Last I heard, 40,000 people cancelled their subs within the past few days because they got suspended.

Wonder how accurate that is and how many more cancelled.

I don't listen to O&A, but this is really a ridiculous debacle. XM is a privately run radio network that requires proprietary equipment. It's not like Aunt Etta is going to be frittering around the radio trying to find the Lawrence Welk show and -- horrors -- hears the "F" word. And the receivers' parental controls haven't been a secret either.

The entire radio industry is so paranoid after Howard Stern was forced off of public airwaves and after the Imus thing. Even at my old college radio station we had to be VERY careful what we said, even during late-night hours, because the FCC was making a point of cracking down very harshly on even the most minor obscenity violations.

It's a shame that, despite touting "uncensored" this and "free speech" that (as well as being in a non-public position where they can actually HOLD to these ideals without fear of FCC intervention), XM went against its own principles like that just to butter up key Congressmen/women, but I guess nobody should really be surprised when that much money is on the line.

I cancelled mine yesterday

F XM

I tried to cancel my subscription last night and gave up after no less than 54 minutes on hold. I talked to a rep at 25 minutes who said she'd cancel but I had to talk to account retention. I hung up after the 54 minute mark. I have heard from others that my account isn't really cancelled until I talk to account retention. I'll be calling back.

This is ridiculous, I pay good money to hear uncensored content. Even though I'm not a huge fan of the show, I'm cancelling my subscription. I have no interest in getting XM ever again, and I liked my service.

Dammitall to hell. I got an XM receiver and I haven't even installed it yet. FU effing mother effers!!!

http://www.pythonline.com/plugs/idle/

And of course if and when the merger goes through, there won't be an alternative to go to! Just plain old boring over the air radio.

I'm glad that there's finally a way that the majority of people who prefer free speech to craven displays of political correctness can voice their opinions. Every time some crap like this happens, such as with Imus, we get people coming out of the woodworks proposing self-imposed censorship because they don't like what's being said. Here's the thing, my right to free speech is NOT trumped by your right to not be offended. In fact, you don't have a right to not be offended. And if you think that you do, I've got news for you: your right to not be offended ends when you fail to exercise your right to piss off and remove yourself from the situation you find distasteful.

Sirius has yet to censor Howard. Why don't you former XM listeners join Sirius and listen to the source from which O&A derive all their humor?

Will XM refund the remaining money on a pre-paid subscription if I were to cancel?

I've been an XM subscriber since O&A were first on as a premium channel you had to pay extra for. We are setting a very bad precedent in this country as every corporation caves in to the smallest special interest groups that are "outraged" by comedy they don't even listen to.

What everyone seems to be missing is the XM didn't suspend them for the comments. They suspended them for making a half-assed apology and then making fun of it.
And if all you signed up for sat radio was just for them or Stern on Sirius, you're probably the same kind of intelligentsia who burned their receivers in protest.

@jacques: so that makes it ok to suspend them?

i didn't buy my XM for them, but i cancelled because i didn't like what XM said by censoring them.

So, whether or not you're pissed at XM for censoring a show, quit whining about free speech on a private network!

Seriously, the first amendment doesn't apply to private companies and the services they offer. If you're upset about hosts being censored, that's fine, but don't start complaining about "the degradation of Free Speech" unless it's the government doing the censoring.

Other than that, if you want to be upset with XM, go right ahead.

I also cancelled my 3 subs yesterday. The girl on the phone said they were hemhorraging subscribers over this. What I don't understand is how anyone at XM thought this could possibly be a good idea. The whole selling point of satellite is that its not censored or regulated. If I wanted to listen to a controlled talk show I'd still be listening to terrestrial radio. Oh well, I have an iPod, I'll be fine.

@sleze69: Switching to Sirius does no good if the merger goes through. There will be one company to rule them all.

@jacques: They were hired to do what they were punished for, just like Imus. XM can't bill O&A as uncensored and then censor them. If their comments are not inciting people to break laws, then I don't see how they can censor them. As for people signing up for just them or Stern, these people likely didn't sign up just for their shows, but those offerings likely aided in their decision to subscribe to satellite radio. If their favorite programming changes, they have every right to cancel and are justified in doing so.

