Letters and communications

[Clocktower]

I would like to see some examples of what people are emailing and saying to the powers that be. I think we can get a great perspective on people's opinions. Here is mine to Eric Logan and everyone else on the XM side.

Mr. Logan,

As a faithful fan and long time subscriber to XM, I implore you to try and use whatever swing you have with XM corporate, and let the channel operate as scheduled.

I am sure you have received a large number of emails today about the same topics, but the content on XM 202, and XM at large are the only reasons I continue to subscribe. For XM to respond in this reactionary, over-reactive way just shows me that the service I expect and pay for is not as liberated and free as I thought it was. As a fan of Opie and Anthony, I am hurt by the reaction of XM's lawyers by making the issue a company issue, therefore making any decisions on O&A's show or career a "defensible" business decision. The company has effectively set a division line between the talent and the business. The message is "XM, as the big brother, decides what is acceptable, and are going to show that by making an unsupportive statement and making O&A apologize".

In my opinion, the apology sounded like it was forced at job-point, because O&A have historically NEVER apologized for statements and commentary said in a comedic context. As an aspiring stand-up comic myself, I see this as another stepping stone to outright censorship, especially in comedy. What is the company afraid of? Bad press, loss of sponsorship, company image? If XM takes any action against O&A, then they are absolute hypocrites. Public figures have no protection against offensive speech (see People Vs. Larry Flynt).

Taking Patrice O'Neal off the air this weekend is making an innocent, entertaining talent collateral damage, and COMPLETELY unfair to his fans, and your customers.

Mr. Logan, I have enjoyed the service for the years I have had it, and I feel betrayed that I have been made to worry about my favorite show over comedic rhetoric. This is your and XM's chance to STAND UP and support comedic art, free speech, and your own employees. Please do not separate yourselves from O&A, and throw them to the free speech wolves waiting to devour them.

Respectively and humbly,

James Owens
Houston, TX

[NortonsSTD]

Good or bad, here's what I sent to all of them. I got the stock answer back from JM, no other replies:

Will you people please get a spine? I have had XM since the day O&A started there on October 4th a few years ago. I have two radios I have subscriptions for, and I listen to 107.5 here in Las Vegas. I have an extreme radio 107.5 WOW sticker on my truck. I'm a loyal fan, but it makes me sick that on a daily basis you people are soo damn nervous that 10 people and Reverand Al will be marching outside your building that the O&A show may or may not be thrown to off the air on a weekly basis for saying something that may have hurt some special interest groups feelings. Get a backbone, and stop the crap. it's not against the law, or FCC regulations to hurt someones feelings. Let it go, and get over it.

If what that race baiting Reverand Al, and others like him with agendas have to say carries weight, then maybe the average listener carries weight if enough speak up. I will peel off the 107.5 WOW sticker, not listen to 107.5 any more, and cancel my XM if O&A are thrown off the air.

Thank you for taking the time to read my stupid email, and leave good radio alone......stop the crap.

[ILOVEUWxx]

I sent this to E-Lo, Parsons and Panero:


Gentlemen,

I am writing in response to the recent comments made by a guest of
the Opie and Anthony show on XM202 (an XL channel). These comments have
been discussed, dissected, misinterpreted, and criticized by the media,
and by people with poorly hidden agendas quite thoroughly. While I am
in no way endorsing the statements made by "Homeless Charlie", I believe
that it bears worth MORE mentioning on your part that these comments
were in fact his and NOT those of any of the three hosts, show regulars
or frequent guests. By not clarifying this fact, the members and staff
of the Opie and Anthony show are being subjected to overly harsh and
unfair criticism from uninformed media members, and advocates of
"special interest groups" who would like nothing more than to make an
example out of Opie and Anthony by calling for disciplinary action to be
taken against them for comments made by a person with (almost) zero
connection to the show, which were subsequently referred to as "horrid"
by one of the hosts of the show.

Should there be substantial disciplinary action levied against Opie,
Anthony, Jim Norton or any of the ancillary staff members of the show, I
will terminate my subscription to XM Satellite Radio, effective as soon
as the action is announced. I will also encourage any other subscribers
I come in contact with to take similar action, as it will have been made
apparent to me that XM has no interest in allowing broadcasters to
exercise free speech or creative liberties on airwaves not regulated by
federal guidelines, nor does it have any interest in protecting its
employees.

My hope is that you will govern yourselves accordingly.

Most sincerely,

[McFly88]

I sent this one to everyone at XM late last night, and a similar one to CBS (with references to being a subscriber changed to being a listener). I took some parts of the Wackbag "template" emails and combined them:


To Whom It May Concern,

My name is _____, I have been an XM subscriber for nearly 3 years, and currently have 3 subscriptions under my account.

