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Opie (Gregg Hughes, b. May 23 1965), Anthony (Anthony Cumia, b. April 26 1961), and Jimmy (Jim Norton, b. July 19 1968) are the hosts of The Opie and Anthony Show, a talk radio program that airs on XM Satellite Radio, DirecTV, and terrestrial radio stations across the United States. The show is based in New York City; it was previously on WNEW-FM in New York, and prior to that, on WAAF-FM in Boston.
The show airs weekdays live from 6AM ET through Noon. The first three hours of the Opie and Anthony Show (at 6-9 AM) are broadcast from CBS Radio's WFNY-FM 92.3 FREE FM studio in New York and are simulcast on XM uncensored. From 9AM through Noon, Opie and Anthony broadcast exclusively on XM Radio Channel 202 "High Voltage". Replays are available throughout the day on their XM channel as well as on Direct TV channel 879.
On April 26, 2006, Opie and Anthony returned after a 4 year absence from terrestrial airwaves, replacing on CBS Radio stations the David Lee Roth Show which aired primarily on the east coast of the United States. On August 1, 2006, they also replaced the low-rated Rover's Morning Glory in Chicago. Opie and Anthony Show syndication is handled by Robert Eatman Enterprises.
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Background and history
Gregg (Opie) Hughes and Anthony Cumia were both raised on Long Island, New York, while Jim Norton was born and raised in New Jersey. Hughes graduated from SUNY Geneseo and for the next seven years, interned and worked at several upstate radio stations before deejaying at rock station WBAB on his native Long Island. Although he did not not initially host a talk-show, Hughes did experiment with certain talk elements, including a character named Spuds Buckley. Cumia dropped out of high school and was barely 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. Mr Norton is a stand-up comedian and the third mike member 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" (sung to the tune of Otis Redding's "Sittin on the Dock of the Bay," 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 afterward, Hughes and Cumia became a radio team. Hughes' show was called "The Nighttime Attitude," and aired from 8 p.m.-midnight on WBAB. *. Shortly after Cumia's arrival, it was proposed to the station's management 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-FM, Boston, where they premiered on March 27, 1995 as Opie and Anthony (O&A)
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WAAF-FM
Among Opie and Anthony's most notable Boston stunts was when they hyped a giveaway of 100 Grand for weeks. When they finally gave away the prize, the winning caller laced into the duo with biting invective after he realized the repairs he needed to make to his truck would be un-affordable with a 100 Grand candy bar instead of $100,000.*
The duo was fired in April 1998 from WAAF 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 vacationing alone in Florida. Many believed that this actually happened, leading Menino to file a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission, as the FCC prohibits the broadcast of knowingly false information if it causes public harm *. 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 fired, but promised that they would return to Boston and get revenge.*
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WNEW-FM
In June 1998, O&A were back on New York station WNEW-FM, where they became 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 on 22 markets nationwide -- including WBCN in Boston, a rival of the station that fired O&A earlier in their careers. Within a year, they were number one in Boston and several other markets. Former 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 a show regular of the O&A program, appearing three or four days of the week.
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 nationally on Saturday nights in select NBC affiliates prior to the evening's games. The show was taped on Wednesdays at the WWF'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, but 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.
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Sex for Sam III
In August 2002, O&A were canceled for the "Sex For Sam 3" stunt. Sex for Sam was a yearly O&A contest where the goal was to have sex in notable public places. Couples from various states would be chosen to compete and would be followed by a comedian or member of the show, who would call in to the program to report the location. The contest was approved by the station and had no major problems for the first two years, but in year three, comedian Paul Mercurio encouraged "his couple" to have sex in a vestibule at St. Patrick's Cathedral. Contrary to most media reports, the couple was not broadcast having sex at St. Patrick's. When a security guard ordered Mercurio and the couple to leave the church immediately, Mercurio began to argue with the guard, who then called police. The couple was arrested and charged with public lewdness. Intense media scrutiny led to the Catholic League demanding the firing of O&A, who broadcasted for one more day but were not permitted to refer to the incident for legal reasons. Infinity Broadcasting then canceled the Opie & Anthony Show.
