Opie & Anthony Return to CBS RADIO

Scott Greczkowski

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Opie & Anthony Return to CBS RADIO Beginning Wednesday, April 26

Unprecedented Agreement Between CBS RADIO and
XM Satellite Radio Provides Opie & Anthony with Dual Platform, Including
Exclusive Show on XM

NEW YORK and WASHINGTON, April 24 /PRNewswire/ -- CBS RADIO and XM
Satellite Radio (Nasdaq: XMSR) today announced an unprecedented agreement that
will mark the return of OPIE AND ANTHONY (Gregg "Opie" Hughes and "Anthony"
Cumia) to CBS RADIO stations in seven major markets -- New York, Dallas,
Philadelphia, Boston, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and West Palm Beach -- beginning
on Wednesday, April 26.

Under the terms of the agreement, CBS RADIO will broadcast a three-hour
version of the popular Opie & Anthony show on their stations from 6:00-9:00AM,
ET each weekday morning (3:00-6:00PM, ET in Cleveland). This show will
originate from CBS RADIO's WFNY-FM 92.3 FREE FM studio in New York and be
simulcast on XM uncensored. Opie and Anthony will continue to broadcast from
9:00-11:00AM, ET exclusively for XM's more than 6.5 million subscribers live
from their current XM studio in New York.

Additionally, CBS RADIO stations in New York, Dallas and Philadelphia will
stream the three-hour show online at http://www.923freefm.com,
http://www.1053freefm.com and http://www.941freefm.com, respectively.
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

"With the combination of XM and CBS RADIO, we now have the best gig in the
business. The O & A Show is going to be bigger and better than ever," said
Gregg "Opie" Hughes.

"We'll now be able to reach millions of new fans and old fans with our new
morning show on CBS while offering our loyal XM listeners an uncut show and
two extra hours that will only be available on XM," said Anthony Cumia.

"Opie and Anthony have proven their determination to succeed in this
business, and have a relationship with their audience that is second to none
in the industry," said Joel Hollander, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer,
CBS RADIO. "CBS RADIO is well known for having among its portfolio some of the
best brands in radio, and it's great to have O&A among that stable again.
Loyal listeners of O&A have grown accustomed to a show that's real and
entertaining. As we move forward, we do so with confidence that this new
enterprise will continue in that same spirit."

"XM's agreement with CBS RADIO is a big win for everyone," said Hugh
Panero, President and CEO, XM Satellite Radio. "Opie & Anthony will now reach
millions of new listeners and will continue to entertain the more than
6.5 million XM subscribers who have made their exclusive show on XM one of our
most popular. XM is committed to creating the best content in radio and
today's announcement is an example of how we're able to leverage it in a
variety of ways that help build our business."

Opie and Anthony will be heard on the following CBS RADIO stations:

New York -- WFNY 92.3

Dallas -- KLLI 105.3

Philadelphia -- WYSP 94.1

Boston -- WBCN 104.1

Pittsburgh -- WRKZ 93.7

Cleveland -- WXRK 92.3

West Palm Beach -- WPBZ 103.1

Gregg "Opie" Hughes and Anthony Cumia joined XM Satellite Radio in 2004.
Since their satellite radio debut in October 2004, the talk duo have become
one of the most popular programs on XM's lineup. Hughes and Cumia first
teamed up in 1994 hosting an evening program for WBAB-FM in Long Island, NY.
In early 1995, the duo moved to WAAF-FM in Worcester, MA, where they began
hosting "Opie and Anthony Show" in the afternoons and became one of the Boston
market's most popular radio shows. The team left Boston in 1998 and moved to
New York's WNEW-FM, where they became the number one afternoon drive show.
Their show was syndicated to 22 markets around the country.