I bought XM way back when it was announced that they were signed to start airing. This is when the channel was still a $2 a month extra add-on. Now that they're gone, I canceled.

And if the show from this morning on Free FM is any indicator of how they'll be leashed after this instance, I won't renew if they do come back.

It's sad how fast companies cave in these days.

Well, you guys (and apparently it's all guys) should cancel your accounts because those jerks are NOT funny.

Sure, humor can be found in raping women, I suppose, but those punks are clueless.

Just because you are free to say what you want doesn't mean anybody cares.

At the same time, I cringe whenever I hear "poop" on the networks...c'mon, just say shit. You can say "bitch" can't you?!?

@nwogoldberg99: As much as my stock account would love for them to merge, lobbying groups that supposedly don't compete with satellite(like the NAB) seem intent on bribing congressmen to prevent it.

Besides, even if they do merge, Mel(from Sirius) will run the show.

@jacques: They suspended them for making a half-assed apology and then making fun of it.

That's even more fucked up than O&A being suspended just for mouthing the words in the first place. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. Now I'm even angrier.

First amendment restrictions effectively apply to private and/or public companies when the FCC threatens to fine them into oblivion. Not that XM was under duress, because they took pre-emptive, ass-kissing and inappropriate action.

XM, sirius, HBO, and ALL pay broadcast stations are exempt from FCC scrutiny. The only reason for this is to appease advertisers. Of course the result is that they lost subscription revenue...

So... what is the potential of pirate satellite radio? :)

PUMP UP THE VOLUME!!!!!!

@Tallanvor:

The first amendment isn't a unique source for free speech rights. Free speech is much bigger than that.

People can talk about free speech all day in relation to this issue and it would make sense. I haven't seen anyone yet imply that this is a first amendment issue.

BTW, I'm one of the people who cancelled. I was a five-year subscriber.

What I really don't understand is that suspending them doesn't punish them very much. They're still getting paid. It punishes the fans who look forward to the show a whole lot.

XM killed a lot of goodwill yesterday that I doubt they can get back and they lose more every day they continue this silliness. Is that what it takes to make a merger happen?

@Tallanvor:

Thank you, yes this isn't really about free speech at all. I think its disingenuous to market satellite radio the way XM and Sirius have (completely uncensored, our DJs will say what they want!), is it really that shocking that a corporation will mislead potential customers in their marketing?

If "Opie and Anthony" really want to do the show they want, unencumbered, by you know, a boss who signs the paychecks, then they ought to start a for-pay podcast, last I checked, you can be as "shocking," purile, and sophomoric as you want on the internet.

Although I would be concerned about the audience base (consisting mostly of knuckle-dragging mouth -breathers) understanding things like "RSS" and "podcasting."

@sleze69: The key word there is "yet." Setting aside the perennial O&A vs. Howard debate (different shows, broadcasters of different generations, etc.), the precedent set by the suspension of O&A on a paid, subscription-only service says volumes about how broadcasting companies, even those free from federal content guidelines, view the right to free speech. Howard Stern is no more insulated from this now than were Opie and Anthony. For that matter, no one on satellite radio (including political talk, comedy, Oprah, Martha Stewart, news, etc.) is immune from this trend. {Prof. Jonathan}

Good to see people have realized that petitions mean nothing and money is everything to a company. I don't subscribe to either service, but am glad to see disgruntled consumers taking the correct route.

The few things I've heard of Opie and Anthony's show makes me cringe. Their humor is juvenile, idiotic, and mostly ignorant. It is not my cup of tea.

However, XM is completely in the wrong on this. How do I know my favorite show or channel is not next on their censoring list?

Isn't this the point of satellite radio? To escape from the neopuritan ideals that are forced on the other broadcast media?

Forget the children. What about the adults? What about the adults who know how to change the channel when their senses are offended, annoyed, or bored?

@Tallanvor: "So, whether or not you're pissed at XM for censoring a show, quit whining about free speech on a private network!"