Paul Mecurio is now considered "dead to the show" due to his direct involvement with the "Sex for Sam 3" incident which led to O&A's firing from WNEW in August 2002.
Notwithstanding media coverage claiming that O&A were fired, the pair were still under contract. Hence they continued to draw a salary from Infinity while not permitted to broadcast. O&A were given a chance to be released from their contract if they signed another stating that they could never talk about present and past Infinity Broadcasting employees or management, but they declined the offer. After waiting 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.
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XM Satellite Radio
Opie and Anthony began broadcasting on October 4, 2004 exclusively for XM after two years of being off the air. They were one of the first major programs to be broadcast exclusively on satellite radio, referring to themselves as The Pioneers of Satellite Radio, later claimed by their rival, Howard Stern. Due to XM's fear of a boycott or backlash, they were put on a premium service ($1.99/month extra) but given their own channel, High Voltage 202; however, the controversial channel name will be changed to The Virus by the end of November 2006.* The hosts have mentioned 'ad nauseum' on the air that they hate the name "High Voltage", as it was picked by one of the company lawyers. After six months on XM and questionable subscribership, it was decided to put channel 202 "High Voltage" on the regular XM format and the extra charge for the show was dropped (though rates were increased to $12.95 and XM Online was also placed in the basic package).
A big part of the XM show was the Assault on the Media, led by The Pests which would help get the show some additional exposure. On May 19, 2005, show intern Nathaniel showed up behind Arthur Chi'en of WCBS-TV, and was coincidentally joined by Crazy Cabbie. The disruptance caused Chi'en to shout "What the fck is your problem, man?" while the cameras were still on. This incident got the show nationwide exposure in the press, even so far as making news in China.
Even with the limited audience on XM, the show was still able to achieve mass crowd stunts, including the Homeless Shopping Spree, and conduct live events with hundreds of people showing up. XM CEO Hugh Panero has acknowledged that Opie and Anthony are one of the most listened to shows on the limited platform.*
Celebrating their two–year anniversary with XM Satellite Radio on October 4th, 2006, Opie and Anthony confirmed High Voltage 202 is slated to be replaced with a new XM channel "The Virus" dedicated to strictly O&A, with fellow talkers Ron and Fez shelved to a new talk-format XM channel. This announcement had been referred to sarcastically as an anniversary surprise, with Jim Norton repeatedly requesting an Ice Cream Cake and that the channel be named simply "Opie and Anthony", instead. Those requests have fell on deaf ears.
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Return to broadcast radio
A heightened awareness of broadcast indecency following the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy -- coupled with the notion that a risque show might be trouble on terrestrial radio -- led Opie and Anthony to join XM after the expiration of their pay or play contract with Infinity Broadcasting***. But early in their XM run, O&A made it clear that they wished to return to terrestrial radio*, and a clause in their XM contract allowed them to seek out terrestrial affiliates on which to simulcast their show*. Their first broadcast on traditional radio since August 2002 took place in Syracuse, NY with WAQX airing a cleaned-up, day-old O&A Show for two weeks in December 2005*. During this time, XM received inquiries from several radio stations looking to carry the show*, but ultimately O&A resumed XM-exclusivity for well over a year. In April 2006, CBS Radio chose Opie and Anthony to take over for David Lee Roth just four months after Roth replaced Howard Stern. Many, including Roth himself, believed CBS had intended to hire O&A ever since Stern announced his SIRIUS deal, and that they had merely used Roth as a buffer**. It was revealed afterwards, and to Roth's vindication, that XM had spoken to CBS about bringing O&A back shortly after Stern's October 2004 announcement *.
Opie and Anthony returned to Free FM on April 24, 2006 to announce their return to CBS Radio on April 26, 2006. Amusingly enough, there was an error attempting to play the show's talk over music after the show introduction, leading to a few moments of dead air. Their first notable quote after this moment: "And that's how it starts, kids." Their first official show on FM occurred April 26, 2006 (on Anthony's birthday).
