Opie & Anthony appologize...why? It was good radio entertainment!

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In case your nat familiar with O & A, they are on XM Satellite Radio. This is pay radio! it's not like it's a public access broadcasting channel. The following recently had taken place and if you heard it, I am sure most people would have found it humorous to some degree. keep in mind that this is a pay channel and not moderated by the FCC.

Would you have appologized? I wouldn't have.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- XM Satellite Radio shock jocks Opie and Anthony apologized Friday for airing a homeless man's crude comments that he'd like to have sex with Condoleezza Rice, Laura Bush and Queen Elizabeth.

The remarks were made on their show Wednesday by a guest the duo call Homeless Charlie. As the name of each woman came up, the guest said he would like to have sex with her -- using language not fit for print.

Opie and Anthony laughed as they imagined Rice's "horror" while describing a violent sexual encounter in which Rice is punched in the face.

I dunno...it cracked me up...come on it was a homeless guy saying this crap. You don't hear Limbaugh or even people like Fallwell and David Duke appologizing for there ethnic and religous slurs.

If you have XM...listen for it over the weekend when they play the best of.

[D1st0rt]

They probably didn't want to get Imus'd

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Imus was on public radio though. This is not a moderated FCC format. This would be like HBO airing the Soprano's and then having the cast appologize for airing someone getting knocked off. It's a pay channel. In fact the channel O & A are on is noted as Adult Themed, so if you want to block it due to being offended by such things, you can!

meanwhile Rush Limbaugh, who is on FCC regulated FM Freq., has been airing his musical parody about Obama to the tune of Puff the Magic Dragon. However the new title is "Barack the Magic N**ro. I do not understand why Limbaugh the abusive script drug user who should be in jail for prescription fraud is looked at as ok for racial remarks. he is not a shock jock....Imus has been a shock jock since the 70's and he was hung out to dry.

I actually think it may stem from XM and Sirrius attemtping to merge. Still....it's pay radio...if the FCC wants to moderate that, you may as well get rid of satellite radio or at least make it free!

[D1st0rt]

I know they can't technically get in trouble with the FCC, but surely you have noticed the growing tendency of the government to overstep its bounds. They could just be playing it on the safe side.

[Edify]

I be hearing O&A and their WOW stuff back when it was on public radio 102.7! Up until that uhh.. church sex thing. Heh.

[Troll King]

Were they asked by higher-ups to apologize or did they do it on their own? If it's the latter then I don't see what regulation has to do with anything. Maybe they thought it over and felt it was wrong to laugh about rape. And saying that people like Limbaugh or Fallwell never apologize so neither should they only holds any merit until you realize you're just saying they aren't as low as those guys, which isn't that hard an achievement.

[Facetious]

Am I the only one that thinks the exploitation of mentally ill homeless people on morning shows isn't funny? Like every "humor" morning show does that, and I just think it's stupid. Not only is it objectively not funny (it's not funny when a homeless person comes up to you in person and starts talking about that kind of shit) but I think it's pretty fucked up to reinforce that behavior. How shitty would they feel if that guy went out and raped somebody and they not only hadn't taken what he was saying seriously, but even glorified it?

[Subjugation]

I think TK probably is on the right track here. I would guess that it wasn't O&A who thought of apologizing, rather that they were asked by their ownership to do so. XM and satellite radio (in general) is a relatively new venture, and they haven't been as profitable as they wanted.

In addition, there is talk about a merger with their rivals, Sirius. This means XM's ownership (as well as Sirius' ownership) would want to stand in the best possible graces of Washington DC, since approval of a merger has raised a lot of questions about anti-trust violations. Considering the issue is probably going to be decided on by friends of theirs, insulting Laura Bush and Condi Rice is not doing yourself any favors.

[Vykromond]

Er, talk of a merger? I thought it was a "for sure" thing.

[D1st0rt]

Not only has the FCC already denied it, in their charter or w/e there is language that says they're not allowed to.

[Vykromond]

Umm... no?

The FCC still has not started its review "clock" as of this posting. This is an unusually long delay from application filing to clock start, but perhaps not terribly surprising given the magnitude and publicity surrounding this combination. No new filings have been posted to the FCC's transaction page in the last seven days. Perhaps this is an indication that the staff is preparing to launch the review clock shortly, or perhaps it is simply an indication that the volume of filings coming in is so large that the staff simply is unable to keep up. Nevertheless, another batch of ex parte filings can be expected to appear on the transaction website very shortly, as can the beginning of the 180-day informal review period.

(from http://media.seekingalpha.com/article/33408)

It seems more like everyone thinks the FCC will eventually reject it. But they haven't yet.

[Xog]

I be hearing O&A and their WOW stuff back when it was on public radio 102.7! Up until that uhh.. church sex thing. Heh.

I still have that article from the daily news posted on my fridge.

[D1st0rt]

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin told reporters after an FCC meeting that the Commission would not approve a merger between satellite radio rivals Sirius and XM Radio. According to Bloomberg, Martin said that "there is a prohibition on one entity owning both of these business."

Even if the FCC were to have a change of heart and green-light a merger between Sirius and XM Radio, it would still have to pass antitrust scrutiny by the Department of Justice.

(http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070118-8653.html)

They seemed pretty clear about it in January.