About CBS RADIO
CBS RADIO is one of the largest major-market operators in the United
States with stations covering news, alternative rock, country, FM talk,
classic rock, oldies, JACK and urban formats, among others. A division of CBS
Corporation, CBS RADIO operates 179 radio stations, the majority of which are
in the nation's top 50 markets. CBS RADIO also has made aggressive moves to
converge new and traditional media through creative programming and advanced
delivery methods, including online streaming, HD Radio and podcasting. In May
2005, CBS RADIO launched the world's first podcast programmed radio station,
KYOURADIO. Additionally, CBS Radio is home to 29 of the country's leading
sports franchises amongst MLB, the NFL, the NBA, the WNBA and the NHL,
including the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Chicago White Sox, New England
Patriots, New York Giants, Chicago Bears and the Detroit Red Wings. For more
information on CBS RADIO, please visit http://www.cbsradio.com.

About XM Satellite Radio
XM is America's number one satellite radio service with more than
6.5 million subscribers. Broadcasting live daily from studios in
Washington, DC, New York City, the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville,
Toronto and Montreal, XM's 2006 lineup includes more than 170 digital channels
of choice from coast to coast: the most commercial-free music channels,
sports, talk, comedy, children's and entertainment programming; and the most
advanced traffic and weather information.
XM, the leader in satellite-delivered entertainment and data services for
the automobile market through partnerships with General Motors, Honda, Toyota,
Hyundai, Nissan and Volkswagen/Audi, is available in more than 130 different
vehicle models for 2006. XM's industry-leading products are available at
consumer electronics retailers nationwide. For more information about XM
hardware, programming and partnerships, please visit http://www.xmradio.com.

Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in
the forward-looking statements in this press release include demand for XM
Satellite Radio's service, the Company's dependence on technology and third
party vendors, its potential need for additional financing, as well as other
risks described in XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc.'s Form 10-K filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission on 3-3-06. Copies of the filing are
available upon request from XM Radio's Investor Relations Department.

SOURCE CBS RADIO; XM Satellite Radio
-0- 04/24/2006
/CONTACT: Karen Mateo of CBS Radio, +1-212-846-7638,
karen.mateo@cbsradio.com; Nathaniel Brown of XM Satellite Radio,
+1-212-708-6170, nathaniel.brown@xmradio.com/
/Web site: http://www.cbsradio.com
http://www.xmradio.com
http://www.923freefm.com
http://www.1053freefm.com
http://www.941freefm.com /
(CBS XMSR)
 
I'd be pissed if they did this to Covino and Rich. Take the 4 hour show, and chop it into a 2 hour CENSORED chunk on FREEEEEEEE STUPID FM, and only have a 2 hour chunk on of uncensored on Sirius.

Way to go XM!
 
digiblur said:
Way to go XM!

It will be bigger for them than you think

Just another way for them to advertise, and they get to do it with their biggest talk show against their competition while on the competition..

Its like this. Say there was a movie that was on local channels and on cable at the same time. The first hour is on both the local channel and cable, but the end of the movie were all the explosions happen is on cable. What would you do to see the end of the movie?
 
Ok I listened to todays show...

And really it gave folks a reason to cancel XM. The XM Version of the show (7am to 9am) was terrible with them using radio friendly talk, not the O&A show they have been doing on XM. In addition each half hour of the show 10 - 15 minutes were commercials, on XM we heard XM commercials and best of O&A bits.

I was disapointed that on my 12 minuite ride into work this morning the entire ride I was listening to commercials on XM.

For diehard O&A fans I see many of them canceling their XM since the show is now available to them for free. And while they do offer an XM version after 9am most people only tune in to 7am to 9am on their way in to work.

Was this a bad decission by XM management?
 
Scott Greczkowski said:
Ok I listened to todays show...

And really it gave folks a reason to cancel XM. The XM Version of the show (7am to 9am) was terrible with them using radio friendly talk, not the O&A show they have been doing on XM. In addition each half hour of the show 10 - 15 minutes were commercials, on XM we heard XM commercials and best of O&A bits.

I was disapointed that on my 12 minuite ride into work this morning the entire ride I was listening to commercials on XM.

For diehard O&A fans I see many of them canceling their XM since the show is now available to them for free. And while they do offer an XM version after 9am most people only tune in to 7am to 9am on their way in to work.

