O&A Army
Encyclopedia
The Opie and Anthony Army (also known as "The Pests") are a collection of Opie & Anthony listeners who take a proactive approach to the show, as opposed to mere passive listening. These fans are involved in listener events, promoting the show, and the like. They are jokingly known by the hosts as a collection of "misfits", "computer nerds" and "failures", with the implicit recognition that these devotees relate well to the hosts themselves. Forbes Magazine has recognized "The Pests" as a major source of viral marketing for the show, facetiously suggesting that Anthony Cumia be nominated as CMO
of XM Satellite Radio
for his role in encouraging and leading the Pests.
To counter critics and other radio jocks, O&A turned to their more enthusiastic fans, nicknaming them "The O&A Army" (or "Pests"). The late 1990s saw the rise of the internet, allowing for good coordination of the Pests, who would often take over rival chat rooms and message boards, while disruptively calling in to rival radio shows. In the early days, they did not have any field leaders, taking their orders mainly from O&A, but would independently promote the show in a grassroots viral marketing
effort, an approach they continue to use today.
It was not until O&A's 2004 debut on XM Satellite Radio that the O&A Army took their efforts to another level, assigning "Generals" to coordinate their efforts, and adopting tactics reminiscent of flash mobs.
media was the Assault on the Media campaign, whose main premise was not to physically assault anyone, but to pester a live broadcast
in some way to promote The Opie and Anthony Show. The campaign's methods typically involved the use of large signs emblazoned with the show's logo, with Pests shouting "Opie and Anthony, XM Satellite Radio
!", or a show phrase, typically "O&A Party Rock!" The initial AOTMs led to coinage of the term "Pest", as it was "the only way to describe [the participants] in a way that really fit", as
co-host Anthony Cumia recounted.
The AOTM campaign "unofficially" began in the summer of 2000 when a young woman named Suzie flashed the camera live on NBC
's Today Show for Opie and Anthony. Over time, more fans inserted themselves into live shots, and in July 2005, O&A officially began an AOTM contest. Every month, they would provide prizes for the best "Assault on the Media".
On May 19, 2005, WCBS-TV
reporter Arthur Chi'en was doing a remote when O&A intern Nathaniel Bryan approached him, holding up a poster for the show. Bryan and another man, later identified as Crazy Cabbie
who happened to be nearby, made gestures at the camera and repeated the show's name. When Chi'en finished his introduction, he promptly turned around and loudly asked Bryan, "What the fuck is your problem, man?" Chi'en may have thought that his director at the station had already cut off his broadcast to start playing the recorded report, but this was not the case, and the audio went out live over the air. Chi'en apologized after the report, but was fired by the station later that dayhttp://www.nydailynews.com/news/gossip/story/311354p-266377c.html, as WCBS-TV
has a zero-tolerance policy for obscenity. The utterance that got Chi'en fired became a popular saying on the show, and is repeated frequently, usually with a juvenile emphasis on the word "man." Chi'en resurfaced on WPIX-TV in August 2005 and remained a field reporter. A video of this incident can be found on youtube..
On the morning of December 6, 2005, a fan attempting an AOTM sounded an air horn
during a New York City television station's live news remote report
in New Jersey
. Ocean Township police questioned the man, whom they would not identify, but no charges were filed; however, the man did face a possible assault charge if the WABC-TV
reporter, Anthony Johnson
, suffered hearing damage. Johnson filed a lawsuit in December 2007, alleging that his hearing had been permanently damaged in the incident, listing the air horn wielder, the two radio hosts, and XM Satellite Radio
, which broadcasts the show, in his claim.
