STEGON: Bring back the Opie and Anthony Show

DAVID STEGON / Stafford County Sun
Published: January 30, 2008

And then there is a third level of idiocy that is so mind-scratching brainless it makes you wonder how people are able to clothe and feed themselves on a day-to-day basis, kind of like the Einsteins at 106.7-WJFK who thought it was a good idea to take the Opie and Anthony Show off the air last week.

Yes, Opie and Anthony, easily the funniest radio show on the planet, was removed in favor of two guys who I simply have never heard of. In the world of radio and in business it makes little sense to me.

I started listening to Opie and Anthony more than two years ago after purchasing an XM Satellite Radio. It was love at first listen.

Most people remember Opie and Anthony as the outrageous shock jocks who were fired after a couple was arrested in 2002 for having sex in a New York Catholic Cathedral during an on-air contest.

The duo sat out more then two years before returning on XM and later re-emerged on terrestrial radio. Their new show is no longer "holy crap what will these guys do next-" but instead a deeply funny show that pokes fun at society while still keeping a raucous boys' room atmosphere. The show is smart, funny and entertaining. I probably listen 10 hours a week and never turn the radio off without a smile.

So that is why I thought it was odd that WJFK, the former home of Howard Stern and of the long-standing Don and Mike Show, would choose to no longer syndicate the Opie and Anthony Show, which they ran in mid-days on tape delay.

Michael Hughes, the station's manager, said it was to push a local show. I understand the reasoning, but as a consumer I would rather listen to something good from another part of the country then something bland from my hometown.

With the Don Imus scandal last year, I think radio stations are letting conservative listeners dictate what is heard over the airwaves. Gone are the days of exciting radio personalities who were not afraid to do something out of the norm. Sometimes it was for attention, other times to make a stand, but it was always interesting. Now, station directors worry about promoting a safe product that will not offend people.

Yes, Opie and Anthony could offend people. But they could also enlighten and entertain. I am beyond the age and intelligence where I would simply listen to something because it is shocking. I listen to their show to, yes, be entertained, but also because it has value in the social context.

WJFK made a gigantic mistake by doing away with their show. Luckily, the listening public does not have to be a victim. Opie and Anthony are still heard on XM, a product well worth its cost, and I encourage everyone with a brain to purchase the service because terrestrial radio is nothing more then a bland shadow of its former self.

David Stegon grew up in Woodbridge and is completing graduate-school requirements at Columbia University in New York. Reach him at .

Tags relating to this article:

• No tags are associated with this article.

Can't find what you're looking for? Try our quick search: