XM Silences Opie and Anthony???

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  • bgivens33
    bgivens33 Posts: 290
    mammasan wrote:
    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.
  • mammasan
    mammasan Posts: 5,656
    bgivens33 wrote:
    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
  • pearljammerbeck
    pearljammerbeck Posts: 70
    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?
  • norm
    norm Posts: 31,146
    sirius does have channel blocking


    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....
  • pearljammerbeck
    pearljammerbeck Posts: 70
    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.
    cutback wrote:
    sirius does have channel blocking


    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....
  • norm
    norm Posts: 31,146
    pearljammerbeck wrote:
    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....:)

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