Following the harassment, Acting Governor Richard J. Codey issued the following statement: "Encouraging fans to intervene in live news shots is inappropriate and dangerous. Today a fan sounded an air horn in a reporter's ear and this action may result in permanent hearing damage for the reporter who was harassed. Reporters are professionals who provide a great service to the public by delivering news. They should be treated with respect and not antagonized as part of a radio show gag. I won't tolerate anything less in our state. The person who committed this act should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I wish Mr. Johnson a speedy and healthy recovery."http://www.state.nj.us/cgi-bin/governor/njnewsline/view_article.pl?id=2829
In the wake of the incident (and a personal request from WABC reporter Bill Evans, said to have feared for his and his family's safety should a fan "go too far"), O&A officially ended the AOTM contest.
July 2005. Philips attempted to steal and take credit for the Assault on the Media bit and boasted that he had "the #1 talk show on XM." O&A responded by calling for an attack on his show. For days, the phonelines to Philips' show were jammed, with the flow of his show noticeably disrupted. Talk of O&A dominated Philips' show for several days as he brazenly attempted to retaliate, poking fun at O&A's names and physical attributes. He even interviewed a fictitious XM executive named "Eric Foinster" to echo Philips' claims of success on XM, and to feign a homosexual attraction to "Mr. Cumia". Fans of O&A interpreted Philips' response as so arrogant that it motivated them to continue the attack.
After several days of constant calls from Pests, Philips started taking fewer calls, and quizzed callers before allowing them to speak, claiming his fans were "smarter" than O&A's fans. The quizzing backfired, since the Philips' questions were so difficult that no one, Philips fans or O&A fans alike, could answer them. Philips threatened legal action, saying "My lawyers are better than yours." His efforts did not deter the attack, so Philips eventually stopped taking calls, ceased all mention of "Mr. Hughes" and "Mr. Cumia" , and no longer claimed that his talk show was the most successful on XM.
Eventually, O&A stopped mentioning Philips and the attack ceased shortly thereafter. Several weeks later, O&A fans raised enough money to purchase a billboard on his projected route to and from his radio station that read, "Mr. Philips, The Pests Win. You Lose. Good Day, Sir! - The Opie and Anthony Army, Commemorating the Pat Battle
of O-Town."
since he placed a gag order on O&A in 2000, but the conflict boiled over when O&A's 2004 reemergence on XM Satellite Radio meant they were no longer subject to the gag order.
On November 18, 2004, shortly after announcing his move to Sirius Satellite Radio, Stern organized a rally in Union Square, New York City to distribute free Sirius units to his fans. O&A sent a contingency of Pests holding large O&A signs to infiltrate the crowd.
A year later on November 17, 2005, the Pests coordinated an attack on Stern's appearance on David Letterman's show, holding up large O&A signs and banners, while shouting O&A chants upon Stern's arrival.
On December 16, 2005 the Pests organized for 'The Million Pest March' to "protest" Howard Stern's rally celebrating his final day on terrestrial radio. They arrived holding large Opie & Anthony signs but were denied entry to the cordoned-off rally area by the NYPD (on Stern's orders). A handful of Pests did make it through, but were promptly removed from the crowd upon revealing their O&A signs and banners.
Denied access to the rally, the Pests marched the streets surrounding the rally, chanting O&A references and harassing Stern fans. After the rally, the Pests followed Stern's bus to the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square, where Stern was holding a luncheon for a small group of fans. The Pests continued to march outside the Hard Rock Cafe, where Stern fans had congregated in hopes of getting a free lunch. Still undeterred by visibly hostile Stern fans who outnumbered them, the Pests performed a "funeral dirge" for Howard's career, carrying a makeshift coffin made of cardboard through the Stern crowd.
On January 9, 2006 'war' was officially declared by O&A. The show was opened with a live feed of rival Howard Stern
's first show on Sirius Satellite Radio. On March 14, 2006, when Stern was arriving for a Letterman appearance, a group of Pests shouted "O&A Party Rock!", and chased after his limosine.
Channel 202. On April 17, 2006, O&A's High Voltage channel was removed from DirecTV's lineup. DirecTV claimed the reason for removing High Voltage from their lineup was customer feedback favoring more music channels over talk and sports channels. A major campaign was organized, consisting of phone calls, e-mails, voice mails and other such petitions to get O&A back on the lineup. In less than one week, the show had reappeared.
