User:Tufflaw/sandbox/opieandanthony

Opie (Gregg Hughes, b. May 23 1965) and Anthony (Anthony Cumia, b. April 26 1961) are the hosts of the XM Satellite Radio program The Opie and Anthony Show. The show is based in New York City; it was previously on WNEW-FM in New York, and before that on WAAF-FM in Boston. [1]

The show airs on channel 202 "The Virus" live from 7-11 AM ET with replays throughout the day.

The live broadcast is also included free in a set of XM Satellite Radio channels included with DirecTV satellite TV service on channel 879.

The Opie and Anthony show also offers live in studio web cam broadcast via the pay service PalTalk. The in studio web cameras are currently active 24 hours a day.

Additionally, Opie and Anthony show archives, as well as best of CD's can now be downloaded from Audible.com. [2]

Background

Hughes and Cumia were both raised on Long Island, New York. Hughes graduated from SUNY Geneseo. For the next seven years he interned and worked at several upstate radio stations before he was awarded a radio gig spinning records at rock station WBAB on his native Long Island. Cumia dropped out of high school and was making a living as an HVAC duct worker when he began performing songs with his brother Joe, who remains a constant supporter of the Opie and Anthony Show. In August 1994, Hughes received an entry during an O. J. Simpson parody song contest. The song was entitled "Gonna Electric Shock OJ", by a local band known as Rotgut, for which Cumia was the lead singer. It became a hit on Hughes' show, and he invited the Cumia brothers to the studio to play live. This sparked many further appearances, where "Ant & Brother Joe" jumped at any airtime opportunity available. Soon after, Hughes and Cumia became a radio team. Hughes' show was called "The Nighttime Attitude," and aired from 8pm-12 midnight on WBAB. [3]. Shortly after Cumia's arrival, it was proposed to management at the station that the show be moved to morning or afternoon drive, the two most listened-to timeslots in radio. When the station refused, Hughes and Cumia moved the show to afternoon drive on WAAF, Boston, where they premiered on March 27, 1995 as Opie and Anthony (hereinafter referred to as O&A). [4]

The duo were fired in April 1998 from WAAF in Boston for an April Fool's Day prank involving Mayor Thomas Menino. They told their listeners the Mayor of Boston died in a fiery car accident while he was vacationing in Florida and out of the reach of family and friends. Many believed that this actually happened, leading Menino to file a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission. An FCC rule prohibits the broadcast of knowingly false information if it causes public harm [5]. WAAF suggested to remedy the situation that O&A have pies thrown at them while being held in town square stocks. The idea was summarily dismissed and the duo were later fired, promising that they would return to Boston and get revenge. [6]

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In June 1998, they were back on the air on the New York station WNEW-FM. [7] O&A began to gain popularity on this station, becoming the number one afternoon drive show in New York by 2000. In 2001, O&A signed a three year, $30 million dollar syndication deal with Infinity Broadcasting to syndicate their show to 22 markets around the country. This included WBCN in Boston, a rival of the station that fired O&A earlier in their careers. Within a year, they were number one in several markets, including Boston. Friend of the show Andrew Dice Clay then introduced O&A to Jim Norton, a comedian who toured with Clay and opened for him. Norton was a hit on the show and soon became the proverbial third member of the O&A program.

O&A hosted the short-lived XFL Gameday - the pregame show for Vince McMahon's startup football league - for four weeks in February 2001. The half-hour show aired on Saturday nights in select NBC affiliates across the country prior to the beginning of the evening's games. The show was taped on Wednesdays at World Wrestling Entertainment's theme restaurant in Times Square, and was open to the public. It featured analysis by WNBC sportscaster Bruce Beck and NY/NJ Hitmen head coach Rusty Tillman. However, it also featured plenty of raunch. One particular segment featured O&A as chefs, inserting a cucumber in between two melons. O&A were almost banned from Giants Stadium for life during the filming of one episode when they imitated a proposed XFL rule where first possession was determined by placing the ball at midfield and having two opposing team-members attempt to get it. O&A did this as the Star-Spangled Banner began to play before a game. They said that the $100,000 cost of making each new show was the cause of its demise, though no official reason was given for its cancellation.

In August 2002, O&A were cancelled for the "Sex For Sam 3" stunt. Sex for Sam was a yearly contest O&A held in which the goal was to have sex in notable public places. Couples from various states would be chosen to compete in the competition and each couple would be followed by a comedian or member of the show, who would call into the program to report the location. The contest was approved by the station and had been held without a major problem for the first two years. However, one comedian made the decision to lead his couple to have sex in a vestibule in St. Patrick's Cathedral. Contrary to most media reports, O&A did not broadcast the couple having sex in St. Patrick's Cathedral. In fact, none of the couples were broadcast engaging in intercourse. The incident was mentioned as taking place by Paul Mercurio, the comedian watching the couple. When a security guard approached Mercurio and told him that he and the couple must leave immediately, Mercurio began to argue with the security guard, causing the guard to contact the police. The couple was placed under arrest and charged with public lewdness. Intense media scrutiny led to the Catholic League taking offense and demanding that O&A be fired. O&A broadcasted for one more day, but were not permitted to refer to the incident for legal reasons. Infinity Broadcasting then cancelled the Opie and Anthony Show.

Notwithstanding media coverage claiming that O&A were fired, in actuality the pair were still under contract. Therefore, O&A continued to draw a salary from Infinity while not being permitted to broadcast. After waiting for two years for their contract to expire, O&A announced on August 3 2004 that they had signed with XM Satellite Radio, where they would not be subject to FCC guidelines. They began broadcasting on October 4 2004 with Norton as the third member of the team. They are one of the first major programs to be broadcast exclusively on satellite radio, referring to themselves as The Pioneers of Satellite Radio.

Because of the Sex for Sam 3 incident, they have stated that their contracts with XM Satellite Radio are renewed yearly (they are currently renewed through October 2006).

