This self censorship is getting way out of hand. I think it's time for the people to actually start standing up to this. People with XM should start flooding XM's customer service lines with calls to reinstate them or they will cancel their subscriptions. As for terristerial radio we need to use the same actions as the PC brigade and start boycotting advertisers for caving in to these people.
Here is a fucking tip for the PC brigade. If you don't like what a radio host is saying change the fucking station. I used to get abit miffed when I would here people like O'Reilly and Limbuagh talk about the over the top pc mentality of this nation. After recent events I'm starting to think that they where right.
I heard on another radio show that wait times to get a hold of the XM customer service went from 30 mins to 1 hour 15 since and quite a few people have dropped the service....
I heard on another radio show that wait times to get a hold of the XM customer service went from 30 mins to 1 hour 15 since and quite a few people have dropped the service....
What sucks this is being associated to "liberals".... which now equals Democrat in media..... calling it..... President McCain.... ug and ug.....
A few of my friends cancelled their suscription. They had XM because of O&A, because it was uncensored. TIf they are going to be censored know my friends figured they can listen to them for free on terrestrial radio for that.
"When one gets in bed with government, one must expect the diseases it spreads." - Ron Paul
There was nothing aired during the broadcast of that show that was grounds for a lawsuit. A homeless guy saying he wants to fuck Condi Rice and the Queen is not grounds for a suit (and he did say "fuck," not "rape). If that was the case, George Carlin would have been sued for saying he wouldn't fuck Marilyn Quayle with a stolen dick. That's more offensive than saying you would fuck somebody, don't you think?
The difference between this situation and th Imus situation in terms of Sharpton's leverage is that terrestrial radio has to answer to advertisers (or at least feel certain that they can replace any companies who stop running ads). XM has very few advertisers, and the ads running on the Virus are mainly companies that sell sex toys, porn DVDs, dick enlargment cream, and retractable patio awnings that may or may not have a discount (Harry just refuses to say!). XM does not rely on them for their revenue. They are mostly just a way to make a little money during the breaks the hosts need to piss and eat. XM's revenue comes from subscribers. Ironically, at least 2 companies have pulled their ads from XM because of the suspension (Nashville Coffee and mafialife.com, if anyone cares), so if XM was dependant upon advertisers as much as terrestrial radio, their decision actually cost them money in that regard, too.
The bottom line is that they are making a business decision. They weighed the lost subscriptions vs. a lawsuit and went with the latter. It all boils down to money, and if you don't think someone like Al Sharpton(or Jesse) has leverage... I'd take a good long look at the Imus situation. Though, not completely parallel, but it is close. I think people should focus their anger towards those two... not XM. This is CLEARLY not a "moral" stance against questionable programming, it's all about the dollar.
There was nothing aired during the broadcast of that show that was grounds for a lawsuit. A homeless guy saying he wants to fuck Condi Rice and the Queen is not grounds for a suit (and he did say "fuck," not "rape). If that was the case, George Carlin would have been sued for saying he wouldn't fuck Marilyn Quayle with a stolen dick. That's more offensive than saying you would fuck somebody, don't you think?
The difference between this situation and th Imus situation in terms of Sharpton's leverage is that terrestrial radio has to answer to advertisers (or at least feel certain that they can replace any companies who stop running ads). XM has very few advertisers, and the ads running on the Virus are mainly companies that sell sex toys, porn DVDs, dick enlargment cream, and retractable patio awnings that may or may not have a discount (Harry just refuses to say!). XM does not rely on them for their revenue. They are mostly just a way to make a little money during the breaks the hosts need to piss and eat. XM's revenue comes from subscribers. Ironically, at least 2 companies have pulled their ads from XM because of the suspension (Nashville Coffee and mafialife.com, if anyone cares), so if XM was dependant upon advertisers as much as terrestrial radio, their decision actually cost them money in that regard, too.
Adam and Eve (sex toys, porn DVDs, etc) has also said they will pull their advertising if they're not back on the air by next week
A little nonsense now and then, relished by the wisest men
Cool. For once advertisers are taking the side of the on-air talent instead of caving in to people who never heard the actual broadcast yet somehow can claim to have been offended by what was aired.
