Freedom of Speech has its Price - more than an XM subscription

In a country where there seems to be no limit to what the media will show us, it is still surprising to see that big business has different standards from those of its customers. The infamous radio “shockjocks” Opie and Anthony have once again been ousted from the airwaves. This time from their XM slot for their choice of content on their daily radio show. This seems to be a reaction in the wake of the Don Imus firing last month.

This isn’t the first time that the duo was removed from the airways. Back in 2002 the pair received the boot for a bit called “Sex for Sam” in which teams of couples had to travel all over NYC and have sex in public. The bit was a hit until a couple was arrested for having sex in St. Patrick’s Cathedral. They were dropped from public radio for the next few years until returning to the airways on XM and CBS. CBS has stated that they were not dropping O&A’s show, just yet.

All of these headlines that shockjock radio is making can only help the genre of talk radio. This may however lead to a completely independent station or media outlet that will allow such extreme content that sponsors and consumers both agree upon. It will be interesting to see how things play out.