About the show

The Official Opie and Anthony Banner for their show on XM Satellite Radio

Opie and Anthony observe and comment on American social and popular culture. Their "cringe" style of entertainment, which has received support from listeners, has earned them the sobriquet of "shock jocks". Hughes, Cumia, and Norton broadcast for four hours every weekday morning, taking virtually no breaks. The show has few limits, and covers a wide array of topics. The show is very interactive, with a great deal of show time being given to fans calling in, and sound bites sent in from listeners. Some of the more hardcore O&A fans, nicknamed "Pests", have been known to go to extreme lengths to promote the show in a grassroots effort. Friends and regular guests on the show include Adam Ferrara, Bill Burr, Patrice O'Neal, Brian Regan, Robert Kelly, and Rich Vos, all of whom have substituted for Norton when he has left New York for various reasons related to his stand-up comedy work and acting. Other frequent guests include Colin Quinn, Stephen Lynch, and Jay Mohr. On the show, Cumia is known for his impressions of people such as Popeye, Andrew Dice Clay, Tom Brokaw, Ronald Reagan, Mike Tyson, Tony Danza, Christopher Reeve, Robert Reed, Regis Philbin, Don Imus, and Howard Stern. While O&A's style and jokes typically target males in the 18-35 age range, they have succeeded in other demographics as well.

Initially, the show was offered to XM subscribers at a premium cost of $1.99 a month. In April 2005, "High Voltage" became part of the basic XM subscription. There are no numbers available with respect to the number of premium subscribers. Hughes gave some indication, however, when he told the Long Island Press in 2006, "we went from having a show that was syndicated in 17 major markets to having a few thousand listeners."

In November 2005, DirecTV began carrying much of XM's channel lineup, including O&A's "High Voltage", making the show available to the satellite television provider's fifteen million subscribers. "High Voltage" can be found on DirecTV channel 879.

There is some debate amongst long time listeners regarding the quality of the show after the switch to satellite. Some have claimed that the switch to mornings has eliminated a certain free-wheeling dynamic, while others prefer the new format.

Staff

Ben Sparks, Executive Producer - Executive Producer of the show whose duties include timing out commercial breaks and booking guests. Sparks was a member of the sales staff at WNEW when he first became a member of the show.
Steve Carlesi, Producer, Announcer, and Webmaster (aka "Martini Steve") — Another producer who creates production pieces for the show, and voices station identification for High Voltage. Also runs FoundryMusic. Carlesi underwent gastric bypass surgery and has lost considerable weight. He married in August 2002 - a marriage which O&A regularly joke about, saying it is falling apart as a result of the antics on the show involving women.
Erik Nagel, Producer (aka E-Rock, Sex Bagel, or Hawk) - Hired on from Day 1 of the show coming to XM Radio. Often the target of many jokes from the other members of the permanent staff.
Nathaniel Bryan, Associate Producer (aka Than) — Joined the show as an intern when it resumed airing in October 2004, and was hired full-time in May 2005. Than prefers to use dry wit and sarcasm for humor.
Travis, Associate Producer — Former intern who became a regular staff member.
Danny Ross, Associate Producer — Former intern who became a regular staff member. Danny originally started as a writer for Foundry Music and Carlesi brought him on board as an intern.
Derek, Associate Producer — Former intern who became a regular staff member. Derek does not appear on the show to the same extent as the rest of the staff, as his primary responsibilities include finding and playing music clips and sound bites for the show.

Freaks and Characters

Pat from Moonachie (Patrick Philbin) — A 42-year old, 300-pound self-employed courier with 9 toes (due to diabetes), who became a friend after winning O&A's first annual Egg Nog Drinking Contest. Philbin consumed 70 double shots of egg nog and subsequently vomited. He is now a competitive eater, ranked 15th in the world by the I.F.O.C.E.and placed 12th in Nathan's Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest.
Stalker Patti — A 50-year old virgin who is often subjected to humilation on the show. She also appeared on the Maury show in November 2005.
Sandy Kane — A 62-year old burlesque dancer. Her claim to fame is a genital wart that is referred to by O&A as "Twatto" (due to its resemblance to Total Recall's Quato).
Big A (Andrew) — A very tall, very overweight Bronx cab driver with a speech impediment, bad teeth, and supposedly horrid smelling breath.
G. Yogurt Liddy — Not a real person, but an actual yogurt lid from Norton's daily yogurt cup. Originally was made to impersonate XM personality G. Gordon Liddy, but has since been used as a device to parody rival Howard Stern. Currently does not appear anymore as the yogurt company has discontinued the lids.
Lady Di and Marian (AKA the Retarded Laverne and Shirley) — Avid fans of the show who call in frequently. Best friends since high school, they have some of their own sayings that make sense to nobody else (ie, "Ying yang party!").
Wheelchair Fred — A motorcycle accident victim who lost the use of his legs and uses a wheelchair. He came to the O&A show when they were on WAAF in Boston and has made subsequent appearances since O&A joined XM, including, most notably, a solo self-penetration performance using a simulated organ in the bathtub.
Steve from Yellowstone — AKA Ben from Boston, Danny from W-Town, Jimmy from New Jersey, etc. Fake characters that are voiced by Norton. Occasionally used to mock and insult bad guests on the phone or in the studio, Norton calls the show from another room doing an impression of producers Carlesi or Sparks before insulting the guest in the manner of a "Ramone" promo. Steve from Yellowstone's memorable past victims include the American pop music group Hanson, current Foreigner lead singer Kelly Hansen, Charles Ross who performs the One Man Star Wars Trilogy, Korey Rowe (the producer of a notoriously inaccurate and incendiary documentary about 9/11), and Louisville, Kentucky radio station WXMA general manager Dale Schaefer.
Tippy Tom - A homeless man from the streets of New York. Tippy Tom is a drunk homosexual, who once claimed to have AIDS, but has since retracted that statement. O&A once had him showered, given fresh clothes, a fresh haircut, and a shave. Currently, he is still homeless, he is "AIDS free" and has introduced Grey Wolf to the show.
Grey Wolf - Grey Wolf is primarily known for his very popular song "Shelter Me", an improvised song about Tippy Tom's life. Combined with Dru Boogie's background music, the song has received moderate success, even receiving play on XM's Blues Channel and leaving fans demanding a longer, complete version. As of now, there is no complete studio version because, according to Dru Boogie, Grey Wolf has trouble hitting his notes.
Louis "Twitchels" Centanni - A comic who has Tourette's Syndrome. Nicknamed "Twitchels" by Nicole Richie. Often paired with Big A to conduct weekly news reviews on the show.
Gangsta Fag - Known originally as Twisted G, Joe Rogan's friend discovered this hardcore gay rapper at a gay pride parade, and brought the CD into the show. Eventually, Gangsta Fag himself called in to the show, and still calls in occasionally.