On July 17, Opie and Anthony also signed a deal with Citadel Broadcasting in which the first three hours of the show would be broadcast on nine of Citadel's rock stations.
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The show
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Opie and Anthony comment on American socio-political and popular culture. Their popular "cringe" style of entertainment has earned them the sobriquet "shock jocks". Hughes, Cumia and Norton broadcast for five to six hours every weekday morning, taking virtually no breaks during the second portion of the program, broadcast on XM. Generally speaking, Opie sets the daily flow of the show and introduces topics/"bits" while Cumia and Norton provide the color commentary. The segmentation of duties have led some to nickname Hughes a "board op", however without organization the show would likely spin into many tangents. The show has few limits, and covers a wide array of topics, and is very interactive, with a great deal of show time being given to fans calling in, and sound bites sent in from listeners. With the re-emergence of terrestrial radio, however, the trio have been more conscious of what might be censored over the air. This has led the the "dump report", a segment on XM where the specific content of censored bits is discussed. 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, Joe Rogan and Jay Mohr. On the show, Cumia is known for his impressions of people such as Charlton Heston, Don West, Sylvester Stallone, Sam Kinison, Popeye, Andrew Dice Clay, Tom Brokaw, Ronald Reagan, Mike Tyson, Tony Danza, Christopher Reeve, Robert Reed, Regis Philbin, Don Imus, The Greaseman and Howard Stern. O&A's style and jokes typically target males in the 18-35 demographic.
Initially, the show was offered to XM subscribers at a premium cost of $1.99 a month, to which they found some resistance. 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.", which did not help to clear up the discrepency.
After an 18-month run on XM, The Opie and Anthony Show is now simulcast on XM Radio and various terrestrial radio stations from 6 am to 9 am EST. From 9 am to 11 am (and on some days up to noon), the show will be broadcast exclusively on XM Radio. XM listeners will be able to hear the show uncensored the entire time, however from the 6-9 slot, the FM-only listeners will hear an FCC-compliant version of the show. * In the initial preliminary Arbitrend ratings released since their move to terrestrial radio, the Opie and Anthony Show doubled Free FM's ratings in the New York City market in the month of May*. In Philadelphia O&A achieved a threefold increase in the month of May over David Lee Roth's April performance with listeners, ages 18-34**. In Boston, they doubled the listeners of all ages and achieved an even larger increase in younger demographics *. Since the initial uptake, ratings increases have been tepid, leading on-air discussions of the topic. An unintended consequence of splitting time between FM and Satellite Radio has been a drop off of ratings in the shows following Opie and Anthony in the afternoon slot. One proposed solution has been to extend the Opie and Anthony show an additional hour on FM stations. *. This change has been hotly contested by XM radio, which would ultimately undermine the need for satellite radio in the first place.
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Recurring bits
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, but many online orders go unfulfilled due to popular demand-- leading O&A to suggest their audience get WOW stickers by sending a self addressed stamped envelope to their New York studios.
The Walk Over: Since joining XM in October 2004, O&A had broadcast from the Steinway Building. To facilitate O&A's 2006 return to terrestrial radio, CBS required that the 6:00 -9:00 a.m. (ET) portion of the show originate from WFNY-FM studios, located only one block from the XM station. *. and Def Leppard, and the presence of video cameras has provided the opportunity for Candid Camera-style pranks. On June 16, 2006, the "Walk Over" was disrupted by a Howard Stern fan who tried to out talk Opie and Anthony on the sidewalk, then assault a producer of the Opie and Anthony Show.*
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 broadcast that day. O&A devote less time to this bit since the move to XM, but it is still regularly recurring. This bit is almost non-existent at this time but had made a small come back recently.
