Satellite radio preps for return of shock jocks Opie and Anthony

Last Updated: Tuesday, June 12, 2007 | 11:50 AM ET

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Controversial radio hosts Opie and Anthony are headed back to their live mikes on satellite radio, XM announced on Monday.

The infamous radio shock jock duo will resume their live broadcasts on XM Satellite Radio on Friday, after having completed a 30-day suspension for airing a segment featuring a guest's crude and violent sexual comments about Queen Elizabeth, Laura Bush and Condoleezza Rice.

Anthony Cumia, left, and Opie, whose real name is Gregg Hughes, have complained about what they see as excessive reactions to commentary by U.S. radio hosts.
(Diane Bondareff/Associated Press)

"Opie and Anthony will be back on XM live at 6:00 a.m. ET on Friday, June 15th," XM said in a message posted on its website.

Unlike traditional radio content in the U.S., satellite radio content is not subject to regulation by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission. Still, XM chose to punish the two hosts, who first apologized for the segment in question and then joked about it again on air.

The duo also expressed sympathy for veteran radio host Don Imus, who caused a public uproar with his offhand comments about a women's university basketball team — deemed both racist and sexist — and was fired from both his longtime radio show and its corresponding TV simulcast.

U.S. media watchers had questioned whether XM would return Gregg (Opie) Hughes and Anthony Cumia to their posts in the wake of the Imus affair.

However, the controversial duo — who, like rival host Howard Stern, frequently ran afoul of the FCC while on traditional radio — command a loyal following, some of whom protested the 30-day XM suspension by cancelling their subscription for the month.

During the suspension, the bad-boy duo continued to broadcast a censored, daily version of their show on CBS Radio's terrestrial network.

XM is whetting the appetite of Opie and Anthony fans this week by airing "best of" programs featuring segments drawn from these CBS shows, in advance of the duo's return to live broadcasts.