XM Friends

Eric Logan — Vice President of Programming for XM (aka E-Lo). Logan often stops by the studio or calls in for a "Location Check". He often discusses future technology or talent coming to XM. He has appeared on the Donald Trump reality show "The Apprentice".
Bruce Kelly — Former XM 80's Morning Show DJ. He left the company in October 2005 in order to care for his father, who is ill. To celebrate his career with XM, O&A played a song, interset with sound bites from Kelly's various call-ins on the show.
The Broadminded Girls — Broadminded is a show on XM155 Take Five. The hosts have appeared on the show and plan to do so again. One of the hosts has repeatedly expressed interest in Norton.
Rob Dibble — Dibble hosts "The Show" with Kevin Kennedy on XM175 MLB Home Plate during the afternoon drive. Dibble calls in to the show occasionally.
Dee Dee Grucclski — Grucclski does traffic on XM. She was formerly the voice of Cricket on XM Kids.
Don "Wicky" Wicklin — Director of Programming, High Voltage, XM202 — Oversees day-to-day operations of High Voltage, including putting requests for technical repairs, allocating resources for the two programs on the station, and arraging remote broadcasts [8]. Wicklin goes by the nickname of "Wicky."

Celebrity and comedian friends

Bill Burr - Boston comedian Bill Burr is a frequent guest on the program. He created a popular bit on the show when he and Norton attended Ozzfest in 2005. Burr introduced himself to many bandmembers performing at Ozzfest and requested that they record Public Service Announcements for the O&A show. When Norton left in the fall to begin filming Lucky Louie, Burr began to sit-in frequently as the third mic.
Rich Vos - Vos was introduced to the show by Norton on the WNEW version. The Rich Vos Roast was a very popular bit on the show.
Patrice O'Neal - O'Neal was introduced to the show by Vos on the WNEW version, but did not become a frequent guest until the XM program. O'Neal often fills in as the third mic when Norton leaves New York for various gigs. His other claim to fame on the show is his view on relationships and women which has earned him the nickname "Black Dr.Phil". In March 2005, Patrice was given his own show on XM on High Voltage on Saturday nights. Opie sat-in on the shows, guiding Patrice so he can learn to run a show himself. The show is not an official part of the XM platform yet, as Patrice is busy with both his stand-up gigs and his work on VH1's Web Junk 20 program. However, the show has aired several times when the timing has worked out and Patrice's "Bitch Management" show will continue to air on Saturday nights as of April 2005.
Robert Kelly - Kelly is stand-up, who is a regular guest on the XM program as well. His well-known stories include his embarrassing moment with Jerry Seinfeld and the endless references to the incident in which he broke his knee on the Tourgasm tour. He has also sat-in for Norton when he was out of town.
Colin Quinn - Former SNL star and host of Tough Crowd. Quinn is known for stopping in occasionally, sometimes unannounced. Quinn is good friends with many of the comics, who appear often on the show, including Norton, Rich Vos, Robert Kelly, and Patrice O'Neal. Quinn is a favorite of O&A for often stopping in just to hang with O&A on air. He even frequently refuses to promote his own gigs on air.
Adam Ferrara - Ferrara is an old friend of Cumia's. Ferrara stops by the show infrequently, occasionally as the third mic, sitting in for all four hours. He also appears when he is performing at Caroline's in New York, which is located near the O&A studio.
Stephen Lynch - Singing comedian who appears on the show and performs original songs, including popular "Special Ed".
Brian Regan - Regan was often quoted on the show, resulting in much of his material becoming very popular with O&A fans. Regan typically stops in when promoting a Caroline's performance.
Jay Mohr - Mohr was a significant part of the show on WNEW when it was on in the afternoon. However, Mohr lives in Los Angeles, so the early start time of the program at 7 am EST has made it difficult for Mohr to become regularly involved with the show. Mohr does appear when he is in New York and calls in on occasion.
Joe Rogan - Rogan first met Hughes during O&A's hiatus form radio before the XM show began. Hughes has said that he only knew Rogan from his job hosting Fear Factor and had no idea he was a standup comedian. Hughes also complimented Rogan's comedy. Rogan has appeared several times on XM, including a notable appearance when he ranted on a feud of his with Carlos Mencia after Mencia insulted Rogan on The Frank Show, in Tucson, AZ.
Frank Caliendo - MADtv star Caliendo has appeared on the O&A program on XM. Caliendo is known for performing accurate impressions of, among others, John Madden and George W. Bush.
Ralphie May - May's first appearance on O&A was a call-in on WNEW when May commented on the Dice vs. Jay Mohr feud, which was caused by Dice's accusations that Mohr stole his material to use on The Conan O'Brien Show. May does not appear often, as he is in Los Angeles for most of the year.
Carlos Mencia - Mencia's most notable involvement with the O&A show was his feud with Rogan.
Richard Cheese - Lounge singer Cheese often performs his songs on the program. Cheese is known for singing lounge versions of popular songs, ranging from "Brass Monkey" to "Rape Me".
Maury Povich - Povich has been an occasional guest on the show since WNEW days. Cumia's often performs his impression of Povich when Povich is on the show. Due to his involvement with the show, Povich booked one of O&A's freak characters, Stalker Patti, to appear on his program to receive a makeover.
Denis Leary - Leary has appeared on the program several times, most recently promoting his Comedy Central Christmas special. He has also appeared promoting the new season of Rescue Me.
Greg Proops - Proops is a comic who has made several appearances on the program. Proops is known for espousing left-wing political views, which usually result in debates with both Norton and Cumia, both of whom have more right-leaning points of view.
Jim Gaffigan - Gaffigan appears on occasion. He most recently appeared promoting his new DVD Beyond the Pale, on which he thanked O&A
Otto and George - A ventriloqust known for his performances where his dummy is extremely foul-mouthed.
Keith Robinson -- Robinson is a New York-based comedian. He has appeared on the show on XM. One of his more memorable lines on the show was when he said of Norton, "If the cops arrested him, they wouldn't use cuffs, they would use garbage-bag ties."