Line of The Day: Voting occurs for the "line of the day" or most humorous one-liner muttered. Often the award is received by Jim Norton who tends to go places most normal humans don't venture. Suggestions for line of the day are entered by a ringing bell or on advice of a caller. On the converse, Opie will be recognized the least for this award given his lack of humor on the show. A running joke (bit) will be for callers to give "sympathy" votes to Hughes' comments of the day. This segment has drawn the ire of most callers who lament at the frequency it is referenced during the show. Most of the time these comments don't make sense out of context, so callers must pay close attention the duration of the show.
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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.
"Anthony's divorce" - The story that's been recounted the most is about the $40,000 in the joint bank 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.
"Tender Sentiments" - A bit by Jim Norton that was original thought-up after a horrible experience with a masseuse. Someone gave him a box filled with tender sentiments on pieces of paper that are especially touching. Jim Norton shakes the box and then softly reads out what is written on the slip of paper. In early summer of 2006, frequent guest Colin Quinn threw Norton's tender sentiment box out the fifth floor window of the Steinway building while Opie and Anthony were finishing a Walk-Over.
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Car Crash/"Punchin Out"
Failed attempts at humor by the hosts are often proceeded by a comment such as "I stink," or "That was awful!" Similarly, callers will often attempt to contribute humor to the show, and in many cases, they fail to do so. When a caller's joke isn't funny (or is intentionally off topic), Anthony will use the Car Crash sound effect (also used instead of/in addition to the Kelsey Grammer - 'Oh dear lord'* sound effect, Price is Right losing sound effect, or the Press Your Luck Whammy sound effect). Callers who sense that their call is going poorly or not getting a good reaction may "punch out" to avoid this metaphorical demise as a result of their contribution. Originally a slang military term, "punching out" is the act performed when a fighter pilot ditches an aircraft. It is ejecting from a plane: reaching down between one's legs and pulling the eject handle which pops the pilot and the canopy into the air, leaving the doomed aircraft to crash. This "punching out" to avoid ridicule by the hosts has evolved to callers "punching out" when they are completed with their contribution, regardless of its success. The reference on the O&A show is to the Tom Cruise movie Top Gun. The complete phrase, as used in it's earlier days on the show, is "Punching out, Maverick!" and it refers to the crucial scene in the movie where Maverick's (Cruise) friend Goose is killed trying to get out of a crashing airplane.
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"Your Moms 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. On December 6, 2005, uncertain if Opie and Anthony would be dismissed for the incident, Anthony murmured the phrase going into a 40 minute break as O&A went to talk to their boss, Eric Logan. Fortunately it was premature as they returned 40 minutes later to broadcast, however briefly.
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"Ramone!"
Originated from O&A promos created by Steve C. The premise being a voice over actor (known as deep voice guy) with a servant named Ramone. Each promo ending with a command from deep voice guy, starting with "Ramone!" being asked to commit an act of servitude.
An example of one of the promos:
(Woman Crying in background)
deep voice guy: Young lady, what's wrong?
deep voice guy: My dear, why on earth are you crying? Please get up, a bathroom floor is no where for you to be...
deep voice guy: Oh my... Ramone, clean up this miscarriage.
Jim Norton then began using it as a catch phrase of "Steve from Yellowstone", a name he uses (as a caller) to lambaste bad guests. For example, during an interview with a 9/11 conspiracy theorist, he left the studio to do a Steve from Yellowstone call. He started the call pretending to be on the side of the guest. By the end of the call he started with the Ramone references, at one point yelling "Ramone, Korey (the guest's name) left the army because he got caught sucking cock" and "Ramone, get this spoiled 22 year old college boy faggot off the line."
Many fans have also used this to "get" enemies and other radio hosts. Infrequently, "Ramone" calls can be heard on the Ron and Fez Show.