Was this a bad decission by XM management?

Wow I don't remember a 12 minute commercial on XM and I listened from 6am to now. And this first show was nothing but people welcoming them back. Give it a chance.
 
In my opinion it was the same show that was on XM but with no F***, S***, or D***. The echo was annoying and the sound was bad but that will get better in time. I don't think that people are going to cancel XM just because they can get O&A on airways, there are many other reasons to keep XM.

Many people like me do not live in a city they are on. I like the new times better because the way my schedule is it lets me listen to more show now. I usually get to listen between 7:15 to 9:00 central time, I get to catch the replay from 2:00 to around 3:00 then I can listen to the end of the show on my way home then 5:00 till 6:30.

The way it was I listen to the same stuff some days.

I bet in a week or two you will be use to it and will laugh, laugh laugh when they bring the funny.
 
http://www.fmqb.com/article.asp?id=206195

Yesterday morning (4/24), XM Satellite Radio Executive VP of Programming Eric Logan joined CBS Radio Chairman and CEO Joel Hollander in Howard Stern's old K-Rock studio. The occasion was to formally announce a landmark syndication deal between the satcaster and the terrestrial radio company that will place XM's Opie & Anthony show back on CBS Radio affiliates. While not the first of its kind, the magnitude of this deal far outweighs any other of its type.

"What we have done has really changed the game," says Logan. "We have clearly demonstrated how we can take satellite radio which is a terrific portfolio of content and leverage it in a way which is beneficial to CBS. They are going to be able to generate enormous ratings, charge high rates and make a lot of revenue. We're going to be able to raise Opie & Anthony's awareness, sell more subscriptions and really have exclusive content for our subscribers which is the core of why they subscribed to XM to begin with. So we expose them to more people and it is really, in every case, a win/win for both companies."

"There is significant branding and brand awareness for Opie & Anthony and XM as a result of this," Logan continues. "We wouldn't be doing this if we didn't feel that we were going to be able to further our brand. To be able to do it with a partner like Joel is terrific. Joel and CBS get it. CBS is a great content company and so is XM. It was a matter of us just getting in a room and being able to put the right deal together."

The genesis of this deal goes back to the days after Stern announced his move to Sirius Satellite Radio. "[XM President and CEO] Hugh Panero had approached Joel about this a while back," explains Logan. "I had just recently joined the company and we talked about how we could do a couple of things – really freeze the Howard Stern fans by offering compelling radio and leveraging our content in a new and innovative way and really finding a way to monetize our content."

"CBS is getting the best show in radio," says an unabashed Logan. "They are going to get a show that will generate enormous ratings for them. Being the former VP of Programming for their company, I know that is the name of the game for them. They have to get ratings, as ratings equals revenue. It's a proven show. It is a show that has been successful in New York before. And the show, over the last 18-19 months, has gotten so much better. I am really excited to see this show perform in that world now."

CBS Radio definitely gets a proven commodity to replace the miserable train wreck that was the David Lee Roth show. Could CBS Radio have given Roth more time to grow? Probably. But in today's world where artist development means "results now" and not eighteen months from now, CBS Radio needed a fix for the void left behind by Howard Stern. Replacing Stern is no easy task. Ask Clear Channel, who is now a little over two years removed from dropping Stern's program off its six stations and is still in recovery mode at some of those outlets.

And while CBS is benefiting from the return of O&A, Logan likes what the deal brings to the table for XM. "From our perspective," he explains, "We get a tremendous amount of exposure for XM through the Opie & Anthony lens and have the ability to reconnect with a lot of Opie & Anthony listeners who have not yet either subscribed, heard, or been made aware that O&A went to XM. They are one of the most popular shows on the platform and they have grown their base completely different than ever before by growing it on a national basis. The base of fans they have now comes from all across the country. Now they are going to layer in their former base and are only going to be bigger. We get tremendous branding out of it and an opportunity to further grow our superstars."

