I’ve been getting feedback on the last article, and I’d like to respond, here’s a letter (name withheld):
I Read your theory about a fake suspension,
and I think it is a pile bunk (pardon my language).
My notes:
"*First, CBS benefits by having Opie & Anthony exclusive for a month"
*What makes this different from any other month. CBS listeners only listen to the CBS version of the show. And, if you ever listen to the show, Opie and Anthony often bring successful bits from the XM side of the show back to Free FM (be it cleaned up) for the CBS only listeners to enjoy. Plus, the boys no longer promote XM only the CBS show like they usually would (XM loses out / No real gain for CBS)
*"Second, XM benefits by figuring out how popular the show really is, it would strengthen Opie & Anthony’s position with the company when the merger with Sirius happens."
*XM has a very accurate system of measuring the popularity of each channel in its line up. It has been discussed many times on the show, and XM knows how popular the show really is. Those are hard numbers XM can use to show the strength of the Opie and Anthony show, and XM202 in general. (Xm loses out)
*"Third, Opie & Anthony benefit by getting their names in the papers and news websites across the world, cause confusion, and feed their media whore appetites. "
*Sure, they get there name in the papers, but at what cost. XM listens mass cancel subscriptions, say at you rate of 40,000 over the week. At an average cost per month of around 11.33, XM lost $453,200 for the 30-day period of suspension. That number is probably in reality much higher. That is hardly "free publicity". Wouldn't it make more sense for XM to utilize that money for advertising or customer promotions to bolster its subscriber base, rather that alienate it?
*"Fourth, XM is building them a new studio, which will take them about a month to finish."
*O&A and Ron & Fez utilize that studio. Preparation for a 2 week vacation to start the work on the studio, putting it into a state thatwould allow broadcast at the end of the 2 week period was already in the works. Wouldn't they have to give Ron & Fez a month "suspension" too? I didn't see any real preparation to start fixing the studio when I was in there a few days ago, but what do I know. Also, Ron and Fez are still broadcasting from there.
*"Has anyone else noticed that they seem to be unusually happy on their CBS show, very tight-lipped about the whole situation?"
*They are obligated by XM to keep there mouths shut on the situation. Its what got them suspended in the first place. Opie and Anthony are professional broadcasters, and have a job to do. MOST of the CBS audience are not XM subscribers, and have no real interest in problems related to that side of the show. There job with CBS is to provide an entertaining show to millions of listeners, and given the current situation, they better damn well do so to strengthen there position at CBS in case the jobs at XM cease to exist.
Here is the simple truth:
Opie and Anthony said something that caught the ears of some political figures.
XM is involved with political figures in an attempt at a merger.
Opie and Anthony comment on XM management when they were told by the company not to.
XM needed to make a statement to political figures to make merger go through.
Opie and Anthony get suspended.
Now for my response:
1. CBS is currently going through the 'spring book'. In fact, it's smack dab in the middle of it. CBS is now getting hit with more listeners because of all the free press and lack of a show on XM. Think about this....where are YOU listening to them on now? CBS or XM? I expect O&A to be #1 in all their markets when the spring book comes out. XM profits out of this in the long run because they get money from broadcasting XM content on CBS. They probably get a higher percentage if the ratings go up. And, they don't have to mention XM on their show, because it's on all the TV news channels and newspapers across the country. People aren't going to confuse them with being on Sirius anymore.
2. The suspension ends right about the time the first Traveling Virus tour show starts...about a week before the first one. The spring book for Arbitron ends about the same time.
3. You say XM lost 500k in sub revenue, but how much would it cost for advertising in every one of those papers and websites? How much would it cost for a front page ad? How much for a 5-10 minute television ad (like the 5 minute stories all the news channels are doing)? A helluva lot more. Millions and millions of dollars.
4. Opie is a huge fan of Andy Kaufman. Someone who is known for pulling the wool over the public eye. If this was a hoax, it'd be the biggest one in the history of radio. Probably the biggest 'Assault On the Media' ever. It would give them a name in the history books and feed their egos.
5. There's a second smaller studio in the XM building that R&F have broadcast from before. O&A can't/won't use that studio because their show has more to it, i.e. guests, interns, and general shit going on. Plus, there's three main people doing the show as opposed to two people on R&F (Earl's in another room..Dave's not there all the time). Also, Opie said that it would take 'about 30 days or more' for the studio to be finished. The way he said it sounded fishy too.
6. XM's 'hard numbers' are great, but they don't make as much of an impact in the public eye as mass cancellations. XM also doesn't release those numbers to the public. Nobody know what the actual numbers are. XM knows that most will come back within a week or two if they like the other programming, and the hardcores will come back when O&A do. Plus all of the regular people who don't know or care who O&A are. Plus the O&A haters who see this as 'cleaning up XM'. Plus all the new cars sold with XM already installed and activated. They probably already have a plan in effect to give out free months and activation for returning subs. As for the people who smashed their radios, I guess they're SOL. Maybe Brother Elmo shouldn't have encouraged the fans to smash 'em. It could lead to legal problems.
7. Yes, they're obligated to keep their mouths shut. But they're TOO shut. Think back to the 'Sex For Sam 3' incident. Remember the 'Peanut Butter and Jelly' incident? Remember the sound clips they played? Remember the tension and stress? Where is it now? The past 3 shows had nothing of the 'usual' signals they drop. It's like they're doing a worst of live, and overly happy and nice, no stress in the voice whatsoever.
8. They also know there is no bad publicity. If for some strange reason they get fired, then they can sue. Which would get their names in the papers again. Then the TV deals will start coming in. Which means more money and more exposure.
And yes, I do listen to the show. 5+ hours a day, every day. In fact, haven't missed a minute of it since I subscribed with XM over 2 years ago. I signed up for O&A. Plus I've downloaded full shows from the WNEW days. I'm pretty well versed in O&A-isms. Plus I have a long history in radio. I actually know about ratings and how to read them. I've studied Arbitron books until my eyes were bloodshot. I've studied the history of radio too. It's not too far fetched for management and radio hosts to conspire to get more ratings. If this theory were any way true, they'd deny it completely. The mystery will continue for ever and everyone benefits in the long run. The only people who don't benefit are the dummies who smashed their radios. Tools.
If you’d like to debunk or add to my theory, drop me a line at radionewshound@gmail.com, I’d love to hear intelligent responses to my theory and I’ll try to answer them here.