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"OK, Terrific"
"OK, Terrific" is a sound bite taken from an Opie & Anthony WNEW station sweeper (circa 99-00), spoken by the only production employee of the show at the time. The notion that it is from radio legend Scott Muni of WNEW fame is a fallacy. It was used widely on the O&A WNEW show and has lately fallen out of regular use on the FREE FM and XM shows. It was generally used whenever something was said or played on the show that defied explanation. Examples included an unintelligible statement by a caller, a gay sexual reference, or something utterly ridiculous that it left everyone in the studio speechless. It was later adopted by actor Jay Mohr who made every effort to use the phrase during his film and television experiences. It also spawned the phrase "OK, Horrific" used especially by Opie from time to time.
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Staff
Steve Carlesi, Producer (aka Martini Steve, Steve C, Steve the Bear) - Steve has worked with O&A for many years. He also runs FoundryMusic.com, which covers Opie and Anthony news, music (especially metal) news, and porn industry news. The website reviews all of the latest porn, music, etc. and interviews members of top bands along with posting news updates, downloads, etc. for the Opie & Anthony Show. Known as a "Cozy Bear with a Sweet Face," sound clips of Steve saying "GRRR!" are often played to accentuate his bear-like features. Norton once called him a "perfectly enunciating boob" for his use of perfect diction. He drives a Toyota Prius, a 21st Century hybrid car, and his appearances on the show are often preceded and followed by flying saucer like sound effects. Popular sound bytes: "GRRR!"; "Nonononononono!"; "Th...that's terrible", "I...I'm sorry". "What are you doing in my house?" "How'd your parents die?" "What's my problem? You're in my fuckin' house!" Steve originated the Ramone bits (see above.)
Club Soda Kenny, Security - Real name John Feder, 22-year retiree of the West Orange, New Jersey Police Department. Feder met O&A while working for Andrew Dice Clay. Feder was cleared of departmental charges for conduct unbefitting of an officer when a video tape of his off-color act was sent to his superiors. Feder faced losing his upcoming 25-year pension*. Feder's defense was that he kept his real name and law enforcement ties secret while performing comedy. Was part-time member of O&A's security staff since the summer of 2004, and joined O&A full-time in 2006 following his fully-reinstated retirement. Is often ridiculed for his "oafish" demeanor. Supposedly suffers from OCD. Earned his moniker from Andrew Dice Clay who would instruct him to, "Get me a club soda, Kenny."
Master Po, Security -- He's the head of security and very proficient in the martial arts. Ironically he is quite well spoken and as such an atypical security oaf. Spending 36 years in various methods of Aikido, Arnis, Karate, Kung Fu, Hapkido and Ju-Jitsu. Additional Training includes, Fencing, Boxing, Kick-boxing, and Grappling. He is also Master of Weapons in Kali. Only very few occasions have forced him to enter the studio or get involved in an incident. The most notable being when he tackled a Stern fan that pushed producer Ben Sparks on the "walk over" from Free Fm. Theme song to The Karate Kid is played occasionally when he enters the studio. The code phrase to summon Po to the studio, should the boys feel endangered by a guest, is "Gee, it's getting awfully hot in here."
Roland, Guest Booker -- According to O&A, it is because of Roland that the show has been getting the best guests on their show for the first time in their career. However as an on-air character he falls apart, stutters, and mispronounces things such as Danny Bonaduce's name, either pronouncing it "Bona-doose" or "Bona-dooshy" instead of "Bona-doochy". Even when O&A told him the correct pronunciation, he would forget it and go back to pronouncing it incorrectly. Describes his interest in various movies in very simplistic terms such as "I liked it for... the action." Popular catchphrase: It's out Friday.. wide.
Erik Nagel, Producer (aka E-Rock, Sex Bagel, or Hawk) - Hired from Day 1 of the show coming to XM Radio. Often the sound clip, "I bring nothing to the table" is played during his appearances on mic. Won $100,000 in a contest held by the New York Daily News. Erock's choice of food (especially his overuse of mayonnaise) is usually brought up due to his extremely high cholesterol level. Is also known to have extremely bad breath. Also a huge Paula Abdul fan and her music is played as a music bed during his introductions. The other staff members frequently bash him, sometimes unfairly. Popular sound bytes: Is this on?; I bring nothing to the table.; I don't know. His heroes include his father, Hulk Hogan, and Opie.