You're missing the point. Private networks only exist because of the U.S. Constitution's protection of the right to free speech. How dare a private network spit on that principle by suspending or firing a broadcaster for not only speaking freely without violating federal content violations, but for doing so after being hired to do exactly that!

If private networks valued free speech, they would suspend hosts for a day, and give the mics over to those holding the opposing views. Give Imus' slot to the Rutgers women's basketball time, so the world can get to know the women as people. Heck, give O&A's slot for a day over to NOW or Laura Bush and Condolezza Rice. But don't take sponsorship or subscriber dollars and get rid of the people who earned them for you.

@Tallanvor: "Free Speech" neither begins nor ends with the First Amendment. I subscribe to XM, I despise O&A, and yet I don't agree with what has happened. I subscribed to XM specifically because they claim to allow uncensored, or "free", speech. When XM pulls a stunt like this, they obviate their claim of "uncensored radio", and that is unacceptable. So the "Free Speech" they are suppressing is not "US Govt mandated by the 1st Amendment" Free Speech but "promised in advertising and paid for in cash" Free Speech.

It's great that you're all banding together to support two dimwitted bigots (Opie and Anthony).

Way to stick it to the man.

Morons.

This is the type of "censorship" that spurs people into action? How about boycotting Microsoft, Yahoo and Google? Those companies work with the Chinese government to censor websites and deny freedom of speech to a billion people.

It really isn't a matter of whether or not you like Opie and Anthony, or Imus or Howard Stern. It's literally a matter of corporations bowing down to very vocal special interest groups.

THe people that are/were offended by what Opie and Anthony or Imus said, did you actually hear it? Do you listen to their shows? I didn't think so.

It started with Imus and it's going to keep going until radio and tv are nothing more than PC dreck.

Love edgy comedians but hate "shock jock radio"? Well, keep laughing because the comedians are going to get it next. It's going to come down to
become Sesame Street humor if no one stands up to these ridiculous special interest groups. They're just piling on to whatever "media" is out there and claiming responsibility for firings/suspensions/cleaning up the airwaves. Terrorists do that too.

Pretty soon, blogs and websites are going to get hit harder. They're flying under the radar right now, but if this continues, no one will be able to mock or poke fun at anything or anyone.

@dresden: How about this moron: It's has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not we like O&A. Personally, I think they are lame and un-funny just based on the 3 minutes that I listened to them. It's about the principle. Do morons understand principles? Apparently not.

@brooklynbs: Do they have a Bill of Rights in China? Oh, that's their problem.

F the O&A fans.

Those of us who could care less about O&A have been forced to pay higher rates just so you could listen to them for free.

Back when Sirius jacked up their rates to pay (i.e., force all their listeners to pay for stern) for stern, XM followed suit. But, they didn't have any real reason to jack the rates like Sirius. So, they decided they would give everybody O&A for "free" (big whoop...) and free streaming on the PC (another big whoop considering the number of already free streams...).

XM should have stuck with the lower rates and a surcharge for O&A. Make their fans support them...

@Rey

I agree. Not my cup of tea by any stretch of the imagination, but I think the suspension is ridiculous and I called to say as much. I don't think I'll cancel because I like Lucy and Ethel and I don't like the Sirius alternatives. But I still haven't decided.

@Papercutninja: On a somewhat related note, I don't know how Dave Chappelle stays on the air. But even he has said that he was under tremendous pressure from certain individuals to "tone it down". He's the funniest thing on TV and I would rather watch the same Dave Chappelle episode 3 times than anybody else, once.

@quantum-shaman: Yeah, the principle that a crappy company that airs a crappy radio program is the only thing to get everyone up in arms over censorship issues? Is that the principle you're talking about? Stop paying because you're not getting what you want out of it, but making a censorship issue out of what a private company decides to do is moronic. Apparently you need to re-think your principles, moron.

@mbrutsch: But XM, not being a government entity, can change their policy if they find that it's abused.

Would you be as upset if they got suspended for advocating that every man go and rape a woman instead of just joking about raping one?