Radio Friends

Ron & Fez — Became friends with O&A when they aired immediately after Opie and Anthony on WNEW. They began airing on XM Satellite Radio on High Voltage 11-2 PM EST in September 2005.
Brother Wease — Opie's radio mentor and hardcore liberal. Still works for Infinity Broadcasting in Rochester and has locked horns with Howard Stern as well.
BJ Shea - Radio host in Seattle. O&A love his show and are friends with him.
Cowhead & Brent — During their last week on the air, the Cowhead and Brent show of Tampa made a gutsy move of calling Opie and Anthony live on air asking for a golden ticket. Both shows exchanged very positive comments and plugs.
Lazlow — Friend of the show who provides the occasional production pieces. Lazlow used to work for WXRK in New York hosting a weekly talk show. Is the host of the Techonfiles which is syndcated as a commercial to radio stations nationwide, including XM Radio.
Sean Hannity — Unlikely friend and supporter of the show. Despite his conservative views, enjoys and respects the show and was a vocal opponent of their show being cancelled after Sex for Sam III.
Don Imus - O&A love Imus, who is a huge supporter of their program. Imus often wears Opie and Anthony t-shirts live on his show, which is televised live on MSNBC. A regular character on Imus' show is Brian Wilson (Rob Bartlett). Bartlett's character mainly promotes the O&A show, mentioning the name "Opie" frequently and wearing an Opie and Anthony shirt. Both shows have axes to grind with Howard Stern (see below).
Jim Breuer — Hosts a show on Sirius and cannot appear on their show due to contractual reasons. Breuer wished to be on XM with O&A, but XM did not show enough interest and made a very weak offer. Breuer loves Opie and Anthony and thanks them often on his new show for always encouraging him and helping his career a great deal.

Radio enemies

Howard Stern - During Opie and Anthony's WNEW days, Stern had a gag order put on Opie and Anthony. [9] He also was quoted as saying "That's right. I believe in censoring anyone who is my enemy." as well as, "I believe in censorship when it benefits me." Opie and Anthony also dispute Stern's claims that other broadcasters steal his material, claiming that Stern himself has used bits from other jocks. Commonly called "Hoo Hoo" by Opie and Anthony and show callers. This name is a spoof on Stern's laugh. Anthony will occasionally do a Stern impression, often mocking Stern's claims that everyone rips him off.
Tom Leykis - During Opie and Anthonys days on WNEW, Tom Leykis was syndicated on a spot directly after the duo. Tom Leykis allegedly stole Whip 'em Out Wednesday and changed it to Flash'em Friday for radio listeners along the Pacific Coast. He temporarily took over their spot after they were cancelled from WNEW.
Don and Mike – Another enemy from the WNEW days with a very complicated history. One side of the story held that D&M were upset because they were “kicked out” of afternoon drive of their flagship station at Washington D.C.’s WJFK-FM Shows began as "Friends," however - see below.
Mancow - Another O&A radio enemy in addition to being almost every other jock's radio enemy. Supposedly stole W.O.W. and changed it to Wip it Out Wednsdays but brought it to Chicago. Also spoke madly to the media about O&A after SFS3. Hates his current gig and has asked the boys for a chance on XM through their common agent but O&A have said no way. He's referred to by names like "Mancock" and "Manqueer."
Lex and Terry — Opie and Anthony played a clip of their show on-air and critiqued the bit saying they didn't punch out early enough. Then Lex and Terry began attacking Opie and Anthony on the air the next day. In a somewhat ironic twist, Lex and Terry have been picked up by XM and began airing on XM "Extreme" 152 on November 28, 2005 as part of the ongoing deal with Clear Channel owning time on XM.
Russ Martin — Claimed that Opie was sending him emails saying that he would take their timeslot. Later it was proven that the emails sent had a different IP address than Opie's computer. To this day Russ still says that Opie wrote those emails after hearing the proof that he didn't.
Playboy Radio — Hosts Julie and Tiffany stated that Jim Norton should spend his money better than spending it on prostitutes. They stated he spent $60,000 a year on prostitutes, when in reality it is slightly less. They also made fun of Opie and Anthony after being on their show the day before, an angry caller called in and O&A made fun of him. The two playboy girls thought O&A set up this caller to make fun of them on purpose. After several days of war with the boys and the O&A Army's phone assaults, the girls apologized and peace was declared. Playboy Radio was discontinued from XM in November 2005, and will be revamped for a new incarnation on Sirius in first quarter 2006.
Bubba the Love Sponge — Joining XM's competitor Sirius. O&A said they didn't want him on "their" satellite radio company. The actual offending status between Bubba and O&A is unknown, and there may have never been bad blood between the two shows, but as an employee of Howard Stern, Bubba is now considered fair game. Notably, Bubba once considered himself enemies with Howard Stern. Bubba has publicly challenged to fight both Opie and Anthony at the same time in any forum they choose on his Sirius show Bubba The Love Sponge, including bare fisted fighting or fighting under UFC rules. He has made this open threat and invitation to Opie and Anthony many times since his debut at Sirius on January 9th, 2006.
Shannon Burke — Shannon Burke got word that he was going to be kicked off of XM Satellite Radio. He is originally on WTKS-FM. Once he heard this he said that he was funnier than the Opie and Anthony show. Then Opie and Anthony sent the callers to "attack" his phones. He caved easily; to the point where he was hanging up on his own callers.