But its now gone for the past few years.
was a friend of Opie & Anthony at WNEW. He was fired for supporting them after the "Sex for Sam" debacle. In February 2006, Ferrall was on Stern's show promoting his own spot on Howard 101 from 8 pm - 11 pm EST. "The Pests" soon took over Ferrall's show after receiving reports of him badmouthing Opie and Anthony, and he did his last Sirius show on 2/17/06, indicating that he was very busy with other projects, but promised to be back on Sirius soon. On March 28, 2006 Ferrall was hired to fill the 8-12 spot on Howard 101.
's new radio show "Wake up with Whoopi" debuted on KTU-FM
in New York opposite O&A's show. The Pests were called in to "attack" Whoopi's show. The attack was not prompted by anything Whoopi had said about them, but O&A have expressed disgust in the recent trend of radio stations hiring celebrities to host shows in a form of "radio stunt casting", rather than hiring experienced radio personalities. O&A have remarked that the general public perceives radio as an "easy job", so they targeted her show to prove to newcomer Whoopi the difficulties of hosting a radio talk show.
At least four Pest calls went on over the air, with Whoopi vowing to "screen [calls] better." She also mentioned she was a good friend of Howard [Stern] and that "those other guys aren't worth the dust he [Howard] walks on." On August 3, 2006 Whoopi *surprised* the O and A crew with a drop-in visit, which earned her respect from the show and a truce in the Pest onslaught.
has become Opie & Anthony's most recent target, often criticizing her for what they deem her self-centered demeanor on her show. When Banks publicly responded to tabloid photos and allegations that she had gained weight, O&A condemned her angry response, suggesting that were it not for her insecurity, she would not have responded so strongly to the paparazzi photos and allegations.
O&A challenged their listeners to find ways of getting Tyra's attention in order to "let her know how we feel." On February 3, 2007, Pest mainstay No Filter Paul infiltrated the background of SNY's news program, holding up a sign that read "Tyra is a Big Fat Pig." Two days later on February 4, 2007, Jewish Monkey of the P.O.W.'s ("Pests Out West" or "Pests of the West") hung a large banner reading "Opie & Anthony P.O.W.'s, Tyra Banks is a Fatty Pig Fatty" outside the CBS Television City
studio where Banks' show is taped.
remarks, several Pests formed the group People Against Censorship to defend the right of free speech in broadcast media. The group's primary leader, Debbie Wolf, has been interviewed on various cable news outlets and other radio shows. People Against Censorship has organized rallies to protest O&A's suspension and the firings of Imus and JV & Elvis, and have also successfully lobbied advertisers on XM, such as Nashville Coffee, to cease their advertising in response to XM's censure of Opie and Anthony.
Moreover, the
organization spearheaded a subscription cancellation campaign that purportedly resulted in the ending of an unknown number of XM subscriptions in the wake of O&A's May 15 suspension{(fact)}. XM has not released any cancellation figures, so an exact number is unknown. Some fans even went so far as to smash their XM radios (and post videos of the destruction) on YouTube.
Chief marketing officer
Chief Marketing Officer is a corporate title referring to an executive responsible for various marketing activities in an organization...
of XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio is one of two satellite radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Radio. It provides pay-for-service radio, analogous to cable television. Its service includes 73 different music channels, 39 news, sports, talk and entertainment channels, 21 regional...
for his role in encouraging and leading the Pests.
History of the O&A Army
While O&A had a strong fanbase during their early days on WAAF in Boston, there is little, if any, knowledge of such avid activities until O&A's arrival to 102.7 WNEW-FM in New York in 1998.To counter critics and other radio jocks, O&A turned to their more enthusiastic fans, nicknaming them "The O&A Army" (or "Pests"). The late 1990s saw the rise of the internet, allowing for good coordination of the Pests, who would often take over rival chat rooms and message boards, while disruptively calling in to rival radio shows. In the early days, they did not have any field leaders, taking their orders mainly from O&A, but would independently promote the show in a grassroots viral marketing
Viral marketing
Viral marketing, viral advertising, or marketing buzz are buzzwords referring to marketing techniques that use pre-existing social networks to produce increases in brand awareness or to achieve other marketing objectives through self-replicating viral processes, analogous to the spread of viruses...
effort, an approach they continue to use today.