While most people know of Opie & Anthony because of one ill-conceived stunt in New York City, or maybe a couple in Boston, one of the things people are going to be surprised with is the content of their show. While Howard Stern has been accusing them of ripping him off, their show is nowhere near the over-the-top, sexual antics, not ready for FCC controlled radio that Stern's Sirius program has become. As for O&A, outside of the amount of cursing, there are very few things that they do now that couldn't be transferred to terrestrial radio.

"People think what they have been doing over at XM is this triple X, let's live across the line show and it absolutely hasn't," says Logan. "It's been some of the funniest, most creative radio that easily could be aired on terrestrial radio. One of the reasons why this deal was so easy to do is that we feel a majority of our subscribers and the O&A fans will not hear a noticeable difference in the quality of content they are going to get for the first three hours and vis-à-vis the second two-plus hours. Because the content, minus the exception of a few curse words, could be on terrestrial radio today."

And maybe reel in Patrice O'Neal a bit? "I was just on the phone with him trying to follow up on our negotiations from Friday (4/21)," laughs Logan. Not meaning to single out O'Neal, as he is a great asset to the O&A show, it's just that he brings a sense of humor to the program that few comedians dare to have today with his no-holds-barred, no race, no gender left untouched humor. He also has his own program on XM's High Voltage channel that is a quality program in its own right. Plus, don't forget that they will have a dump button at CBS.

So, is Logan worried about a noticeable difference in content during the CBS Radio portion versus the XM portion? "Look, the fact that they are doing the three hours for CBS and they are going to walk up the street every day and do the show at XM will really provide for them and their guests and everybody associated with the show an appropriate mental switch about what the show is for CBS and what the show is for XM."

And what about concerns over diluting the program or complaints from the XM subscribers that will cry foul of losing exclusivity? "You always have that fear, but it's a short-term thought process," says Logan. "Whatever short-term issues we're going to have with subscribers that feel like O&A have sold out or feel that there is going to be a degradation of the quality of content, those are all very manageable issues. Those issues are going to be very, very small compared to the significant upside and acquisition opportunities that we are going to have."

Speaking of acquisitions, one major aspect of the deal with CBS Radio was XM now has access to all their archived content from their WNEW days. Yes, even that infamous show that got them put on the beach for two years.

"It was a big deal [to get that content]," says Logan. "There is a lot of great content there. One of the things that we believe in at satellite radio is great content is great content and we want to get our hands on it. It doesn't always have to be great content that you are making today. It could be great archive content. Opie & Anthony's early shows and the archives at WNEW is terrific and fascinating and wonderful radio. A lot of great things can come out of that. If you look at what we have done with Wolfman Jack, he is back on XM. He does a show on the 60s channel every night. We worked out a way to buy his archives. With O&A, it was very important and something we really wanted, so we worked with Bob Eatman and CBS said yes. We now have the ability to have O&A: The Early Years or some other things as well."

Could there be more syndication deals for O&A or other XM personalities or content in the future? "We're in the syndication business with O&A but we're going to take it one step at a time," says Logan. "We've been approached by a variety of companies for a variety of content. We currently syndicate the Bob Edwards show to a lot of public radio stations for a weekend show. We have been quietly executing out strategy of monetizing and utilizing our content in creative ways. It all comes down to what is right for XM and what's right for our subscribers and what's right for the brand. If the scenario and the situation is correct, we'll talk. As it sits right now, we're really focusing in on making sure O&A are very successful. This is a very high profile deal, obviously, so we are making sure they have all the resources and support from us."
 
Scott Greczkowski said:
Ok I listened to todays show...

And really it gave folks a reason to cancel XM. The XM Version of the show (7am to 9am) was terrible with them using radio friendly talk, not the O&A show they have been doing on XM. In addition each half hour of the show 10 - 15 minutes were commercials, on XM we heard XM commercials and best of O&A bits.

I was disapointed that on my 12 minuite ride into work this morning the entire ride I was listening to commercials on XM.

