bombs or a skit about raping the Secretary of State by a couple of bitter hacks is just a dandy day at work.

The same contradiction was brought to my attention in adult magazines. They now show everything a couple could ever imagine doing -- and a few things they might not imagine doing. At the same time, they can be driven out of business for discussing politics. I thought that was mighty odd too, especially with all the "new morality" we hear so much about.

Terrestrial radio cannot be stupid everywhere at once, but should be comforted that they serve everyone within earshot who appreciates a bit higher intelligence, or true wit, or class. Following the rules requires imagination. To some, marginalizing our humanity and laughing at brutality is king. However, the calloused few do not speak for everyone, only their fellow dimwits. Great humor still takes skill.

O&A Is the reason Stations use linercards!

Funny thing though, no matter how rude and crude they go, whenever they get FIRED for content, someone else is always ready to sign their next paycheck.

Both Howard Stern and Don Imus demonstrate a certain amount of talent, though I don't care for it. These two guys don't have much talent to begin with.

Has our society sunk so low that what these guys do is considered entertaining?

With XM and Sirius seeking approval for a merger, this isn't exactly going to help that cause.

This is truly a bad bit, although I think most of you don't get the joke that the comedian was trying to make. It is a crass variation on "...boy, she's so uptight, she needs to get some..." Unfortunately Opie & Anthony decided to play along and it didn't improve the situation.

I heard someone do this bit 30 years ago, and his name was Richard Pryor.

Sometimes I think we forget about the "free" part of free speech. O&A have the right, guaranteed by our constitution, to say just about anything. But depending upon the terms of their contracts, XM/sirius/CBS/ClearChannel/etc. have the right to say "we don't want that garbage on our airwaves. You're over the line. You're fired."

Losing a fine income over crass stupidity is an excellent demonstration of truly FREE speech.

Nicely stated, Tdanner. Freedom of speech doesn't mean "free of consequences."

Exactly, freedom of speech comes with responsibility. The free employment market that is associated with free speech balances the wild impulses with the knowledge that one can be fired at the drop of a hat.

Would O&A be "socially immature"?

Anyway, to all of you (and me) who are on the beach right now: This is why you are on the beach, you just aren't as TALENTED as these two fine gentlemen.
See, if only we had all been like O&A and Howard and talked like 8 year olds on crack we would all be living it up with CAYSH and jobs.
It's sad, all of us are just not as good as those wonderful guys.
Man, I could just kick myself. Eric Norberg should be hung for not teaching me to say ***k more often!!! I'd be rich!

Should it now come down to this?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070511/ap_on_re_us/shock_jocks_sex_comment

This is what we have become. Time after time, personalities make stupid remarks, apologize, and everything is OK. The cycle is sickening.

I'm sorry for everything I've ever said.

Opie was such a well behaved young boy. Where did he go wrong? Sure, Sheriff Taylor had his hands full trying to raise the boy without his momma, but that's why he married Miss. Crump.

Had to be that Anthony kid. Bad influence.

Let's see if we can't straighten them both out.

Opie, TIME OUT!

Anthony meet your new partner. Oprah.

Oprah and Anthony.... see if that works.

:-D

I think the concept of "free speech" is regularly misunderstood. Free expression, as guaranteed in the First Amendment, means that expression can't be outlawed. As far as I'm concerned, it does not mean that people have to accept any particular speech, or that employers can't take action against employees for their speech. It just means no one can be prosecuted for it.

Opie and Anthony = Bevis and Butthead LIVE!!!

Bevis and Butthead actually have talent.

If opie and Anthony did clean, non-offensive radio, nobody would listen, and their ratings would tank.

Well thank goodness I have the ultimate control. I can handle edgy and some blue humor but my tastes in what is funny and entertaining is very much above what these two talentless guys bring to the table.

Junk is still junk no matter how you package it.

New today...

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/.

SOURCE: XM Satellite Radio

CONTACT: Nathaniel Brown, +1-212-708-6170, nathaniel.brown@xmradio.com;
Chance Patterson, +1-202-380-4151, chance.patterson@xmradio.com

Web site: http://www.xmradio.com/

Opie and Anthony ... now, two-time losers.