It was not until O&A's 2004 debut on XM Satellite Radio that the O&A Army took their efforts to another level, assigning "Generals" to coordinate their efforts, and adopting tactics reminiscent of flash mobs.
Assault on the Media
An outgrowth of O&A's response to the reputed fearmongering mentality of today's AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
media was the Assault on the Media campaign, whose main premise was not to physically assault anyone, but to pester a live broadcast
Live television
Live television refers to a television production broadcast in real-time, as events happen, in the present. From the early days of television until about 1958, live television was used heavily, except for filmed shows such as I Love Lucy and Gunsmoke. Video tape did not exist until 1957...
in some way to promote The Opie and Anthony Show. The campaign's methods typically involved the use of large signs emblazoned with the show's logo, with Pests shouting "Opie and Anthony, XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio is one of two satellite radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Radio. It provides pay-for-service radio, analogous to cable television. Its service includes 73 different music channels, 39 news, sports, talk and entertainment channels, 21 regional...
!", or a show phrase, typically "O&A Party Rock!" The initial AOTMs led to coinage of the term "Pest", as it was "the only way to describe [the participants] in a way that really fit", as
co-host Anthony Cumia recounted.
The AOTM campaign "unofficially" began in the summer of 2000 when a young woman named Suzie flashed the camera live on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's Today Show for Opie and Anthony. Over time, more fans inserted themselves into live shots, and in July 2005, O&A officially began an AOTM contest. Every month, they would provide prizes for the best "Assault on the Media".
On May 19, 2005, WCBS-TV
WCBS-TV
WCBS-TV, channel 2, is the flagship station of the CBS television network, located in New York City. The station's studios are located within the CBS Broadcast Center and its transmitter is atop the Empire State Building, both in Midtown Manhattan....
reporter Arthur Chi'en was doing a remote when O&A intern Nathaniel Bryan approached him, holding up a poster for the show. Bryan and another man, later identified as Crazy Cabbie
Lee Mroszak
Lee Anthony Mroszak , known by the on-air moniker Cabbie, was an American deejay on New York City's 92.3 K-Rock and a former regular guest on The Howard Stern Show. On his show, Mroszak regularly dealt with topics of the day relating to life in America...
who happened to be nearby, made gestures at the camera and repeated the show's name. When Chi'en finished his introduction, he promptly turned around and loudly asked Bryan, "What the fuck is your problem, man?" Chi'en may have thought that his director at the station had already cut off his broadcast to start playing the recorded report, but this was not the case, and the audio went out live over the air. Chi'en apologized after the report, but was fired by the station later that dayhttp://www.nydailynews.com/news/gossip/story/311354p-266377c.html, as WCBS-TV
WCBS-TV
WCBS-TV, channel 2, is the flagship station of the CBS television network, located in New York City. The station's studios are located within the CBS Broadcast Center and its transmitter is atop the Empire State Building, both in Midtown Manhattan....
has a zero-tolerance policy for obscenity. The utterance that got Chi'en fired became a popular saying on the show, and is repeated frequently, usually with a juvenile emphasis on the word "man." Chi'en resurfaced on WPIX-TV in August 2005 and remained a field reporter. A video of this incident can be found on youtube..