Former friends and characters

Andrew Dice Clay - The former popular comedian was once a friend of the show during Opie & Anthony's rise to the top at WNEW. The show helped promote his "comeback" by hosting a show at New York City's Madison Square Garden. Since their return to XM, Clay has been noticeably absent. Recently he made disparaging remarks about Opie & Anthony on both an FM radio show, and on Howard Stern's satellite radio show.
Lewis Black — When in NYC to promote a book, he went onto Howard Stern's show, yet did not go on O&A despite saying he would. Until he finally called the show, he was reviled for ignoring O&A, but Lewis is now back in the good graces of the boys. However, he no longer appears on the show. Currently Opie mentions how Lewis use to be on the show for hours but now has never been on since his phone call.
Psycho Mark — He was fired due to an incident during the inaugural Sex for Sam. Was responsible for the final farewell phrase, "Your Mom's Box!"
Paul Mercurio — Dead to the show after Sex for Sam 3. He was the spotter for the couple who had sex in St. Patrick's Cathedral. Largely blamed for O&A's firing from terrestrial radio because of his comments and aggressiveness that led to the couple's arrest when they got caught.
Don and Mike – Current "enemy" from the WNEW days (see above), they began working together as friends, offering a united front against Howard Stern's attacks on WNEW. Both shows (Opie & Anthony and Don & Mike) portray themselves as satirizing “Morning Zoo” radio shows, and occasionally both have made it clear that what happens on the air isn’t necessarily what’s really going on. In 2003, for example, Don Geronimo came out to publicly criticize Infinity for “sitting on” O&A”’s contracts, saying that they should be allowed to have their careers. And in August 2005, following the death of his Don’s wife, Freda, Opie, Anthony and Jim Norton did extend their condolences for Don’s loss, and spoke at length about the differences between real life and doing a radio show.
Barry Williams — Greg Brady from The Brady Bunch. Hosts a daily radio show on Sirius so he can not appear on O&A.
Rick Delgado — Producer for WNEW/syndicated show and brother to Opie's ex-girlfriend. Has since been re-hired and fired from WHQT in New York and now works for Clear Channel in San Francisco. Rick purposely avoids contact with Opie and only talks to Anthony.
Bernie Goetz - Bernie appeared on occasion on the WNEW-FM program. He also appeared on the XM version. He stopped appearing after Opie pretended to smash a CD of Bernie's on-air on an XM show. Goetz was furious and stormed out of the studio before Opie could tell Goetz that it was just a blank CD that had been smashed. Eventually, everything was explained to him, but to no avail. Goetz has had one brief call-in since then, but he no longer appears on the program.
Spike - A dominatrix that used to hold WOW parties and organize WOW flashing road trips. Was eliminated from show when she got a little too greedy with the parties.
Stinky AKA Awesome Garrett - Former call screener during WNEW.
Frenchy - A loudmouthed French chef, he was a regular character on the WNEW show. First appeared on the show to cook rat for an eating contest. However, when the show moved to XM, Frenchy was not a successful character on the program and his appearances were rarely as funny as they were on the prior version of the show. He no longer appears on the program.
Scott Ferrall - Once a friend of O & A, when Ferrall took a job at Sirius, he sided with Stern and began to bash Opie and Anthony. After a number of comments provoking O & A, the pests were called upon to take care of him via call-ins to his trial shows on Sirius. Scott Ferrall is most known for his fast, nonsensical style of rambling which makes up the majority of his show.
Spaz - Former intern on WNEW. Was responsible for a segment each Friday called "K-Dawg's Week in Review." Quit due to pressure by his girlfriend and listeners to the show. He is considered 'dead to the show'. After Opie and Anthony came to XM, he tried to become part of the show once again but was told that he is no longer welcome.

Miscellaneous

Dru Boogie - A mix artist who has contributed to the show since the WNEW days. Appears more often on the XM show now, doing live mixes, typically before O&A go on a vacation and occasionally on Fridays throughout the year.
Dugout Doug , Boston Strangler and Big Ass Member - The "Generals" of the O&A Army.

Recurring bits of the show

Since returning to the airwaves on XM Satellite Radio, there have been many recurring bits of the show, some original and others continued from the days at WNEW-FM.

Whip 'em Out Wednesdays (WOW)

O&A invented this promotional technique in May 1995. WOW was written on many bumper stickers and they encouraged all women to flash any person who had a WOW sticker. The promotional technique began on WAAF-FM in Boston and reached the point where an astonishing number of trucks in Massachusetts had either a WOW sticker or WOW written on the bumper. The bit has continued to grow since then and now spans across the country, since O&A now host a national program. There are "WOW Sticker Stops" at many locations throughout the country where WOW stickers are given away. They are also given at many Opie and Anthony events and can be ordered on their official website. However, due to popular demand, many requests from the website have gone unfulfilled. O&A have therefore said that the best way to get WOW stickers is to send a self addressed stamped envelope to their studios in New York. Howard Stern alleges this is yet another one of his innovations from his Washington D.C. days where he suggested guys tie bandanas around their car antennas so girls would, as he said "get naked" followed by remarking "Tell 'em Fred", which has led to the subsequent usage of the familiar show term "Tell 'em Fred, hoo hoo hoo." To date, O&A have laughed it off and Stern has been unable to provide proof of this claim.

