Saw this story today at FMQB about Opie and Anthony.
The Opie & Anthony Show started off this morning with Anthony on fire and angered due to a pre-show conversation with XM Satellite Radio EVP/Programming Eric Logan that dealt with a delay in further expansion of syndication to terrestrial radio. Anthony spent the first 40+ minutes of today's program venting about XM management and that syndication to more markets has been placed on the "backburner" of the satcaster's priorities.
"I want more markets!" screamed Anthony. "And they are out there waiting for us. How long do you think those markets are going to sit there and wait for us?"
Apparently a deal to put O&A in six new markets was supposed to be announced on Thursday, but that is now on hold and Anthony placed blame for the delay on "a lawyer over [at XM] that has no clue about radio and how to negotiate deals. And she is the one that is in charge of negotiating these deals and being the go-between our agent and various radio companies."
more at the link
I got to thinking about how little we have heard about Howard Stern. O&A are in the radio press because they are expanding their gig. They are mixing both broadcast and sat. radio.
Howard opened the door to the Sirius world, walked in, and closed the door behind him. He and CBS had a little tussle, but it got settled, and we haven't heard much more.
For his entire radio career and especially the last few years Howard, like Lenny Bruce made the trouble he got into part of his act. You didn't hear much about Howard unless he it was "help help I'm being repressed!" So now what? He is free to do anything he wants on his show, and that takes away part of his act. A pretty big part to people who don't listen to his show. And right now he and Sirius really need people to be interested in Howard.
Meanwhile O&A are able to keep a foot in both forms of radio for their show. They spread their show across the country by working hard at getting it on the air over the air on broadcast radio. Howard is in his little room, maybe doing great shows every day, but people will slowly forget about him except for his dedicated pay to listen fans. He can't get publicity by playing the FCC card. It isn't in the deck anymore.
What will happen?
Howard does what O&A are doing sooner rather than later. I think.
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