On the morning of December 6, 2005, a fan attempting an AOTM sounded an air horn
Air horn
The air horn is a device designed to create an extremely loud noise. It is usually composed of a pressurized air source coupled to a horn through a valve which allows the device to be turned on and off. Air horns have been installed on large semi-trailer trucks, fire trucks, and some ambulances for...
during a New York City television station's live news remote report
Remote broadcast
In broadcast engineering, a remote broadcast is broadcasting done from a location away from a formal television studio and is considered an electronic field production . A remote pickup unit is usually used to transmit the audio and/or video back to the television station, where it joins the...
in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. Ocean Township police questioned the man, whom they would not identify, but no charges were filed; however, the man did face a possible assault charge if the WABC-TV
WABC-TV
WABC-TV, channel 7, is the flagship station of the Disney-owned American Broadcasting Company located in New York City. The station's studios and offices are located on the Upper West Side section of Manhattan, adjacent to ABC's corporate headquarters, and its transmitter is atop the Empire State...
reporter, Anthony Johnson
Anthony Johnson (reporter)
Anthony Johnson is a New Jersey reporter for WABC-TV in New York. He is a resident of Teaneck, New Jersey and is married to WNBC reporter Pat Battle...
, suffered hearing damage. Johnson filed a lawsuit in December 2007, alleging that his hearing had been permanently damaged in the incident, listing the air horn wielder, the two radio hosts, and XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio is one of two satellite radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Radio. It provides pay-for-service radio, analogous to cable television. Its service includes 73 different music channels, 39 news, sports, talk and entertainment channels, 21 regional...
, which broadcasts the show, in his claim.
Following the harassment, Acting Governor Richard J. Codey issued the following statement: "Encouraging fans to intervene in live news shots is inappropriate and dangerous. Today a fan sounded an air horn in a reporter's ear and this action may result in permanent hearing damage for the reporter who was harassed. Reporters are professionals who provide a great service to the public by delivering news. They should be treated with respect and not antagonized as part of a radio show gag. I won't tolerate anything less in our state. The person who committed this act should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I wish Mr. Johnson a speedy and healthy recovery."http://www.state.nj.us/cgi-bin/governor/njnewsline/view_article.pl?id=2829
In the wake of the incident (and a personal request from WABC reporter Bill Evans, said to have feared for his and his family's safety should a fan "go too far"), O&A officially ended the AOTM contest.
The Philips Phile, The Pat Battle of O-Town
One of the most successful Pest attacks occurred on Jim Philips of The Philips PhileThe Philips Phile
The Philips Phile is a talk radio program that airs on WTKS-FM in Orlando, Florida weekdays from 3-7pm and can also be heard on the WTKS' website as well as taped delayed on XM Satellite Radio Channel 152 and via the iheartradio app for mobile devices. The host of the program is Jim Philips. ...
July 2005. Philips attempted to steal and take credit for the Assault on the Media bit and boasted that he had "the #1 talk show on XM." O&A responded by calling for an attack on his show. For days, the phonelines to Philips' show were jammed, with the flow of his show noticeably disrupted. Talk of O&A dominated Philips' show for several days as he brazenly attempted to retaliate, poking fun at O&A's names and physical attributes. He even interviewed a fictitious XM executive named "Eric Foinster" to echo Philips' claims of success on XM, and to feign a homosexual attraction to "Mr. Cumia". Fans of O&A interpreted Philips' response as so arrogant that it motivated them to continue the attack.
After several days of constant calls from Pests, Philips started taking fewer calls, and quizzed callers before allowing them to speak, claiming his fans were "smarter" than O&A's fans. The quizzing backfired, since the Philips' questions were so difficult that no one, Philips fans or O&A fans alike, could answer them. Philips threatened legal action, saying "My lawyers are better than yours." His efforts did not deter the attack, so Philips eventually stopped taking calls, ceased all mention of "Mr. Hughes" and "Mr. Cumia" , and no longer claimed that his talk show was the most successful on XM.
Eventually, O&A stopped mentioning Philips and the attack ceased shortly thereafter. Several weeks later, O&A fans raised enough money to purchase a billboard on his projected route to and from his radio station that read, "Mr. Philips, The Pests Win. You Lose. Good Day, Sir! - The Opie and Anthony Army, Commemorating the Pat Battle
Pat Battle
Patricia N. "Pat" Battle is an African American television journalist at NBC's network affiliate station, WNBC-TV, in New York City, New York....
of O-Town."