There was nothing aired during the broadcast of that show that was grounds for a lawsuit. A homeless guy saying he wants to fuck Condi Rice and the Queen is not grounds for a suit (and he did say "fuck," not "rape). If that was the case, George Carlin would have been sued for saying he wouldn't fuck Marilyn Quayle with a stolen dick. That's more offensive than saying you would fuck somebody, don't you think?
The difference between this situation and th Imus situation in terms of Sharpton's leverage is that terrestrial radio has to answer to advertisers (or at least feel certain that they can replace any companies who stop running ads). XM has very few advertisers, and the ads running on the Virus are mainly companies that sell sex toys, porn DVDs, dick enlargment cream, and retractable patio awnings that may or may not have a discount (Harry just refuses to say!). XM does not rely on them for their revenue. They are mostly just a way to make a little money during the breaks the hosts need to piss and eat. XM's revenue comes from subscribers. Ironically, at least 2 companies have pulled their ads from XM because of the suspension (Nashville Coffee and mafialife.com, if anyone cares), so if XM was dependant upon advertisers as much as terrestrial radio, their decision actually cost them money in that regard, too.
Then why would they do it?? Business generally don't make decisions that they know will loose them money. For the most part I agree with you... all I'm saying is that XM must have felt the pressure somewhere. It all comes down to money and they made a decision based on that. It's not as if they taking a "moral" stance. It just doesn't add up they way you put it. 1- not going to get sued 2. will loose subscriptions 3. will loose sponsors.... so let's do it!
I don't buy it.
Then why would they do it?? Business generally don't make decisions that they know will loose them money. For the most part I agree with you... all I'm saying is that XM must have felt the pressure somewhere. It all comes down to money and they made a decision based on that. It's not as if they taking a "moral" stance. It just doesn't add up they way you put it. 1- not going to get sued 2. will loose subscriptions 3. will loose sponsors.... so let's do it!
I don't buy it.
First I don't think they expected such a negative reaction to the suspension. They figured listeners would be upset, but probably never thought they would cancel their suscription and have advertisers threatening to pull out. Second the reason why they suspended O&A, at least in my opinion, is because they didn't want to take the chance of derailing the merger with Sirius.
"When one gets in bed with government, one must expect the diseases it spreads." - Ron Paul
I love O and A. I only listen to them while they are on regualr radio cuz I don't have XM. But, I know they were under the impression that during the breaks on their regular show and just after they would be on XM and not censored. I would be pissed if I paid to get XM to hear that part of their show and it was censored.
I hope they win against the idiots that be. Someone here mentioned that XM has rights as businessmen, well so do O and A. They likely have a contract and we will see if they were allowed the uncensorship in the contract. I will bet they were.
XM is smart in this case, superceding the FCC potentially getting involved and fucking the whole freedom thing up for everybody. Don't think they can't or won't do it.
give them and inch and they take a mile. They are the stupidest pair ever in morning radio. Self sensorship/self control/ adequate guidance from the production staff.... would have prevented this. They unfortunately are stupid enough to wreck it for everyone. XM is doing the right thing for it's business, if Opie and Anthony want to go back to being easily fired for that on terresterial radio fine, that's their option.
Next step, overturning the retarded communications act of 1996 which gives us our current state of media in deregulation. IE everything sounds exactly the same because it's all the same people in the same building broadcasting everywhere.
Nice job Congress.
My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
First I don't think they expected such a negative reaction to the suspension. They figured listeners would be upset, but probably never thought they would cancel their suscription and have advertisers threatening to pull out. Second the reason why they suspended O&A, at least in my opinion, is because they didn't want to take the chance of derailing the merger with Sirius.
Well I absolutely agree with the first part... and as for the second, I suppose it could be true. I would just tend to think that Congress has a whole lot more on their plate than the content of the show. As I said before, I just don't think Congress cares(or much less even knows) what is said by two radio DJ's. In fact, them being fired has probably created a greater knowledge of them in Congress. But I still don't think they care... if the merger gets axed, it will be because of Congress will view them as a monopoly, IMO.
Well I absolutely agree with the first part... and as for the second, I suppose it could be true. I would just tend to think that Congress has a whole lot more on their plate than the content of the show. As I said before, I just don't think Congress cares(or much less even knows) what is said by two radio DJ's. In fact, them being fired has probably created a greater knowledge of them in Congress. But I still don't think they care... if the merger gets axed, it will be because of Congress will view them as a monopoly, IMO.