While I am a fan of XM in general, the main reason why I am a customer is because of the Opie and Anthony Show. More importantly, I am a strong supporter of freedom of speech.

Because of this non-story that is developing, I realize you may get a strong reaction from those that want Opie and Anthony removed from your company's programming. Please stay strong and do not give in to these self serving, over reacting, uninformed special interest groups.

I listened to the controversial content when it aired, and like many, I was laughing at the absurdity of the comments. What was said were the ramblings of a deranged homeless man and were obviously spoken in an over-the-top, sarcastic tone. At no point did Opie, Anthony or any member of their staff condone or promote violence towards women. They were merely reacting to the ramblings of this man who was making the comments himself and in jest .

Most people who may protest are not subscribers. I however, am. I pay for your service and support your sponsors. If you cave into the demands of the few, I guarantee that you will lose the support of those of us who are actually using your service, including myself.

Sponsors will come back, dissatisfied customers will not.

Thank you for your time.

[UsedLadBag]

THis is what I've been pumping out in the comment section of articles:

I am a 35 year old father, husband, and homeowner. I am a registered Republican and an active supporter of the Republican party. I work hard, have a PhD, and am an Eagle Scout. I take raising my 2-year old "right" very seriously. I also enjoy Opie and Anthony. They are my last link to a carefree time when the world wasn't so serious. The bottom line is they make people laugh.

To those who don’t like Opie and Anthony or their “ilk”; if you don't like them, then don't listen. What started with Al Sharpton and Don Imus has turned into a witchhunt that has to stop. The bottom line is that free speech has to protected for all musicians, radio-personalities, and other entertainers regardless whether the ideas they espouse is ignorant, insensitive, or hurtful. Only through the free expression of ideas can issues that effect America be solved. Whether or not entertainers are punished for insensitive remarks should be judged by citizens by whether they change the dial, watch their programs, or buy their merchandise –not by special interest groups or those with a political axe to grind. If citizens are truly offended by an entertainer, people will tune them out on their own. For God’s sake stand up for free expression!

By the way, it'll cost you $12 a month to join the fun.

Sincerely,
Andrew Samuelson

[Philly loser]

My drivel... (God, I hope these make some difference)

From: Rob XXXXX [mailto:XXXXXXXXX@comcast.net]
Sent: Friday, May 11, 2007 9:59 AM
To: 'eric.logan@xmradio.com'
Subject: Opie & Anthony
Importance: High

Mr. Logan – I am sure you are incredibly busy right now. I know you are dealing with normal business operations as well as the merger. Due to your incredible schedule, I will keep this very brief and hope that you will take the time to read it, if not respond.

I appreciate the stress the current publicity, generated from the May 9 broadcast of the Opie & Anthony show, must be causing XM and the merger. While I appreciate it, I do not understand nor condone any disciplinary actions for these hosts. The ‘offending’ comments were made by a guest of the show, not the hosts. These comments were made by a homeless man on a comedy show. The broadcast was for comedic purposes and the guests comments were neither scripted nor known beforehand. While the comments may be hurtful or disrespectful, my opinion is that this is the extent of this situation.

I do not say this as a threat, as I am only one of over eight million subscribers. However, if the Opie & Anthony show is removed from the XM platform, my two subscriptions will be cancelled that same day. I doubt I am the only fan of the show that would react in this manner. I would assume a rapid decline in subscriptions could also be damaging to merger discussions.

Stay strong Eric.

Good luck.

Sincerely,
Rob XXXXX
Account Number: X-XXXXXXXXX
Radio ID: XXXXXXXX
Radio ID: XXXXXXXX

[Opies_Big_Head]

Sent to all of XM,CBS, the boys, and my congress man.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

Maybe the above is news to some people and maybe most Americans carry on throughout their day not paying much attention to it, thinking it will always be there for them. Some even think its ok to stop other people from speaking and it will never come back to affect them.

This is insanity.

This is such a fundamental right that they not only wrote it into the United States Constitution, but it was the FIRST thing they wrote.

It is not an easy thing to have, its hard to have free speech, you have to want it. Most people in this country, I believe, either don't care or are too ignorant to understand what it means.

To me, it means defending the right to free speech of the person standing next to me saying things to me or about me or about someone I love, or about anyone or anything that makes my blood boil. That's what it means and that's what it should mean to all American's.

I recently canceled my cell phone contract with Sprint/Nextel who I was with for 9 years for their lack of support for MY rights.

If Congress can make no law to abridge ones right to free speech, then why can corporations, in effect, do as much? Shouldn't the United States government penalize corporations for censoring employees and artists?