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. Also is a comic. O&A and the other staff members often use the phrase "Than-tastic" if something is in reference to him.
Travis, Associate Producer -- Former intern who became a regular staff member. No one really knows what Travis does, but he is another target of frequent bashing by the cast and staff. Many believe he screens the phone calls.
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. Derek is considered the most likely to be highly promoted in the XM corporation.
Sam, Associate Producer -- Former intern who became a regular staff member, and will be one of the last for the time being. Sam claims one of his ancestors is Thomas Jefferson. He also has his own theme song, based on the fact that he appears to be part African American.
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"Characters" of the Show
Big Kev -- Big Kev is the "Resident Geek" of the show. While not an official staff member, Kev has done a great deal behind the scenes over the years, more than most people know about. In addition to booking guests, Kev has been an active participant in bit creation, security, and various other show activities. Big Kev also has a show, "Big Kev's Geek Stuff", currently available online, with a new episode each week at Big Kev's Geek Stuff, where he and his show partner, Matt, and their producer, "Mr. Fantastic", discuss all relevant topics of the geek world, with a sharp, uncensored, unflinching view. Big Kev also occasionally writes a column on FoundryMusic.com called "Critical Toys", where he reviews the latest in toys and collectibles. The column appears on other websites as well. Kev's own website re-launched on 7/21/06, where he expands the column into a daily exploration of things that he finds interesting, such as movies, comics, toys, collectibles, games and dozens of others.
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 Eggnog 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 10th in Nathan's Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest.
Stalker Patti -- A 50-year old virgin who is often subjected to degrading humiliation on the show. She used to live in the studio at WNEW under the stairs for a period of time. Since then she got a job at Godiva Chocolates but was fired when new management decided to use her as a fall girl. She also appeared on the Maury show in November 2005. Recently she has pleasured herself on air.
Big A (Andrew) -- A very tall, very overweight Bronx cab driver with a speech impediment (especially the "st" sound), bad teeth, and supposedly horrid smelling breath.
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!"). They do not have XM receivers and theforefore their appearances have been intermittent recently. Lady Di has an alcohol problem she says she is trying to work on, despite the fact she has an "occasional" drink. As of October 2006 she is no longer homeless. Marian, regardless, has given up on her.
No Filter Paul — An annoying British man who works for Jimmy running his merchandising, claims to have "no decency filter." Famous for his original appearance with his wife, where they discussed many aspects of their sex lives and more, including Paul's sexual encounter with an amputee. Was also one of the more successful 'Assaults on the Media' competitors at the height of the contest, disrupting several live shots. Also known for taking a potent laxative and then walking up 57th Ave. to the XM studio wearing almost nothing but a diaper.
Steve from Yellowstone -- (AKA Ben from Boston, Danny from W-Town, Jimmy from New Jersey, Erik from Breathtown, Po from 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 a member of the staff before insulting the guest in the manner of a "Ramone" promo (see below). 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 9-11 conspiracy documentary Loose Change), 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. He is known to sing old songs and has been a part of "Homeless Radio".
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. He is compelled to jump when the word "jump" is spoken or written. Twitchels also has obsessive compulsive disorder and has many unusual habits associated with it - if you set a bag of Almond Joy candy bars in front of him, no matter how many there are, he has to eat them all until he vomits. Has made appearances on The Tonight show with Jay Leno. He will also be featured in an episode of MTV's series True Life.
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Radio Friends
Ron & Fez -- Became friends with O&A when they aired after Opie and Anthony on WNEW. They began airing on XM Satellite Radio on High Voltage 11-2 p.m. EST in September 2005. Since O&A's syndication deal with CBS Radio, Ron and Fez's time slot has been moved to 12-3 p.m. EST with a replay at 12-3 a.m.