Golden ticket

A term used to describe the O&A's desire to save roughly five shows from commercial radio and invite them to make the move to XM. In July 2005, O&A announced that their friends Ron and Fez would be joining them on XM. Ron and Fez followed O&A on WNEW-FM, and in September 2005 they debuted in the 11-2 PM EST timeslot. O&A play audio on occasion from other radio shows who have submitted their audio to be considered for a Golden Ticket. Unfortunately, this plan was contingent upon four of the shows being placed on a different talk channel (O&A and R&F are on 202, while the other shows would wind up on a retooled "Extreme Talk" station on 152), and when O&A were told that sufficient shows had been selected by XM higher-ups for channel 152, they dropped the idea of recruiting other shows. In December 2005 Opie announced there will be no more golden tickets, and the concept has rarely been mentioned since, except by callers.

Assault on the Media

An outgrowth of Opie and Anthony's response to the fear-mongering mentality discussed above, the goal of the AOTM campaign was to promote the show during live news shots while making reporters look somewhat ridiculous. O&A encouraged their fans to intervene in live news shots outdoors, either by displaying an O&A poster or jumping up and down, shouting something to the effect of "Opie and Anthony! XM Satellite Radio!"

The AOTM campaign "unofficially" began in the summer of 2000 when a young woman by the name of Suzie[10] was kind enough to flash the camera live on NBC's Today Show for Opie and Anthony. Over time, more and more fans were able to insert themselves into live-shots, and in July 2005, O&A officially began an AOTM Contest. Every month, they would provide prizes for the best Assault on the Media.

On May 19, 2005, WCBS-TV reporter Arthur Chi'en was doing a remote when O&A intern Nathaniel Bryan approached his broadcast and held up a poster for the show. Bryan and another man, who was later identified as Crazy Cabbie [11], made gestures towards the camera and repeated the show's name. When Chi'en finished his introduction, he promptly turned around and loudly asked Bryan, "What the fuck is your problem, man?" Chi'en may have thought that his director at the station had already cut him off and had started playing his recorded report, but this was not the case, and the audio went out live over the air. Chi'en apologized following the report, but was fired by the station later that day[12], as WCBS-TV has a zero-tolerance policy for obscenity. The sentence that got Chi'en fired became a popular saying on the show, and is repeated frequently, usually with a juvenile emphasis on the word "man." Chi'en resurfaced on WPIX-TV in August 2005 and remained a field reporter[13].

On the morning of December 6 2005, a fan apparently went too far. Attempting an AOTM, an O&A fan sounded an air horn during an NYC TV station's live news remote in New Jersey. Ocean Township police questioned the man, whom they would not identify, but no charges were filed; however the man faces a possible assault charge if the WABC-TV reporter, Anthony Johnson, suffered critical hearing damage.

Following the harassment, Acting Governor Richard J. Codey issued the following statement: "Encouraging fans to intervene in live news shots is inappropriate and dangerous. Today a fan sounded an air horn in a reporter's ear and this action may result in permanent hearing damage for the reporter who was harassed. Reporters are professionals who provide a great service to the public by delivering news. They should be treated with respect and not antagonized as part of a radio show gag. I won't tolerate anything less in our state. The person who committed this act should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I wish Mr. Johnson a speedy and healthy recovery."

Regardless, this incident (along with a personal request from WABC reporter Bill Evans, who is said to have feared for his safety and the safety of his family should a fan "go too far") led to O&A officially ending the AOTM contest.

The last major AOTM campaign was the December 16, 2005 'Million Pest March' during rival Howard Stern's rally to celebrate his final day on terrestrial radio.

On January 9, 2006 'war' was officially declared by the boys. The show was opened with a live feed of rival Howard Stern's first show on Sirius Satellite Radio. To many fans, this is considered the final showdown between the two as they duke it out in the realm of satellite radio.

News teases

O&A frequently discuss their hatred for the fear-mongering media. They always cite the news teases as an example. They often play news tease audio that reveals no real information, only frightens viewers, such as, "A popular car could be extremely likely to crash, we'll tell you which vehicle has many worried at 11." One of the most egregious news teases they found was, "One city wants to pack all of its sex offenders into one neighborhood. Problem is, it could be right next to your house."

Homeless shopping spree

Bringing back a popular bit from their days on WNEW, Opie and Anthony have reintroduced the Homeless Shopping Spree. Their first on XM took place on December 20 2005 at the Palisades Center in West Nyack, New York. Ten homeless New Yorkers were bussed over from New York City and given $202 to spend in the mall. Well over 300 "pests" attended the event, despite the New York City Transit Strike that had taken effect that morning.

Stories mentioned

Monster Rain -- Jim Norton once told a story of how when he was a young boy, roughly the age of eight, he and another boy would play a game called "Monster Rain." The game involved one of them shouting, "Monster Rain!" at an unplanned time. The two boys would then run under a porch at either child's house and practice oral sex on each other.

Java Log -- Opie was backed into a corner once and was forced to share a story about his friend Jay (Note: This is not Jay Mohr but actually O & A's friend from the WAAF days, he was the 3rd member of the show back then and can be heard cracking up in the background on all the bits on the O&A CD DEMENTED WORLD). The two men gathered in Opie's apartment for wine and cheese and to watch the "Survivor" Finale. They were both clad in pajamas and robes, and lit a "Java Log" which is a log for the fireplace that, when burning, smells of a freshly brewed cup of coffee. The smoke became so bad that the fire department was called, finding the two in this very awkward-looking situation.