The Pests vs. Howard Stern
A rivalry had been quietly building between O&A and Howard SternHoward Stern
Howard Allan Stern is an American radio personality, television host, author, and actor best known for his radio show, which was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005. He gained wide recognition in the 1990s where he was labeled a "shock jock" for his outspoken and sometimes controversial style...
since he placed a gag order on O&A in 2000, but the conflict boiled over when O&A's 2004 reemergence on XM Satellite Radio meant they were no longer subject to the gag order.
On November 18, 2004, shortly after announcing his move to Sirius Satellite Radio, Stern organized a rally in Union Square, New York City to distribute free Sirius units to his fans. O&A sent a contingency of Pests holding large O&A signs to infiltrate the crowd.
A year later on November 17, 2005, the Pests coordinated an attack on Stern's appearance on David Letterman's show, holding up large O&A signs and banners, while shouting O&A chants upon Stern's arrival.
On December 16, 2005 the Pests organized for 'The Million Pest March' to "protest" Howard Stern's rally celebrating his final day on terrestrial radio. They arrived holding large Opie & Anthony signs but were denied entry to the cordoned-off rally area by the NYPD (on Stern's orders). A handful of Pests did make it through, but were promptly removed from the crowd upon revealing their O&A signs and banners.
Denied access to the rally, the Pests marched the streets surrounding the rally, chanting O&A references and harassing Stern fans. After the rally, the Pests followed Stern's bus to the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square, where Stern was holding a luncheon for a small group of fans. The Pests continued to march outside the Hard Rock Cafe, where Stern fans had congregated in hopes of getting a free lunch. Still undeterred by visibly hostile Stern fans who outnumbered them, the Pests performed a "funeral dirge" for Howard's career, carrying a makeshift coffin made of cardboard through the Stern crowd.
On January 9, 2006 'war' was officially declared by O&A. The show was opened with a live feed of rival Howard Stern
Howard Stern
Howard Allan Stern is an American radio personality, television host, author, and actor best known for his radio show, which was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005. He gained wide recognition in the 1990s where he was labeled a "shock jock" for his outspoken and sometimes controversial style...
's first show on Sirius Satellite Radio. On March 14, 2006, when Stern was arriving for a Letterman appearance, a group of Pests shouted "O&A Party Rock!", and chased after his limosine.
DirecTV Campaign
As part of XM's deal with DirecTV, many XM channels are simulcast on DirecTV channels, including Opie and Anthony's High VoltageHigh Voltage (XM)
The Opie & Anthony Channel is a hot talk channel on XM Satellite Radio...
Channel 202. On April 17, 2006, O&A's High Voltage channel was removed from DirecTV's lineup. DirecTV claimed the reason for removing High Voltage from their lineup was customer feedback favoring more music channels over talk and sports channels. A major campaign was organized, consisting of phone calls, e-mails, voice mails and other such petitions to get O&A back on the lineup. In less than one week, the show had reappeared.
But its now gone for the past few years.
Scott Ferrall: Friend Turned Foe
Scott FerrallScott Ferrall
Scott Ferrall is an American sports talk radio personality who currently broadcasts for Sirius XM Radio on Howard 101. His voice is easily recognizable by his crackling....
was a friend of Opie & Anthony at WNEW. He was fired for supporting them after the "Sex for Sam" debacle. In February 2006, Ferrall was on Stern's show promoting his own spot on Howard 101 from 8 pm - 11 pm EST. "The Pests" soon took over Ferrall's show after receiving reports of him badmouthing Opie and Anthony, and he did his last Sirius show on 2/17/06, indicating that he was very busy with other projects, but promised to be back on Sirius soon. On March 28, 2006 Ferrall was hired to fill the 8-12 spot on Howard 101.