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 and is the host of the Technofiles, a syndicated commercial to radio stations nationwide, including XM Radio. He has also done two Saturday shows on High Voltage. He brings Reed Tucker and Big Wayne when he does a show on XM and has talked about coming back every month to do a show on XM
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 canceled after Sex for Sam III. He conducted an interview with Howard Stern in which Howard Stern once again admitted on air to the gag-order against O&A during their stint at WNEW. Howard admitted the gag order right after Opie and Anthony got fired for the Sex for Sam incident.
Don and Mike - Once an "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 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. After Opie and Anthony return to CBS radio, the boys no longer considered Don and Mike an enemy, more of a past enemy with diplomatic ties currently.
Imus - Don Imus takes credit for heavily lobbying behind the scenes to bring Opie and Anthony back as replacements for David Lee Roth. Imus cast member Rob Bartlett or Don will wear "WOW" T-Shirts on Wednesdays and reference the O&A show nearly weekly. Imus also called the boys on their first show back on terrestrial radio. Imus and O&A share Mark Chernoff as program director.
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Other Celebrities who have visited the show
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Enemies of the Show
JV and Elvis - Opie and Anthony's Show, which immediately precedes the Dog House (JV and Elvis's show on WFNY), was extended half an hour into the Dog House time slot and CBS Radio played fifteen minutes of commercials before the Dog House was allowed on the air. JV and Elvis complained on the air about having to wait, which prompted Opie and Anthony to call in. Hosts from the two shows engaged in a bitter argument. Opie has since called the JV and Elvis show a "disaster" *
Scott Ferrall - Once a friend of O&A, when Ferrall took a job at Sirius, he sided with Stern and began to bash the show. 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.
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 Friday for radio listeners along the Pacific Coast. He temporarily took over their spot after they were canceled from WNEW.
Preston and Steve - Morning Zoo Crew on WMMR in Philadelphia. Considered now to be the 1 enemy on terrestrial radio, 2nd overall to Howard Stern. Opie has often instructed the O&A pests to attack at will in the Philadelphia area. Opie and Anthony are on against Preston and Steve via the CBS Radio station WYSP.
Greg Hillman & Mantown - Their competitor from former station WAAF in Boston. The two have called "Mantown" a place where "men hump in the woods and hide from their wives in an old shed in their backyard with an old Lay Z Boy recliner and tv". The Boston based WBCN which the two is featured on has started a radio campaign about the feud with Mantown.
Bubba The Love Sponge — Joined 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 which led to Opie using the famous quote, "I'm a black ninja, fuckface!", which is now used in several of the show's promos. Bubba has made this open threat and invitation to Opie and Anthony many times since his debut at Sirius on January 9th, 2006.
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. The feud has actually been been on-again off-again over the years, and the pair are still listed on Opie's "Fuck Off List", which is a running list of people O&A can't stand in radio, often classifying them as "idea thieves", back stabbers, liars, and hacks. At one point, Lex and Terry claimed O&A stole their idea for Whip 'Em Out Wednesdays (WOW), but Lex and Terry had no proof whatsoever and O&A laughed it off. The O&A Pests at one point put out a bounty for differing missions in order to successfully disrupt their show. Lex and Terry have been picked up by XM and began airing through syndication on XM "Extreme" 152 on November 28, 2005 as part of the ongoing deal with Clear Channel owning time on XM.
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. He called Anthony "the ugliest man in the world" and "Crater face" and implied that Opie had no comedic abilities.
Mancow - Supposedly stole WOW but changed it to Whip it Out Wednesdays when he brought it to Chicago. Also spoke madly to the media about O&A after the Sex For Sam 3 incident. He's referred to by names like "Mancock" and "Manqueer."
Russ Martin — Claimed that Opie was sending him e-mails saying that he would take their time slot. Later it was proven that the e-mails 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.