I'd say BII's suggestion is best for those people who really don't want to worry about censorship.

Before I returned to school, I had both XM and Sirius either separate or at the same time for 3 years so that I wouldn't have to listen to commercials anymore and get the CD cuts rather than radio. When XM picked up MLB, I went exclusively with them shortly after due to my noticing Sirius censoring songs on my favorite stations. I tried to complain, but their website is useless as is their phone system. I was livid that I was paying for uncensored music that was being censored. I didn't notice XM doing that on the stations I listened to, but I do know they used the radio cuts for the Top 20 station.

Advertisers should shut the fuck up when it comes to this issue, as one poster mentioned above why this could be happening. They signed up with XM, knowing full well that it's supposed to be an uncensored broadcast. I'm disappointed in XM for giving in to any pressure put on them by outside sources and won't plan on signing up with them again.

@quantum-shaman: The FCC has no authority over XM content, as it is a paid network.

The FCC does, however, regulate the spectrum and parcels out sections of it, or rather, they license it and provide oversight to make sure a licensee is using their swath of the spectrum in the public interest. This is the same for terrestrial radio broadcasters, satellite radio broadcasters, cell phone companies, GPS providers, etc. Thus, XM still has a motivation not to piss off Congress or FCC commissioners.

In this case, though, the point should be repeated that XM did not censor O&A's content. XM suspended them because they insulted their employer. This isn't a censorship issue; it's basic H.R.

This is about as much about free speech as it is about sneakers and livestock.

Now if ya want to talk about fraudulent advertising, or something like that, fine, if ya want to say this is about free speech, then ya might first need to learn what the hell it is you are talking about.

Personally, the fact is, if my employees said something I didn't like, I'd fire their asses, and would not think twice about it.

@dresden: Look moron, here's how principles work: It doesn't matter if the company is crappy. It doesn't matter if the radio show is crappy. It doesn't matter whether they're suspended because of "censorship", PC double-think, or because the HR department got a wild hair. The subscribers are paying for it, because that's the kind of humor they enjoy and expect. That's their perogative. If the show were something that you personally enjoyed, and suddenly it was off the air for some frivolous reason (pick one), would you feel any different about it? Of course you would, because you're a moron who doesn't understand principles.

@Sonnymooks: Better watch it. Depending on the topic that might be a sueable offense and you might be forced to not only rehire but pay back pay.

I don't give a RFA (Rat's F**kin' A** (how's that for censorship)) about Opie and Anthony. Now Opie and Andy is a different story.

@Tallanvor: Have you ever heard of sarcasm and satire? Surely you don't believe they are acting advocating things such as rape.

Also, you can't possibly believe that thousands of listeners are going to start raping women even if these two guys did advocate it.

Yeah! Im cancelling too! Oh...wait...I don't have a subscription. I have better things to spend money on than cable for radio.

I mean, yay they're losing customers, and yay its enough for them to notice their bottom line, because I think that sort of thing is funny, but I never really believed that enough people would buy into "special" radio to make it profitable in the first place, which is probably why they're pandering for the merger in the first place.

@quantum-shaman: Didn't I just say that? My point was is that these idiots are calling it censorship, and whining about it, especially considering O&A is flat out retarded. That's funny to me. Then you whine about principles. And I said if their service provider isn't providing what they want, then they should go elsewhere. Then you said some more stupid shit and reiterated what I said before. So either continue to agree with me, or shut up.

I knew this would happen. There is only one way your going to stop shit like this. End the FCC and get rid of the "Moral Majority" and anyone Democrat or Republican who panders to it.

I'm a Stern fan, Sirius subscriber of 3 years (and loving every minute of it) and can't stand O&A, so on one hand, I'm glad to see those talentless hacks off the air, but at the same time, I worry that this may set a precedent for censorship on satellite radio.

I do think they crossed a line. As much as I despise Condi and can't wait till her and the rest of the administration are out of office, talking about raping a government official (or anybody for that matter...gov't officials, especially her, don't deserve special treatment) is just taking it too far IMO