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You need only open the morning paper to understand the importance and urgency of America's reduced reliance on foreign oil. The instability of the Middle East makes our 58% dependence on foreign oil a dangerous and costly proposition.

'That Old Black Magic', 58% of the 20 million barrels a day that we use comes from hostile nations or countries that despise American Foreign policy. It%u2019s an excellent reason to become less dependent on foreign oil, not to mention the satisfaction you'd be getting from telling the Middle East you'll buy Oil at .01 cent per gallon or shove it.

From Corey Deitz,
Your Guide to Radio.

May 21 2007

Opinion

A couple of points need to be made about the recent suspension of Opie & Anthony from their channel on XM Satellite Radio because of a segment where a homeless man talked about having violent sex (or raping) Condoleeza Rice and Laura Bush.

Censorship vs. Censureship

First, they weren't censored on XM. The segment DID air.

But, they were censured by XM afterwards and rebuked formally in a press release. "XM Radio deplored the comments," the company announced adding, "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."

But, the fact that Opie & Anthony were "punished" with a 30-day suspension, implies that a message has been sent from management to their talents, warning them NOT to cross whatever line the now notorious homeless guy segment established.

This censure masquerades as one more fuzzy "standard of decency".

As Opie & Anthony's employer, XM does have the right to ask them to abide by their rules. But, it is not fair to imply one thing to subscribers then reel in corporate horror when non-subscribers complain about it. And, you have to believe most of the complaints over the recent segment were not Opie & Anthony listeners.

It's the Perception, Stupid!

The REAL problem is the perception of XM by subscribers.

Go to web.archive.org and look at the page for Opie & Anthony's show from January 1, 2006. It says:

"Beware, this is radio like you've never heard it before. Irreverent, uncensored, so good you won't want to stop listening. Featuring outrageous radio from Opie & Anthony..."

If you're going to promote "uncensored comedy", you can't very well punish the comedians or performers when they do what you said they would do! Why? Because you lose your credibility. Is it any wonder Opie & Anthony fans are incensed? Is it any wonder a portion are canceling subscriptions and smashing radios?

Another example: at xmro.xmradio.com, the online version of XM, it specifically says:

"Uncensored comedy including the outrageous, uninhibited talk duo, Opie & Anthony".

I think any reasonable person understands what's being implied: anything goes, so deal with it.

A Mistake in Judgment

XM Satellite Radio has made a huge mistake in judgment. Many Satellite Radio subscribers moved over to satellite because they tired of hollow slogans like "more music", "more variety", "less commercials", and any number of other lies perpetrated by Terrestrial Radio.

Is XM any better in this instance? The issue here is not the content of the segment that was broadcast. While technically, XM did not censor the program (it did go out over the airwaves) management has now established some imaginary, subjective "line in the programming sand" which it expects its talent to abide by - or else.

Censorship vs. Intimidation

It's not censorship. It's worse: it's intimidation. Compared to previous advertising and promises, it comes down to integrity - or a lack of it. In my opinion, XM Satellite Radio owes the Opie & Anthony fans an apology - and a stronger backbone.

In 1984 Pasha/CBS released the Kick Axe Album Vices. Along with this release the Video On The Road to Rock was released to the Television stations in North America.

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Apparently, there is a big difference between last month's dismissal of Don Imus at CBS (NYSE: CBS) and this week's suspension of The Opie & Anthony Show on XM Satellite Radio (Nasdaq: XMSR). While the firing of Imus was done mostly to appease angry sponsors, it is the XM sponsors that are bolting in response to the censoring of the station's morning-show stars.

Nashville Coffee is pulling its ads that ran on Radio Disney (Channel 115) and O&A's The Virus (Channel 202) on XM. The gourmet-coffee retailer didn't hold back on its website in explaining the move:

It is apparent that XM Radio is beholden to crybaby special interest groups who cannot separate humor from reality. It is also unfortunate that XM Radio executives don't have the guts to stand up for their on air talent.

I have contacted other XM Radio advertisers and have asked them to pull their advertising spots. It appears that many of them already are. Please be advised that spots cannot be pulled overnight. Some are already in the "hopper" and may air for the remainder of the week. Some other sponsors are doing the right thing and are pulling their spots. Please give them time to finish the cycle this week before you actively boycott their products. Thanks for your time.

Drumroll... aaaaaaaaaaand...

Press Release:
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.

[source]

Mitchell Hedberg (February 24, 1968 -- March 29, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian known for his stylistic elocution and routines that often consisted of a string of one-line non sequiturs.

Mitch Hedberg was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He was the son of Swedish immigrants Arne and Mary Hedberg, and was married to Canadian comedienne Lynn Shawcroft on February 25, 1999. He graduated from Harding High School in Saint Paul.

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