"Bomb the DK House" -- Opie attended SUNY Geneseo college, and while there, rushed a fraternity. As part of his hazing initiation, he was told to pick up a marshmallow in between his butt cheeks, carry it across the room, and drop it on a model of the Delta Kappa frat house. Thus, whenever a "marshmallow" somehow comes up, or some sort of hazing, this storied is quickly referenced.

"Good Luck, Bro" - Opie met Peter Jennings in New York's Central Park a few months before the ABC World News Tonight anchor died of lung cancer. Opie was walking on a park path on April 14, 2005 when he saw Jennings, who was accompanied by two other parkgoers, walking towards him. Opie did not know how to react or what to say, but he realized he was wearing a Livestrong wristband. As he crossed Jennings, Opie raised his arm, pointed at the wristband and said, "Good luck, Bro." This incident, which was recounted on the air the following day [14], was not mentioned again until Jennings died [15], at which point the show found it comical to blame his death on Opie's uninspiring attempt to comfort Jennings. In turn, the phrase became a way to mock someone who is facing a challenge, or to express the desire that someone fail when facing a challenge.

"Chester's Liver" - Anthony was discussing the old days when he and Opie used to work in Boston, in which they lived with Anthony's then-Mother-in-Law. Opie was discussing how his "Prime-Rib" was once stolen, he assumed by the mother-in-laws' dog, Chester. He tracked the dog down to the basement, where he found the dog happily munching away, and proceeded to give the dog a swift kick, which we are led to believe was square in the liver. Chester died two weeks later of unknown causes.

"Richard Tree House" (aka "zzzzzzzz jeeb jeeb jeeb") - A longtime childhood friend of Anthony's, at about age 13, while sleeping over in a treehouse, propositioned him for homosexual relations. When Richard believed that Anthony was asleep, he kneeled over him and whispered "Do you want me to suck your cock? I'll suck it for you." Anthony, uncomfortable with this proposition, but not sure how to properly respond to this proposition from a long-time friend, who'd never shown any signs of homosexuality, chose to act like he was still sleeping -- "zzzzzzzz jeeb jeeb jeeb" until his friend finally went to sleep. They did not remain friends after this incident, but Anthony did see him years later when he returned to his hometown, and Richard was definitely out of the closet. He is currently a male model, and can be seen accompanying female actresses and singers to media events.

"Anthony's divorce" - The story that's been recounted the most is about the $40,000 in the joint back account. When Opie realized the situation was getting serious, he suggested that Anthony remove money from the joint bank account, as this was all of the money he had to his name. When he went to the bank, Anthony thought he'd be a nice guy, and just take $20,000 of the money. He happily filled out the withdrawal slip, skipped up to the teller...and was told he only had about $100 in the account. Opie laughed out loud.

"Lobster Girl Incident" - Spazz AKA Kevin (see radio enemies)was fellated by a listener named Mellinda, to save a lobster from being boiled on the air by the duo. The "lobster girl" agreed to commit this sexual act on Spazz, a total stranger. The oral escapades were broadcast over the air and described in detail by Opie and Anthony.

Film references

O&A's show features many inside jokes that a new listener may not immediately understand. [16] There are many references to films, The Shining being most referred to. More films referred to include The Silence of the Lambs, Pulp Fiction, Full Metal Jacket, American Psycho, Caddyshack, The Godfather and anything starring Robert De Niro (most notably The King of Comedy).

O&A in radio

Opie and Anthony's controversial style leads radio personalities to have a strong opinion of their show as well as listeners. They appreciate talented radio hosts and despise hosts who steal bits. When other talk show hosts insult O&A unprovoked, Opie and Anthony call "attacks" on these shows, telling their listeners to call-in and ruin their program. Recent overwhelmingly successful attacks were on Jim Philips of The Philips Phile in July 2005, and Scott Ferrall in February 2006. Philips attempted to steal and take credit for the Assault on the Media bit. O&A heard of this and called for an attack on this show. For days, the phonelines to Philips' show were jammed and the flow of his show was noticeably disturbed. Fans of O&A interpreted Philips' response as so arrogant that it motivated them to continue the attack. Eventually, O&A stopped mentioning Philips and the attack ceased shortly thereafter. Several weeks later, O&A fans raised enough money to purchase a billboard on his projected route to and from his radio station that read, "Mr. Philips, The Pests Win. You Lose. Good Day, Sir! - The Opie and Anthony Army, Commemorating the Pat Battle of O-Town."

Scott Ferrall was a friend of Opie & Anthony at WNEW. He was fired for supporting them after Sex For Sam. In January 2006, Ferrall's website was changed to say that Howard Stern's new show on Sirius Satellite Radio was incredible, and that he would kick O&A ass in the long run. When questioned about it, Ferrall stated that one of the other people that update his site did that, and he has no control over it. This entry was soon removed from the site. However, in February 2006 was on Stern's show promoting his show on Howard 101 from 8pm - 11pm Eastern, and bad-mouthing O&A. "The Pests" soon took over Ferrall's show, and he did his last Sirius show on 2/17/06, indicating that he was very busy with other projects, but promised to be back on Sirius soon.

"Your Mom's Box!"

Former character Psycho Mark began the use of the phrase "Your mom's box." on his last appearance on the Opie and Anthony Show. Psycho Mark was a character early in their tenure at WNEW, but was fired after his involvement in the inaugural Sex for Sam, when he led a couple to have anal sex in the Boss' office, on his couch. Psycho Mark was on the phone with O&A, all of whom knew he would not be allowed to appear on the show anymore. O&A asked Psycho Mark what he wanted his last words to be on the program, to which he replied, "Your Mom's Box." That became a well-known line among O&A fans as the ultimate farewell line. After the Sex in St. Pat's fiasco during Sex for Sam 3, O&A left the airwaves the next day, expecting that they would be fired. At the end of their last program on WNEW, Opie said quietly, "Your Mom's Box." Anthony laughed, then also said "Your Mom's Box." They both looked at Jim Norton, who also sadly said "Your Mom's Box." These were the last words said on the O&A Show until they returned to the airwaves on XM Satellite Radio on October 4, 2004. Since then, several other shows have paid homage to O&A, using "Your Mom's Box" as their farewell phrase. Their good friends Ron and Fez shouted "Your Mom's Box!" when they left WJFK to join O&A at XM. Cowhead and Brent is another talk-show duo that used the phrase before they were fired from a Tampa, Florida station. On December 6, 2005 over uncertain if Opie and Anthony would be dismissed for the AOTM incident, Anthony murmurred the phrase going into a 40 minute break as O and A were to talk to their boss, Eric Logan. Fortunately it was premature as they returned 40 minutes later to broadcast.