For diehard O&A fans I see many of them canceling their XM since the show is now available to them for free. And while they do offer an XM version after 9am most people only tune in to 7am to 9am on their way in to work.

Was this a bad decission by XM management?

I was listening to Howard and Dice Clay this morning dogging the O&A show for this. It was funny as all hell! They kept referring to the show as Olivia & Antenet or something.
 
The Tate said:
http://www.fmqb.com/article.asp?id=206195

Yesterday morning (4/24), XM Satellite Radio Executive VP of Programming Eric Logan joined CBS Radio Chairman and CEO Joel Hollander in Howard Stern's old K-Rock studio. The occasion was to formally announce a landmark syndication deal between the satcaster and the terrestrial radio company that will place XM's Opie & Anthony show back on CBS Radio affiliates. While not the first of its kind, the magnitude of this deal far outweighs any other of its type.

"What we have done has really changed the game," says Logan. "We have clearly demonstrated how we can take satellite radio which is a terrific portfolio of content and leverage it in a way which is beneficial to CBS. They are going to be able to generate enormous ratings, charge high rates and make a lot of revenue. We're going to be able to raise Opie & Anthony's awareness, sell more subscriptions and really have exclusive content for our subscribers which is the core of why they subscribed to XM to begin with. So we expose them to more people and it is really, in every case, a win/win for both companies."

"There is significant branding and brand awareness for Opie & Anthony and XM as a result of this," Logan continues. "We wouldn't be doing this if we didn't feel that we were going to be able to further our brand. To be able to do it with a partner like Joel is terrific. Joel and CBS get it. CBS is a great content company and so is XM. It was a matter of us just getting in a room and being able to put the right deal together."

The genesis of this deal goes back to the days after Stern announced his move to Sirius Satellite Radio. "[XM President and CEO] Hugh Panero had approached Joel about this a while back," explains Logan. "I had just recently joined the company and we talked about how we could do a couple of things – really freeze the Howard Stern fans by offering compelling radio and leveraging our content in a new and innovative way and really finding a way to monetize our content."

"CBS is getting the best show in radio," says an unabashed Logan. "They are going to get a show that will generate enormous ratings for them. Being the former VP of Programming for their company, I know that is the name of the game for them. They have to get ratings, as ratings equals revenue. It's a proven show. It is a show that has been successful in New York before. And the show, over the last 18-19 months, has gotten so much better. I am really excited to see this show perform in that world now."

CBS Radio definitely gets a proven commodity to replace the miserable train wreck that was the David Lee Roth show. Could CBS Radio have given Roth more time to grow? Probably. But in today's world where artist development means "results now" and not eighteen months from now, CBS Radio needed a fix for the void left behind by Howard Stern. Replacing Stern is no easy task. Ask Clear Channel, who is now a little over two years removed from dropping Stern's program off its six stations and is still in recovery mode at some of those outlets.

And while CBS is benefiting from the return of O&A, Logan likes what the deal brings to the table for XM. "From our perspective," he explains, "We get a tremendous amount of exposure for XM through the Opie & Anthony lens and have the ability to reconnect with a lot of Opie & Anthony listeners who have not yet either subscribed, heard, or been made aware that O&A went to XM. They are one of the most popular shows on the platform and they have grown their base completely different than ever before by growing it on a national basis. The base of fans they have now comes from all across the country. Now they are going to layer in their former base and are only going to be bigger. We get tremendous branding out of it and an opportunity to further grow our superstars."

While most people know of Opie & Anthony because of one ill-conceived stunt in New York City, or maybe a couple in Boston, one of the things people are going to be surprised with is the content of their show. While Howard Stern has been accusing them of ripping him off, their show is nowhere near the over-the-top, sexual antics, not ready for FCC controlled radio that Stern's Sirius program has become. As for O&A, outside of the amount of cursing, there are very few things that they do now that couldn't be transferred to terrestrial radio.