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Run-ins with the FCC
The Federal Communications Commission has twice fined O&A for broadcasting material deemed to be in violation of decency standards. The first fine involved several November 2000 - January 2001 airings of a jingle produced by Dru Boogie, a DJ who regularly appears on the show. This fine also found a segment of "Guess What's In My Pants," as well as a song entitled, "I'm Horny for Little Girls" to be indecent. The fine was for $21,000*. O&A's second FCC violation -- the "Sex for Sam" broadcast -- set a precedent for being the first time that a fine was issued to each individual station that aired the alleged indecent material*. The total was $357,500; $27,500 against each of the thirteen CBS Radio/Infinity-owned stations that broadcast the show*. Infinity appealed both fines, and later, it's parent company Viacom entered into a $3.5 million agreement which cancelled all indecency violations pending against it*.
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The Opie and Anthony Traveling Virus
The Traveling Virus was a small comedy tour headlined by Opie and Anthony, as well as friends of the show, that spanned several locations in the eastern United States in the summer 2006. It was an event they had talked about for many years, but were never able to bring to fruition until they made their latest deal with CBS radio.
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Cringe autobiography
Opie and Anthony have talked for a long time about the possibility of being involved in writing an autobiography. It has been recently revealed the duo will have a book coming out known as Cringe, which can be found here and their audio book found here.
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Classic O&A moments
April Fool's Day: On April 1, 1998, while still on WAAF in Boston, O&A, over the course of their show, announced that the mayor of Boston, Thomas Menino, had been involved in a car accident in Florida and died. Things came to a head after Menino's daughter called the station believing the story to be true. They were fired the next week.
Voyeur Bus: Several members of their crew, including frequent guest Lewis Black, 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 time slot immediately following O&A, 12 p.m.-3 p.m. 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 the 100 Grand candy bar 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.
"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 Mecurio, 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.
Opie vs. Jim Norton On-Air Argument: On April 22, 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. For some reason, a "Worst Of" show was played instead of the replay, and fans complained. O&A and Jimmy found out and decided to release the full audio of the fight on FoundryMusic.com and put the entire episode available for download on Audible.com.
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.
No Filter Paul defecates himself: After a long on-air feud with competitor Sonny Forelli, No Filter Paul was forced to drink a container of laxative and walk up 57th street in a diaper - this was followed by Opie & Club Soda Kenny locking Paul in the XM studio until the laxative came into effect all over the studio floor.
Nigga vs. Nazi: During the XM walkover on August 18, 2006, a fan gave Anthony an authentic Nazi war helmet, complete with swastika insignia. After "heiling" a cab and riding back to the XM studio, a caller came up with the idea to head back down to the street and see who would get a cab first: Patrice O'Neal or Anthony in his Nazi helmet. Opie, Anthony, and Patrice headed to the street for the experiment, in a best of 7 contest. Patrice made sure to wear his gold chains outside his outfit and paste an authentic "pissed-off negro" scowl on his face, while Anthony was careful to adopt a chillingly accurate "sieg heil" stance to flag down the cabs. Anthony wound up getting 4 cabs to Patrice's 3. A wildly popular bit, this is now usually referenced by Opie as validating the XM walkover bit for all time whenever any caller complains that the walkover has gotten stale.
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Miscellaneous facts
O&A's XM contract has been renewed until October 2010 *.
O&A claim to hate the name of their XM channel, High Voltage. They had been trying to get the name changed but were unsuccessful for the first 2 years until Eric Logan announced on their October 4th, 2006 broadcast that High Voltage would be discontinued and the show would air on a new channel known as "The Virus" starting November 20, 2006.
On April 17th, 2006, DirecTV ceased airing XM 202 (The High Voltage Channel) on their satellite TV service, citing subscriber requests for more music channels and less talk and sports channels. However, not even a week went by before inside sources stated that due to the overwhelming response demanding O&A's return to DirecTV that the channel would be restored on April 26th, 2006. *
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Station listings
The show's first three hours air from the WFNY-FM studio in New York City. Markets are arranged from largest to smallest. The program's superagent, Robert Eatman, predicts that O&A will be on in over forty radio stations by the end of 2006.*
- Show is streamed via the internet.
Market Rank according to arbitron. Arbitron Market Rankings
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