Classic O&A moments

"What Did We Learn" - Among their frequent bits include "What Did We Learn", where the listeners call-in during the last few minutes of the show and say what they learned from the shockjocks that day. O&A devote less time to this bit since the move to XM, but it is still regularly recurring.
Voyeur Bus -- Several members of their crew, including frequent guest Lewis Black, proverbial third member Jim Norton, and then-producer Rick Delgado were arrested for being on the transparent "Teen" Voyeur Bus, where six young teenage women were flashing all over Manhattan in 2000. Mayor Rudy Giuliani called the Voyeur Bus stunt, "stupid."
Homeless Shopping Spree - In late 1999, shortly before Christmas, O&A held the "Homeless Shopping Spree". This bit consisted of a dozen of New York's homeless, each given a hundred dollars and taken to the posh Short Hills Mall, in Short Hills, New Jersey. The mall's reaction was to close down many of the nicer stores and eventually force the twelve homeless men out of the mall.
AFRO Shows -- While on WNEW, O&A made a professional friendship with Ron and Fez. Ron and Fez followed O&A on WNEW. O&A frequently appeared on the Ron and Fez Show. These came to be known as the AFRO Shows (Anthony-Fez-Ron-Opie). Ron and Fez recently made the move to join O&A on XM and currently occupy the timeslot immediately following O&A, 11am-2pm ET, on Channel 202 High Voltage. The first XM AFRO show was a highly anticipated program and took place in August 2005, with Jim Norton and Bob Saget.
55 Gallon Drum Challenge - women dressed in bra and panties were placed in 55-gallon drums and had various food products and non-human waste materials dumped on them.
100 Grand - Early in their radio career together, O&A declared a contest one afternoon at WAAF that the 107th caller would receive "100 Grand". They continued this bit throughout the show, careful of never saying "$100,000", only "100 Grand". When the 107th caller got through, he was ecstatic, thinking he had really won $100,000. He shouted happily that he was planning on buying a new car and could barely speak, due to his shock in winning. He was furious when Opie told him it was only a candybar and proceeded to shout and curse on air. The bit was a classic piece of audio, as listening to the man angered when he learned he had not won any money is one of the early examples of O&A's style of "Cringe Radio" that their listeners love. The audio can be found in many websites, although the language remains censored. Most shows are recorded earlier.
"Kathleen, put your goddamn clothes back on!" - At WNEW, Martini Steve went to see a performance of The Graduate on Broadway starring Kathleen Turner as Mrs. Robinson. Steve commented on what a horrendous sight it was during the scene when Kathleen Turner was naked on stage. O&A sent several members of their show down to Broadway to attend a performance of The Graduate shortly thereafter. One person they sent down there, comedian Paul Mercurio, stood up during this same scene and shouted, "Kathleen, put your goddamn clothes back on!", shocking the audience. The audio was recorded and played on the show the following week.
Commercial Radio Airs O&A Again - During December 2004, Opie and Anthony re-appeared for the first time on commercial FM radio since they were fired from WNEW. WAQX in Syracuse was the first station to bring O&A back to commercial FM radio. The show on WAQX was a rebroadcast of the previous day's show on XM and was edited for content. It aired in the Howard Stern show's morning time slot while he was on vacation.
Opie vs. Jim Norton - One morning in April 2005, Opie and Jim Norton were both in a hostile mood. A slight disagreement during commercial break set them off, and they began arguing during the show for nearly forty minutes. The two made up shortly after and the two are best chums again.
Messing with Tony Danza - Early in their time in XM, O&A bashed The Tony Danza Show. They discovered Anthony's dead-on Tony Danza impression and made good use of this skill. O&A sent a staff member down to the line of audience members waiting to go into the Tony Danza Show, which was close to O&A's studio. The staff member would approach one of the audience members, nearly all of whom were white middle-aged women, and asked if she would like to speak to Tony. Anthony then perfectly impersonated Tony Danza, and every time they did this bit, the women really believed it was Tony Danza. Danza Security became aware of these shenanigans and eventually the bit ceased in late 2004.
O&A Raise Money for Hurricane Katrina - On September 2 2005, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, friends of the show began an online auction of signed memorabilia from their years of collecting miscellaneous stuff with 100% of the funds collected going to the relief efforts down in the Gulf States. So far, the auction has proved a big success, raising well over $50,000.

Miscellaneous facts

O&A have stated that because of the Sex for Sam 3 incident, their contracts with XM Satellite Radio are renewed yearly (they are currently renewed through October 2006).

They have also stated that if they were doing as poorly as their detractors on terrestrial radio claim they are, XM would not have renewed their contracts for 2005-2006.

O&A claimed to have hated the name of their channel, High Voltage. The name has since been changed to "The Virus"

External links

OpieandAnthony.com Opie and Anthony's official site.
Foundry Music - Affiliated official fan site, created and maintained by Opie & Anthony Producer SteveC. This site also caters to music and porn reviews.
Wackbag.com - Unofficial fan message board, referred to often on the show.
OAVirus.com Resource for audio clips and downloads of old shows.
OAPedia.com - Wikipedia for all O&A Information
SpreadTheOnAVirus.com - Your premiere source for classic OnA Material!