Shouldn't a Secretary of State, of all people, be defending that right!!!

The corporations of America need to take a stand for what is right, have some integrity.

Below is a list of XM radios in my account ...

53Q.....
ECG.....
K4G.....
U15.....
P5P.....
J51.....
JM8.....
7V3.....
XJU.....


"sticks and stones will break my bones, but words can get me fired"

[LilJimmyRbinson]

Here's what I sent to Elo, Hugh & Parsons:

Dear Sirs,

It is with extreme sadness that I feel compelled to even write to you regarding this issue, but in light of the recent instances of radio shows being taken off air due to "inappropriate" content, I feel I must.

I have been a long time fan of the Opie and Anthony show. They are the only reason I originally subscribed to XM Radio. Since becoming a subscriber three years ago I have realized how wonderful it is to have the freedom to hear uninterrupted music and censor-free songs and content. It's a privilege I gladly pay for, and I have passed this information on to many friends and family members, sometimes buying them gift memberships to XM as well. I think XM is one of the best services to come around in years.
That said, it has come to my attention that Opie and Anthony may come under fire for a recent segment involving a discussion with a homeless man. I can understand why some people might get offended by this, it did not seem there was anything illegal in the content, merely offensive. I for one love the fact that we are Constitutionally allowed to say offensive things in this country. I will be extremely disappointed in your company if you choose to take permanent action against Opie and Anthony in light of this "offensive" and "inappropriate" content.

I am fully aware of the risk I take every day listening to the Opie and Anthony show. I know very well that they are likely, on a daily basis, to say something that will offend someone - and I continue to listen because in addition to their brash comments, they are funny, witty and the most honest radio show I have ever heard; and I enjoy the content they provide. I also know that I, as a consumer, have the ability to change the channel or turn the radio off if I do not like the content I am hearing on a given day - and there have been times where I have exercised that ability during this show. It should be left up to the individual consumer to choose the content they like from the wide array of content available on satellite and free radio, and those who are offended by comments made by Opie and Anthony; especially those who are not Opie and Anthony listeners, or even XM subscribers, should not be given the ability to decide which content I am allowed to listen to.

Please do not bow to special interest groups in this matter. It is a known fact that many of these groups are extremely well organized and have Internet form letters to use to make complaints to a variety of people during events like this - but they do not speak for me. Just because the majority may be silent, it doesn't mean we do not exist.
Thank you for your time,

[Stugein]

From the other thread, this is the e-mail I sent to the CBS distro this morning:

---------------------
Dear Sirs and Madams,

I'm a long time radio listener and more and more lately I am becoming fearful that radio comedy as an art form is in real danger. The danger is coming from special interest groups, outraged minorities, and self-serving community "leaders" who will latch on to any perceived slight in order to get media face time.

There isn't a specific incident that I am concerned about necessarily, but rather I am reacting to what I see as a disturbing trend. Several times recently, action has been taken against on-air personalities for comments made or jokes told that were deemed "offensive" by a minority or special group of some sort. My concern is that management's reaction to the backlash caused by these incidents has been to cave in to these influences and to crumble in the face of short-term adversity. In none of the recent incidents were the comments made illegal. In none of the recent incidents were the jokes told in violation of FCC regulations. Despite this, you have given these small, fringe groups the power to control your programming and to control your stations. This results in an environment where the free exchange of ideas and information, both popular and unpopular, is threatened in a very real manner on a daily basis.

The right to free speech is offered to the people of America in order to protect offensive or unpopular speech. If everyone agreed on all issues and nobody ever said anything that was offensive the first amendment would not even be necessary. It is the duty of all of us, from the lowest man-on-the-street to the highest media executive, to stand fast in the face of those who would erode this basic right and say, "I may be offended and I may not agree with what is being said, but I will defend to my last breath the right of my fellow Americans to say it".

Remember, sponsors come and go. Special interest groups will always exist and will always be "outraged". It doesn't matter what the press says. It doesn't matter what the politicians say. It doesn't matter if the whole country decides that something is offensive. If you believe in the basic tenants on which our nation was founded, then when the whole world tells you to move your job is to stand firmly against the torrent of arrows and barbs that will come your way and say, "No, we will not move".

Thank you for your time and consideration, and God bless America.

Regards,

<My_name>
---------------------

/Stugein

[Clocktower]

UPDATE:
Eric Logan is defenitly reading emails. I recieved a "Read Reciept" from the I sent. Either he is reading, or a secretary, but someone is opening them.

