midniteblu2
08-23-2002, 09:12 AM
What do y'all think about this?
Sleaze ya later,
Opie & Anthony
Shock jocks axed after St. Pat sex stunt
By STEPHEN BATTAGLIO and TRACY CONNOR
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Opie (l.) and Anthony, whose real names are Gregg Hughes and Anthony Cumia, were fired after contest in which a couple had sex in St. Patrick's Cathedral.
New York's WNEW-FM radio pulled the plug on shock jocks Opie and Anthony yesterday over their outrageous sex stunt at St. Patrick's Cathedral.
"Based on recent events, the 'Opie and Anthony Show' has been canceled and will be replaced by other programming," Infinity Broadcasting said.
The duo were unexpectedly silenced as the Federal Communications Commission announced it was opening an official investigation into the outrageous Aug. 15 broadcast.
"I am deeply disturbed about the reports," said FCC Chairman Michael Powell, as regulators demanded documents from the station.
Opie and Anthony, whose real names are Gregg Hughes and Anthony Cumia, could not be reached for comment. Their agent did not return calls.
The pair - whose smutty antics have earned them huge ratings - drew heavy static for a contest that rewarded listeners for having sex in public places.
They aired an eyewitness account of a Virginia couple allegedly copulating in the vestibule of the cathedral, near worshipers.
The contestants, Loretta Harper and Brian Florence of Virginia, and a producer were arrested - and the Catholic League filed a formal complaint with the FCC.
Infinity, owned by media giant Viacom, pulled the show off the air and suspended two station executives while it investigated.
Yesterday, as the furor grew, management dropped the nationally syndicated afternoon drive-time show permanently.
A company executive said the decision - which went all the way up to Viacom President Mel Karmazin - was triggered by public outrage, the FCC probe and negative publicity.
Church pleased
Catholic League President William Donohue, who now plans to drop his FCC complaint, said the punishment suited the crime.
"I have been contacted by so many people - male, female, white, black, different religions, no religion - who told me they've had it," Donohue said.
"I hope this will send a message to shock jocks across the country to clean up their act."
Joseph Zwilling, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of New York, said the church was "gratified."
At Infinity, an employee said the move "shocked" WNEW workers because Opie and Anthony were the top money-makers at the struggling talk station, ranked 22nd in local ratings.
"They were the linchpin of the station," the employee said.
"I think everybody thought they would get away with it. They thought there would be a slap on the wrists and a suspension and they would return after making a contrite statement."
But Viacom believed the pair - who made about $4 million a year - didn't have long-term potential and had trouble attracting national advertisers who didn't like the off-color content.
The St. Pat's incident just made the situation worse.
"The heat was greater than the rewards," said Michael Harrison of the trade magazine Talkers. "It's a business decision."
Bad jokes
This isn't the first time Hughes, 37, and Cumia, 39, have been fired.
The two Long Island deejays were canned by a Boston station in 1998 for an April Fool's Day hoax announcement that Mayor Thomas Menino had been killed in a car crash.
But that prank didn't stop them from moving to WNEW - where they were known for sleazy antics like Whip 'Em Out Wednesdays, in which they urged female fans to expose their breasts.
Harrison said the firing of Opie and Anthony is "historic" because it demonstrates the public will revolt against shock jocks who cross a line.
"This says you can undoubtedly not do stunts that encourage people to break the law and desecrate religious institutions. They invaded private property. It was a borderline hate crime."
Pete Fornatale, a disk jockey from the days when WNEW was the leading local outlet for rock music, was delighted to hear Opie and Anthony got the ax.
"Good riddance to bad garbage," he said. "I only wish now they would retire the WNEW call letters with the glory of the first 30 years and not the embarrassment of the last three."
Sleaze ya later,
Opie & Anthony
Shock jocks axed after St. Pat sex stunt
By STEPHEN BATTAGLIO and TRACY CONNOR
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Opie (l.) and Anthony, whose real names are Gregg Hughes and Anthony Cumia, were fired after contest in which a couple had sex in St. Patrick's Cathedral.
New York's WNEW-FM radio pulled the plug on shock jocks Opie and Anthony yesterday over their outrageous sex stunt at St. Patrick's Cathedral.
"Based on recent events, the 'Opie and Anthony Show' has been canceled and will be replaced by other programming," Infinity Broadcasting said.
The duo were unexpectedly silenced as the Federal Communications Commission announced it was opening an official investigation into the outrageous Aug. 15 broadcast.
"I am deeply disturbed about the reports," said FCC Chairman Michael Powell, as regulators demanded documents from the station.
Opie and Anthony, whose real names are Gregg Hughes and Anthony Cumia, could not be reached for comment. Their agent did not return calls.
The pair - whose smutty antics have earned them huge ratings - drew heavy static for a contest that rewarded listeners for having sex in public places.
They aired an eyewitness account of a Virginia couple allegedly copulating in the vestibule of the cathedral, near worshipers.
The contestants, Loretta Harper and Brian Florence of Virginia, and a producer were arrested - and the Catholic League filed a formal complaint with the FCC.
Infinity, owned by media giant Viacom, pulled the show off the air and suspended two station executives while it investigated.
Yesterday, as the furor grew, management dropped the nationally syndicated afternoon drive-time show permanently.
A company executive said the decision - which went all the way up to Viacom President Mel Karmazin - was triggered by public outrage, the FCC probe and negative publicity.
Church pleased
Catholic League President William Donohue, who now plans to drop his FCC complaint, said the punishment suited the crime.
"I have been contacted by so many people - male, female, white, black, different religions, no religion - who told me they've had it," Donohue said.
"I hope this will send a message to shock jocks across the country to clean up their act."
Joseph Zwilling, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of New York, said the church was "gratified."
At Infinity, an employee said the move "shocked" WNEW workers because Opie and Anthony were the top money-makers at the struggling talk station, ranked 22nd in local ratings.
"They were the linchpin of the station," the employee said.
"I think everybody thought they would get away with it. They thought there would be a slap on the wrists and a suspension and they would return after making a contrite statement."
But Viacom believed the pair - who made about $4 million a year - didn't have long-term potential and had trouble attracting national advertisers who didn't like the off-color content.
The St. Pat's incident just made the situation worse.
"The heat was greater than the rewards," said Michael Harrison of the trade magazine Talkers. "It's a business decision."
Bad jokes
This isn't the first time Hughes, 37, and Cumia, 39, have been fired.
The two Long Island deejays were canned by a Boston station in 1998 for an April Fool's Day hoax announcement that Mayor Thomas Menino had been killed in a car crash.
But that prank didn't stop them from moving to WNEW - where they were known for sleazy antics like Whip 'Em Out Wednesdays, in which they urged female fans to expose their breasts.
Harrison said the firing of Opie and Anthony is "historic" because it demonstrates the public will revolt against shock jocks who cross a line.
"This says you can undoubtedly not do stunts that encourage people to break the law and desecrate religious institutions. They invaded private property. It was a borderline hate crime."
Pete Fornatale, a disk jockey from the days when WNEW was the leading local outlet for rock music, was delighted to hear Opie and Anthony got the ax.
"Good riddance to bad garbage," he said. "I only wish now they would retire the WNEW call letters with the glory of the first 30 years and not the embarrassment of the last three."