Opie & Anthony Return to XM in Triumph

After serving a 30-day suspension, radio hosts Gregg "Opie" Hughes and Anthony Cumia made a triumphant, and in the mids of many, historic return to their XM Satellite Radio show on The Virus, XM 202. The duo were suspended back in May for not taking seriously an apology they were forced to make by XM management with regard to some comments made by a homeless guest on their XM show. During the suspension, the duo were still heard on their terrestrial radio affiliates, broadcasting from what is now K-
Rock in New York City.

Many fans, myself included, weren't sure what to expect upon the duo's return to what is supposed to be an uncensored satellite radio channel. While Opie & Anthony were serving their suspensions, many media outlets and fan sites were reporting various rumors, all of which XM denied. The two most prevalent were initially that the duo were actually going to be fired, or that when they came back, they would be censored. Sex talk and explicit language would be okay, but talk about political leaders could be considered as a crossing of the line.

Fans had reason to believe the former rumor. In 2002, the popular talk duo received a suspension from New York's WNEW for the well-publicized "Sex for Sam III" competition. The suspension came as a result of acts which may or may not have been committed in a prominent Catholic church. Not until October of 2004 were the duo allowed back on the air, when XM began broadcasting their show exclusively. More recently, Don Imus, a friend and colleague of Opie & Anthony hosts and staff, was suspended, and subsequently terminated, for his reference to a women's college basketball team. So, you can see why fans felt some cause for panic when the 30-day suspension was announced.

However, on Friday, Opie & Anthony put all our fears to rest. The portion of the show simulcast between CBS and XM was enjoyable, featuring a Fathers Day giveaway of a trip to The Bunny Ranch to a deserving dad. Once 9:00 AM rolled around on the east coast, the show moved exclusively to XM, as it has done every weekday morning since the duo began working for both CBS Radio and XM in April of 2006. This would be the true test of whether anything had been forced to change with regard to the show's content. Here is where we would learn if XM would stick by their promise to not censor the show.

As Friday was the eve of the O&A Travelling Virus show at Jones Beach in Long Island, many of the comedians appearing for the concert were in studio for Friday's show. After a brief phone interview with former "Full House" star, and truly filthy, funny comic Bob Sagit, Opie & Anthony decided to play a tape of their first broadcast together from WBAB, allowing the remaining comics in the studio to comment. Most of the comments made by comics Jim Norton, Rich Vos, Bob Kelly, and Patrice O'Neal are not suitable for repetition in this venue, but I'll simply say that Opie & Anthony fans were not let down. The show, including a couple racial jokes by comic Otto, of Otto and George fame, as well as the many hilarious and possibly foul comments made during the playing of the WBAB tape was some of the funniest material to air on the show in the past year. It was definitely a great comeback from a long, unwarranted suspension. Fans, even those who vowed to never trust or subscribe to XM again, all seemed pleased. The popular message board Wackbag was a flood of activity on Friday, with most members expressing utter jubilation at the duo's return. If Friday's show is any indication of what we can expect, it sounds like Opie & Anthony will be able to continue doing the show they've worked hard to perfect. So far, so good.

Opie & Anthony can be heard weekdays from 6:00 AM until 9:00 AM Eastern time on both terrestrial radio and XM Satellite Radio. The show continues exclusively on XM from 9:00 AM Eastern until at least 11:00 AM. The show is irreverent, often topical, and always funny.