[Finger In Sam]

I sent this one to everyone at XM late last night, and a similar one to CBS (with references to being a subscriber changed to being a listener). I took some parts of the Wackbag "template" emails and combined them:


To Whom It May Concern,

My name is _____, I have been an XM subscriber for nearly 3 years, and currently have 3 subscriptions under my account.

While I am a fan of XM in general, the main reason why I am a customer is because of the Opie and Anthony Show. More importantly, I am a strong supporter of freedom of speech.

Because of this non-story that is developing, I realize you may get a strong reaction from those that want Opie and Anthony removed from your company's programming. Please stay strong and do not give in to these self serving, over reacting, uninformed special interest groups.

I listened to the controversial content when it aired, and like many, I was laughing at the absurdity of the comments. What was said were the ramblings of a deranged homeless man and were obviously spoken in an over-the-top, sarcastic tone. At no point did Opie, Anthony or any member of their staff condone or promote violence towards women. They were merely reacting to the ramblings of this man who was making the comments himself and in jest .

Most people who may protest are not subscribers. I however, am. I pay for your service and support your sponsors. If you cave into the demands of the few, I guarantee that you will lose the support of those of us who are actually using your service, including myself.

Sponsors will come back, dissatisfied customers will not.

Thank you for your time.

i did the same thing to the whole list of email adresses from the templates thread..also, i questioned audible.com about the removing of wednesday's show..and i got this bullshit faggity coward's response...

Dear Greg,

Thank you for contacting Audible.com. On its behalf, I would like to apologize for any inconvenience and I am most committed to satisfying and resolving your inquiry to the fullest of my abilities, for this issue.

I want to begin by offering my sincere apologies for the inconvenience and delay. In regards to the May 10th episode of Opie and Anthony, XM requested us to not send that episode on that date. We are expecting that this episode, as well as today’s, will be delivered sometime this afternoon so it could be delivered to all subscribers.

Regarding the episode from May 9th, however, I have forward this incident to my supervisor so he may further investigate why this episode was not added. Any information I may receive on this regard, I will make sure to alert you via e-mail.

We are aware how popular this show is and how upsetting a delay such like this one can be. It was not our intention to not have this show missing, but we needed to abide by the producer's request. Again, I am extremely sorry for this situation.



I hope I have met all your needs and requests, as it has been a pleasure assisting you today. In addition if my assistance provided to you as a customer was a positive experience, please fill out an E-Survey that may possibly be sent to your email address.

Also, as a valued member of Audible.com if you need further assistance, feel free to respond to my email, if you wish please provide me with a phone number and best time to reach you or you can contact us directly by phone as follow:

*Account, Billing Support, and Technical Support: 1.888.283.5051 Mon-Friday 9AM-10PM EST *Saturday 10AM-7PM EST
*For Self-Help visit us @: www.audible.com/helpcenter



Sincerely,
Lydia
Audible Customer Support.

Customer (Greg XXXX) 05/10/2007 10:44 PM
I do not have a subscription to the Opie and Anthony audio from audible.com, I do however download the show when I dont have a chance to listen the previous day/s. I have been away for the past 2 days, thus missing both shows, and I noticed that neither yesterday (may 9th) nor today (may 10th) is available for download. The most recent episode is the show from tuesday, may 8th. My question is when are the may 9th and may 10th episodes going to be available for download.
Thank you for your time
Greg XXXX




abide by the producer's request?!?! fat sex bagel?!?!

and the may 9th edition....it WAS up...

[habeasrob]

i emailed Neal Boortz

Neal,

I must respectfully disagree with your position on Opie and Anthony. I believe you are right, the end game here is eventually critics will claim to be offended by conservative thought, or conserative ideas will be labeled as hate speech, and they will try to force conservative or non-liberal talk show hosts off the air. But, by failing to defend Opie and Anthony, Imus, or worse, you give too much ground.

Eventually we must draw a line in the sand over freedom of speech. It seems that you would allow that line to be drawn perilously close to just political speech. I would prefer the line much further away. Additionally, I fear that by giving in now, or abandoning those on the forefront of the free speech arena, regardless of how you may personally be offended by it, you set a pattern and precedent of collapse in the face of criticism.

[VilleDick]

To Hugh Panero, Eric Logan, and Gary Parsons

Gentleman,

I've been an XM subscriber for 2.5 years and one of the main reasons I signed up was the Opie and Anthony show. I would like to emphasize I SIGNED UP for the service. Nobody is forcing me to listen to them. Do not take the cowardly way out like CBS and MSNBC did with Don Imus. They've apologized for the comments about Condi Rice and Laura Bush, that's all that needs to be done. As a subscriber I would like to see this company back Opie and Anthony and make a stand for uncensored unregulated talk that only satellite radio can bring.