I don't think Congress cares either, but I cansee the XM execs getting a bit sweaty under the collar.
"When one gets in bed with government, one must expect the diseases it spreads." - Ron Paul
For all of the Stern fans who don't care because they believe Howard when he says that O & A are just Stern clones, think of it like this: If XM decided to suspend them because they are worried that the content from that segment could have a negative impact on the proposed merger, then what is to stop Sirius from having the same issue with Stern's show at some point between now and when the merger is approved/rejected? In all honesty, there have been numerous occassions when much worse was said on the O & A show. There have been numerous times when worse has been said on Howard's show. The homeless guy never said he wants to rape anyone. He said, "I'd fuck that bitch." O & A were hired because of the content of their show. XM gladly promoted that listeners would hear them unrestricted and uncensored. Sirius was very happy to get Howard Stern and promote the fact that he'd be uncensored on their service. Both companies have the same thing at stake with the proposed merger, so if uncensored talk is a concern for one company, then it probably is for the other, too. In fact, it might even be a bigger threat for Stern because (the last time I checked) Sirius does not offer channel blocking, which XM does offer. Opie and Anthony are on a channel labelled xL, which means that it contains adult content and can be blocked by calling customer service. If Sirius doesn't offer that option, then they might feel even more pressure to censor Stern than XM did with O & A.
One of the issues the government seems to have with the merger is that there is no regulation over the content on satellite radio (nor should there be on something you have to pay to hear). This could be the start of government regulation of satellite radio. If that happens, then there will be nowhere left for uncensored radio. Now, why should radio be held to higher standards than TV? HBO is able to depict graphic violence, sex, cursing, etc. and it's ok because we pay for it. I pay for satellite radio, so why should someone who doesn't pay for it be able to dictate what I can or cannot hear on it?
That's just something to consider. You might think it'll never happen on Sirius, but who would have thought that XM would make such a move over such a small issue until now?
howard is a business man....he knows that until the merger is approved he will have to not cross the line....in other words don't do anything that would give regulators an excuse to stop the merger.....i still don't believe o&a didn't anything wrong....but they don't have the clout howard has so i think they were the sacrificial lambs.....to show the gov't that if there is a merger there won't be any problems in the future....
The part I put in bold is exactly why this whole thing is such bullshit. Nobody in the government has the right to tell us what we can or cannot hear on a service we pay to use. Bullying companies into doing the censoring for them is a not-so-subtle way around any 1st Ammendment issues so they can wipe their hands and say, "Hey, it was XM that made that decision, not us." There should be no reason for the proposed merger to fail based on what is said on either company's channels.
howard is a business man....he knows that until the merger is approved he will have to not cross the line....in other words don't do anything that would give regulators an excuse to stop the merger.....i still don't believe o&a didn't anything wrong....but they don't have the clout howard has so i think they were the sacrificial lambs.....to show the gov't that if there is a merger there won't be any problems in the future....
The part I put in bold is exactly why this whole thing is such bullshit. Nobody in the government has the right to tell us what we can or cannot hear on a service we pay to use. Bullying companies into doing the censoring for them is a not-so-subtle way around any 1st Ammendment issues so they can wipe their hands and say, "Hey, it was XM that made that decision, not us." There should be no reason for the proposed merger to fail based on what is said on either company's channels.
oh i totally agree....i am just pointing out that howard has a shitload shares of sirius so he has a vested interest in making sure the merger succeeds....and if this merger doesn't go through neither company will survive.....imo there are no monopoly issues here.....there are so many alternatives to satellite radio....this merger was inevitable before howard went to sirius...both companies can't survive....but the national association of broadcasters (terrestrial radio) lobbyists are working overtime on congress not to approve this merger....which is another problem with our gov't but thats a whole other rant....:)
Comments
I heard on another radio show that wait times to get a hold of the XM customer service went from 30 mins to 1 hour 15 since and quite a few people have dropped the service....
And it looks like their stock took about a 10% hit after they did it.....
http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=XMSR&t=5d
What sucks this is being associated to "liberals".... which now equals Democrat in media..... calling it..... President McCain.... ug and ug.....
A few of my friends cancelled their suscription. They had XM because of O&A, because it was uncensored. TIf they are going to be censored know my friends figured they can listen to them for free on terrestrial radio for that.
