Opie and Anthony: Shock Jocks Go Too Far

Widely considered to be the most over-the-top radio personalities on the air today, Opie and Anthony consistently push the term "shock radio" to new levels with their intentionally offensive and lewd bits. They are the offspring of a generation of cutting edge radio, led almost unchallenged by Howard Stern and occasionally spiced by Imus, Don and Mike, and some other lesser known acts. However, in a country based on the foundation of the separation of church and state, Opie and Anthony are learning just how inter-related church and state really are.

After two of their listeners engaged in sexual intercourse in a vestibule of St. Patrick’s Cathedral during a service and the act was recorded by a station correspondent for the Opie and Anthony show, the duo have been removed from the air by Infinity Broadcasting, pending an investigation. The Catholic Church was the driving force behind their removal and a group of over 350,000 Catholics is now pushing for the revocation of the station’s broadcasting license.

Clearly, the entertainment radio industry is bursting at the seems with disc jockey personalities that are willing to put it all on the line in exchange for some major publicity and with the thinking that some stations will eventually put their acts on the air, as long as people are willing to listen. That is exactly what has transpired in this particular event – Opie and Anthony knew very well that their antics were going to meet with great resistance and probably calls for their removal. But their faith in the public’s lust for the lewd and crude is strong, and it will be very interesting to see just how long they are off the air and just what the Catholic Church and other religious groups are going to do to ensure that they do not defame places of worship in the future.