"People think what they have been doing over at XM is this triple X, let's live across the line show and it absolutely hasn't," says Logan. "It's been some of the funniest, most creative radio that easily could be aired on terrestrial radio. One of the reasons why this deal was so easy to do is that we feel a majority of our subscribers and the O&A fans will not hear a noticeable difference in the quality of content they are going to get for the first three hours and vis-à-vis the second two-plus hours. Because the content, minus the exception of a few curse words, could be on terrestrial radio today."

And maybe reel in Patrice O'Neal a bit? "I was just on the phone with him trying to follow up on our negotiations from Friday (4/21)," laughs Logan. Not meaning to single out O'Neal, as he is a great asset to the O&A show, it's just that he brings a sense of humor to the program that few comedians dare to have today with his no-holds-barred, no race, no gender left untouched humor. He also has his own program on XM's High Voltage channel that is a quality program in its own right. Plus, don't forget that they will have a dump button at CBS.

So, is Logan worried about a noticeable difference in content during the CBS Radio portion versus the XM portion? "Look, the fact that they are doing the three hours for CBS and they are going to walk up the street every day and do the show at XM will really provide for them and their guests and everybody associated with the show an appropriate mental switch about what the show is for CBS and what the show is for XM."

And what about concerns over diluting the program or complaints from the XM subscribers that will cry foul of losing exclusivity? "You always have that fear, but it's a short-term thought process," says Logan. "Whatever short-term issues we're going to have with subscribers that feel like O&A have sold out or feel that there is going to be a degradation of the quality of content, those are all very manageable issues. Those issues are going to be very, very small compared to the significant upside and acquisition opportunities that we are going to have."

Speaking of acquisitions, one major aspect of the deal with CBS Radio was XM now has access to all their archived content from their WNEW days. Yes, even that infamous show that got them put on the beach for two years.

"It was a big deal [to get that content]," says Logan. "There is a lot of great content there. One of the things that we believe in at satellite radio is great content is great content and we want to get our hands on it. It doesn't always have to be great content that you are making today. It could be great archive content. Opie & Anthony's early shows and the archives at WNEW is terrific and fascinating and wonderful radio. A lot of great things can come out of that. If you look at what we have done with Wolfman Jack, he is back on XM. He does a show on the 60s channel every night. We worked out a way to buy his archives. With O&A, it was very important and something we really wanted, so we worked with Bob Eatman and CBS said yes. We now have the ability to have O&A: The Early Years or some other things as well."

Could there be more syndication deals for O&A or other XM personalities or content in the future? "We're in the syndication business with O&A but we're going to take it one step at a time," says Logan. "We've been approached by a variety of companies for a variety of content. We currently syndicate the Bob Edwards show to a lot of public radio stations for a weekend show. We have been quietly executing out strategy of monetizing and utilizing our content in creative ways. It all comes down to what is right for XM and what's right for our subscribers and what's right for the brand. If the scenario and the situation is correct, we'll talk. As it sits right now, we're really focusing in on making sure O&A are very successful. This is a very high profile deal, obviously, so we are making sure they have all the resources and support from us."


5 Stern refferences in an XM-O/A article...How original....:up Guess nobody would read it if it didn't mention Howie.....
 
Todays O&A was good, Besides the commercials actually I think I like them more CENSORED then uncensored, as it leaves more to the imagination.

Although Pat Cooper was a hoot after they got back on XM uncensored. :)

This could have been the show of the year just with the Pat Cooper Visit.
 
Scott Greczkowski said:
Todays O&A was good, Besides the commercials actually I think I like them more CENSORED then uncensored, as it leaves more to the imagination.

Although Pat Cooper was a hoot after they got back on XM uncensored. :)

This could have been the show of the year just with the Pat Cooper Visit.

Another Stern hand-me-down.....
 
The Tate said:
In my opinion it was the same show that was on XM but with no F***, S***, or D***. The echo was annoying and the sound was bad but that will get better in time. I don't think that people are going to cancel XM just because they can get O&A on airways, there are many other reasons to keep XM.

Or they may have more of reason to move to Sirius for "exclusive content" and the bells and whistles that go with it.
 
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