"Wake Up with Whoopi"
On July 31, 2006, Whoopi GoldbergWhoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg is an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, political activist, author and talk show host.Goldberg made her film debut in The Color Purple playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the Deep South. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won...
's new radio show "Wake up with Whoopi" debuted on KTU-FM
WKTU
WKTU is a radio station based in New York City that plays an upbeat, gold-based CHR format. The station's broadcast transmitter is located on the top of the Empire State Building and its city of license is Lake Success, New York, with offices formerly in the "Newport" section of Jersey City, New...
in New York opposite O&A's show. The Pests were called in to "attack" Whoopi's show. The attack was not prompted by anything Whoopi had said about them, but O&A have expressed disgust in the recent trend of radio stations hiring celebrities to host shows in a form of "radio stunt casting", rather than hiring experienced radio personalities. O&A have remarked that the general public perceives radio as an "easy job", so they targeted her show to prove to newcomer Whoopi the difficulties of hosting a radio talk show.
At least four Pest calls went on over the air, with Whoopi vowing to "screen [calls] better." She also mentioned she was a good friend of Howard [Stern] and that "those other guys aren't worth the dust he [Howard] walks on." On August 3, 2006 Whoopi *surprised* the O and A crew with a drop-in visit, which earned her respect from the show and a truce in the Pest onslaught.
"Tyra Banks is a Fatty Pig Fatty"
Former supermodel and current talk show host Tyra BanksTyra Banks
Tyra Lynne Banks is an American model, media personality, actress, occasional singer, author and businesswoman. She first became famous as a model, but television appearances were her commercial breakthrough...
has become Opie & Anthony's most recent target, often criticizing her for what they deem her self-centered demeanor on her show. When Banks publicly responded to tabloid photos and allegations that she had gained weight, O&A condemned her angry response, suggesting that were it not for her insecurity, she would not have responded so strongly to the paparazzi photos and allegations.
O&A challenged their listeners to find ways of getting Tyra's attention in order to "let her know how we feel." On February 3, 2007, Pest mainstay No Filter Paul infiltrated the background of SNY's news program, holding up a sign that read "Tyra is a Big Fat Pig." Two days later on February 4, 2007, Jewish Monkey of the P.O.W.'s ("Pests Out West" or "Pests of the West") hung a large banner reading "Opie & Anthony P.O.W.'s, Tyra Banks is a Fatty Pig Fatty" outside the CBS Television City
CBS Television City
CBS Television City is a television studio complex located in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles at 7800 Beverly Boulevard, at the corner of North Fairfax Avenue...
studio where Banks' show is taped.
O&A Suspension
After the fallout from the firing of fellow broadcasters Don Imus and JV & Elvis, as well as XM's suspension of Opie and Anthony due to politically incorrectPolitically incorrect
The phrase "politically incorrect" may refer to:* Someone or something which does not meet a standard of political correctness* Politically Incorrect, a late-night U.S. political talk show* Politically Incorrect, a German political blog...
remarks, several Pests formed the group People Against Censorship to defend the right of free speech in broadcast media. The group's primary leader, Debbie Wolf, has been interviewed on various cable news outlets and other radio shows. People Against Censorship has organized rallies to protest O&A's suspension and the firings of Imus and JV & Elvis, and have also successfully lobbied advertisers on XM, such as Nashville Coffee, to cease their advertising in response to XM's censure of Opie and Anthony.
Moreover, the
organization spearheaded a subscription cancellation campaign that purportedly resulted in the ending of an unknown number of XM subscriptions in the wake of O&A's May 15 suspension{(fact)}. XM has not released any cancellation figures, so an exact number is unknown. Some fans even went so far as to smash their XM radios (and post videos of the destruction) on YouTube.
Official websites
- OpieandAnthony.com Opie and Anthony's official website.
- OandARadio.com Opie and Anthony's K-Rock website.
- Eatabullet.com Jim Norton's Official website.
- FoundryMusic.com Producer Steve "Steve Carr" Carlesi's website.