The difference between this situation and th Imus situation in terms of Sharpton's leverage is that terrestrial radio has to answer to advertisers (or at least feel certain that they can replace any companies who stop running ads). XM has very few advertisers, and the ads running on the Virus are mainly companies that sell sex toys, porn DVDs, dick enlargment cream, and retractable patio awnings that may or may not have a discount (Harry just refuses to say!). XM does not rely on them for their revenue. They are mostly just a way to make a little money during the breaks the hosts need to piss and eat. XM's revenue comes from subscribers. Ironically, at least 2 companies have pulled their ads from XM because of the suspension (Nashville Coffee and mafialife.com, if anyone cares), so if XM was dependant upon advertisers as much as terrestrial radio, their decision actually cost them money in that regard, too.
Adam and Eve (sex toys, porn DVDs, etc) has also said they will pull their advertising if they're not back on the air by next week
Then why would they do it?? Business generally don't make decisions that they know will loose them money. For the most part I agree with you... all I'm saying is that XM must have felt the pressure somewhere. It all comes down to money and they made a decision based on that. It's not as if they taking a "moral" stance. It just doesn't add up they way you put it. 1- not going to get sued 2. will loose subscriptions 3. will loose sponsors.... so let's do it!
I don't buy it.
First I don't think they expected such a negative reaction to the suspension. They figured listeners would be upset, but probably never thought they would cancel their suscription and have advertisers threatening to pull out. Second the reason why they suspended O&A, at least in my opinion, is because they didn't want to take the chance of derailing the merger with Sirius.
I hope they win against the idiots that be. Someone here mentioned that XM has rights as businessmen, well so do O and A. They likely have a contract and we will see if they were allowed the uncensorship in the contract. I will bet they were.
Haha...Don Imus... HAS no ratings. All courses incomplete. Opie and Anthony... ZERO POINT ZERO.
Stern is the best ever. O&A probably asked to be suspended so they could get some press.
give them and inch and they take a mile. They are the stupidest pair ever in morning radio. Self sensorship/self control/ adequate guidance from the production staff.... would have prevented this. They unfortunately are stupid enough to wreck it for everyone. XM is doing the right thing for it's business, if Opie and Anthony want to go back to being easily fired for that on terresterial radio fine, that's their option.
Next step, overturning the retarded communications act of 1996 which gives us our current state of media in deregulation. IE everything sounds exactly the same because it's all the same people in the same building broadcasting everywhere.
Nice job Congress.
Well I absolutely agree with the first part... and as for the second, I suppose it could be true. I would just tend to think that Congress has a whole lot more on their plate than the content of the show. As I said before, I just don't think Congress cares(or much less even knows) what is said by two radio DJ's. In fact, them being fired has probably created a greater knowledge of them in Congress. But I still don't think they care... if the merger gets axed, it will be because of Congress will view them as a monopoly, IMO.
I don't think Congress cares either, but I cansee the XM execs getting a bit sweaty under the collar.
One of the issues the government seems to have with the merger is that there is no regulation over the content on satellite radio (nor should there be on something you have to pay to hear). This could be the start of government regulation of satellite radio. If that happens, then there will be nowhere left for uncensored radio. Now, why should radio be held to higher standards than TV? HBO is able to depict graphic violence, sex, cursing, etc. and it's ok because we pay for it. I pay for satellite radio, so why should someone who doesn't pay for it be able to dictate what I can or cannot hear on it?
That's just something to consider. You might think it'll never happen on Sirius, but who would have thought that XM would make such a move over such a small issue until now?
howard is a business man....he knows that until the merger is approved he will have to not cross the line....in other words don't do anything that would give regulators an excuse to stop the merger.....i still don't believe o&a didn't anything wrong....but they don't have the clout howard has so i think they were the sacrificial lambs.....to show the gov't that if there is a merger there won't be any problems in the future....
oh i totally agree....i am just pointing out that howard has a shitload shares of sirius so he has a vested interest in making sure the merger succeeds....and if this merger doesn't go through neither company will survive.....imo there are no monopoly issues here.....there are so many alternatives to satellite radio....this merger was inevitable before howard went to sirius...both companies can't survive....but the national association of broadcasters (terrestrial radio) lobbyists are working overtime on congress not to approve this merger....which is another problem with our gov't but thats a whole other rant....:)