Really stupid bit, and all that, I agree. BUT, isn't that what they were hired to do? Wasn't it on the "explicit" XM channel?

Richard Pryor as an example did same stuff on film. It was rated "R", people knew that, paid for it, and were not surprised. I'm not sure I see the difference, other than the fact that Pryor was actually funny.

Warner good point. Pryor had talent.

Imus had/has talent and he was fired for saying something less offensive.

Yes Imus has talent far and above Opie and Anthony. As far as why he was let go, that has been discussed.

This incident amazingly is so similar to the Imus deal...a non host is saying the offensive comment(s) with the host(s) conveying more of the same...for XM not to have the clue to can these guys......oh but wait...there's no advertisers involved...only listeners...hopefully they'll voice O&A demise!

This incident is not any different from a thousand other incindents where somone on that show (or Howard Stern, or a dozen other shows) has said something to this effect.

Something tells me that Howard Stern isn't as untouchable as he thinks he is anymore. I can see him getting fired from Sirius for something someone finds offensive. And if that happens, what's the future for American radio?

the lastest from R&R...what gives!!!???

By Kevin Carter and Mike Boyle

Pro-Opie & Anthony support is coming from a very unusual place: their advertisers. Under what passes for normal circumstances, you'd see sponsors pull out of a show to distance themselves from something negative the hosts said or did. In this case, it's the opposite, as a couple of clients are actually dropping their advertising because XM suspended O&A.

In a letter posted on his company's Web site, Nashville Coffee GM, Lou Galli went off on XM: "It is apparent that XM Radio is beholden to crybaby special interest groups who cannot separate humor from reality," he wrote, saying he's not only pulled his own ads, but also contacted other O&A sponsors and encouraged them to do the same.

Galli added, "It is also unfortunate that XM Radio executives don't have the guts to stand up for their on-air talent."

Adult company Adameve.com has plans to yank its spots as well, with this note posted on the People Against Censorship (P.A.C.) Web site (peopleagainstcensorship.org) from the company’s Libby Lynn:

“Just wanted to let you know that PAC is making a difference. Today, I received several phone calls from P.A.C. members, asking us to stop advertising on XM202 in light of the recent suspension of Opie & Anthony. After meeting with our marketing team, Adameve.com has decided to cancel our advertisements on XM202 until and unless Opie & Anthony are allowed back on the air. Our ads should stop airing some time next week, and we will be sending out an official press release on Monday, 5/21/07. As an adult company with a long history of fighting for our First Amendment rights, freedom of speech issues are extremely important to Adameve.com and our parent company, PHE. We are a proud member of the Free Speech Coalition, and our founder, Phil Harvey, is a vocal and politically active opponent of First Amendment violations.”

XM is also apparently feeling the heat from some subscribers. In a poll conducted on the P.A.C.’s Web site, as of Friday morning (May 18) over 3,200 people claimed they've cancelled their XM subscriptions over the O&A mess, with another group of more than 1,600 subscribers saying they've put their subscriptions on hold until the show comes back.

In another letter posted on the P.A.C. Web site, Nashville Coffee’s Galli wrote:

“Just want to let you know that we pulled our advertising from XM. It's a shame. We just increased our sponsorship last week because it was going so well. FYI -- I also cancelled my 12 XM Radio accounts. Guess we will go back to listening to CDs.”

P.A.C. is the group behind a three-day XM suspension protest that has been going on outside O&A’s CBS Radio studios in New York from 6 a.m.-9 a.m. since May 16 and is set to conclude Friday (May 18).

XM Satellite Radio announced O&A’s 30-day suspension on May 15 following comments they made the day before that the company said “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.”

“The matter” XM is referring to is the May 10 airing of a show centered on a character named “Homeless Charlie,” who declared his desire to sexually assault secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, first lady Laura Bush and Queen Elizabeth.

XM was not immediately available to comment on the advertiser cancellations and the validity of the poll numbers from the P.A.C.'s Web poll.

What people choose as entertainment is certainly subjective. What saddens me about this and the Imus situation far and above the seemingly double standard from the owners is what O&A do is actually called "entertainment" and people find it entertaining.