Warning: this post contains explicit material.
WASHINGTON -- Continued attacks on our first amendment rights:
The Opie and Anthony Show came to a screeching halt on its "uncensored" XM Radio channel last week. There's a reason there's a word in quotation marks in the previous sentence -- because it's needed.
For those of you who don't know, Greg "Opie" Hughes and Anthony Cumia are what the radio business call "shock jocks." But the duo often resents the comparison to most other radio jocks who, as O&A say, deploy hack humor and run-of-the-mill shtick. A few years ago, Opie and Anthony got essentially the best gig on satellite radio -- arguably, the best gig on radio. In August of 2004, it was announced that the team would headline XM's "uncensored" channel, XL 202 -- High Voltage. The channel was later renamed The Virus, but kept its XL status. The XL means the channel boasts and extra large portion of extreme language. Essentially, Opie and Anthony were given as much leeway they wanted just short of libelious material.
Now that you've gotten the crash course on O&A, here's the bit for their suspension. In the past, and several times, Opie and Antony have used vagrants as part of their humor. There's no limit to the humorous possibilities when the homeless are given free reign over a radio mic. On a recent show, as I'm sure you've heard, one of the many homeless expressed his desire to have forced sex with, among others, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice. Now, that in itself wasn't enough, I don't believe, to warrant outcry. But that Opie and Anthony seemed to egg on the tirade. Following a mild apology by XM Radion, the pair showed no remorse. That's what angered people the most.
The fact that Opie and Anthony didn't seem to "learn their lesson" ruffled the feathers of the XM brass, and, thus, a 30-day suspension followed.
This situation is drawing many comparisons to that of Don Imus, a conclusion that seems obvious ... to idiots. The fact of the matter is that Imus said what he said on the open, and FCC compliant, broadcast waves of CBS Radio and MSNBC TV. Opie and Anthony committed their "blunder" on what they were told was an uncensored and unrestricted radio station, which doesn't have to follow FCC regulations. The XL rating for the channel allows for XM subscribers to block the channel if they don't want even the chance of hearing. Apparently, just changing to a different station isn't enough (though, I'm aware of the parents who wouldn't want their children tuning into 202).
This is a show that's crossed the line numerous times, but because it was allowed to! That was their job, to cross the line. Why? Because there are pests out there who pay good money to hear it. Opie and Anthony's show isn't advertiser driven like most terrestrial radio programs. Its numbers are strengthened by XM's subscribers. Reportedly, when the company announced the suspension of the personalities, upwards of 20,000 subscriptions were canceled in protest. That may sound unbelievable, but there are easily that many people who subscribed to XM's service solely for the O&A Show.
All that aside, there are two underlying issues here. One, obviously, being that of free speech. Anthony Cumia has, several times, said, "People have a right to free speech, they do not have a right not to be offended." Basically, he's saying, if what he says pisses you off, change the channel. The second issue here is the employee-employer relationship -- being treated fairly at work. Now, I'm not saying it's fair to be able to talk about raping political figures. I'm saying its fair to, if you're told you can say whatever you want, to say whatever you want. We could sit here and argue the free speech issue until we all go blue in the faces. I, being a journalist, am a strong freedom of speech advocate. But that O&A were given carte blanche to shock and entertain their audience, and then to be suspended by XM Radio baffles me. There wasn't even that much media outcry from this incident as in Imus' case. Obviously, Condoleeza was a little (to use the work lightly) offended. But, as Anthony put it, in a free speech world, no one has the right not to be offended.
In addition, the idea of censorship on the supposed "uncensored" channel has actually enticed a much larger outcry that the comments themselves. To join that outcry, visit the People Against Censorship Web site.
WASHINGTON -- Continued attacks on our first amendment rights:
The Opie and Anthony Show came to a screeching halt on its "uncensored" XM Radio channel last week. There's a reason there's a word in quotation marks in the previous sentence -- because it's needed.For those of you who don't know, Greg "Opie" Hughes and Anthony Cumia are what the radio business call "shock jocks." But the duo often resents the comparison to most other radio jocks who, as O&A say, deploy hack humor and run-of-the-mill shtick. A few years ago, Opie and Anthony got essentially the best gig on satellite radio -- arguably, the best gig on radio. In August of 2004, it was announced that the team would headline XM's "uncensored" channel, XL 202 -- High Voltage. The channel was later renamed The Virus, but kept its XL status. The XL means the channel boasts and extra large portion of extreme language. Essentially, Opie and Anthony were given as much leeway they wanted just short of libelious material.
Now that you've gotten the crash course on O&A, here's the bit for their suspension. In the past, and several times, Opie and Antony have used vagrants as part of their humor. There's no limit to the humorous possibilities when the homeless are given free reign over a radio mic. On a recent show, as I'm sure you've heard, one of the many homeless expressed his desire to have forced sex with, among others, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice. Now, that in itself wasn't enough, I don't believe, to warrant outcry. But that Opie and Anthony seemed to egg on the tirade. Following a mild apology by XM Radion, the pair showed no remorse. That's what angered people the most.
The fact that Opie and Anthony didn't seem to "learn their lesson" ruffled the feathers of the XM brass, and, thus, a 30-day suspension followed.
This situation is drawing many comparisons to that of Don Imus, a conclusion that seems obvious ... to idiots. The fact of the matter is that Imus said what he said on the open, and FCC compliant, broadcast waves of CBS Radio and MSNBC TV. Opie and Anthony committed their "blunder" on what they were told was an uncensored and unrestricted radio station, which doesn't have to follow FCC regulations. The XL rating for the channel allows for XM subscribers to block the channel if they don't want even the chance of hearing. Apparently, just changing to a different station isn't enough (though, I'm aware of the parents who wouldn't want their children tuning into 202).
This is a show that's crossed the line numerous times, but because it was allowed to! That was their job, to cross the line. Why? Because there are pests out there who pay good money to hear it. Opie and Anthony's show isn't advertiser driven like most terrestrial radio programs. Its numbers are strengthened by XM's subscribers. Reportedly, when the company announced the suspension of the personalities, upwards of 20,000 subscriptions were canceled in protest. That may sound unbelievable, but there are easily that many people who subscribed to XM's service solely for the O&A Show.
All that aside, there are two underlying issues here. One, obviously, being that of free speech. Anthony Cumia has, several times, said, "People have a right to free speech, they do not have a right not to be offended." Basically, he's saying, if what he says pisses you off, change the channel. The second issue here is the employee-employer relationship -- being treated fairly at work. Now, I'm not saying it's fair to be able to talk about raping political figures. I'm saying its fair to, if you're told you can say whatever you want, to say whatever you want. We could sit here and argue the free speech issue until we all go blue in the faces. I, being a journalist, am a strong freedom of speech advocate. But that O&A were given carte blanche to shock and entertain their audience, and then to be suspended by XM Radio baffles me. There wasn't even that much media outcry from this incident as in Imus' case. Obviously, Condoleeza was a little (to use the work lightly) offended. But, as Anthony put it, in a free speech world, no one has the right not to be offended.
In addition, the idea of censorship on the supposed "uncensored" channel has actually enticed a much larger outcry that the comments themselves. To join that outcry, visit the People Against Censorship Web site.
