What am I missing with the re-signing?
10 2014-09-30 by Ptone79
SXM has treated the show like crap ever since the merger. Even before, they were almost fired due to the Homeless Charlie show because XM were worried about the merger. Since then they have been lowballed in every contract, not allowed to do the events they wanted to, been restricted on talking about Howard and dealing with getting his leftovers as guests, and had to move from a great studio to the closet they are in now. They've lost staff members and weren't able to allow others on the air. In the end SXM fires one of the hosts which erases 20 years of name recognition. After all of this they decide to continue with the company?
I just don't understand how this was their best option. I can't see anything changing. Howard's still there and will continue to get all of the attention. O with J will keep falling into obscurity with all of the other talk shows on the platform.
Maybe Opie just couldn't turn down the prospect of finally being in complete control of his show. Ant has proven that it is possible to make something happen outside of SXM and was open to doing something with them in the mornings. I also don't believe for a second that there is a possibility that he can come back to SXM. I don't know if Opie and Jim believe that or are they just saying it to make the fans feel better. Either way I was holding out hope that they would try something different or Jim would at least try to join Ant's show. In the end I will stop paying attention to this show and focus on podcasts and TACS.
44 comments
23 brettsd 2014-09-30
Answer: they don't care. They don't care about the quality of the show. They don't care about getting shafted by management. They don't care about their integrity. They care about the money. I'm not even insulting them or judging them I'm simply stating a fact: like millions of other people and their jobs, they are doing it for the money.
3 Ptone79 2014-09-30
That is likely the best answer. I guess from the years of listening to them I was hoping they were more than a couple of radio hacks that actually wanted to entertain people.
13 jakdak 2014-09-30
You are missing that Opie is a married father of two and would rather cash the easy paycheck than actually put on an entertaining show or go take a risk elsewhere.
8 freshmozz 2014-09-30
I don't care how much 'fuck you money' the Opester has. I can't see most women, especially ones with a newborn, being glad their husband left his only job. Especially if the husband is a no-talent, balding beach shitter like Opie is.
1 MrKrinkel 2014-09-30
You think that's part of his title?
1 freshmozz 2014-09-30
Unless you can get a PhD in poop?
3 MrKrinkel 2014-09-30
I'm sure you can get a degree is Scatology. It'd be perfect for Ol' Candy Kid. Though that would imply some level of intelligence
-1 Higher_Primate 2014-09-30
He should be able to retire by now. Guess he hasn't been wise with his money
5 shutyourgob 2014-09-30
He invested in a film co-directed by Richard Vos. That's a smart move.
1 [deleted] 2014-09-30
He's like 55. Maybe he doesn't want to retire yet.
11 kgt5003 2014-09-30
I think you are expecting to much of a principled stand or any sort of artistic integrity out of these guys. They are being offered amazing money to work 20 hours a week (give or take). If SiriusXM told them that they have to do a show where they do nothing but talk about birds they would sign the contract if the numbers were right.
7 jakdak 2014-09-30
They got it down to 15 hours a week on the new contract.
6 kgt5003 2014-09-30
Yeah but are you counting the "some Fridays?!" I'm sure "some Fridays" will be almost every Friday unless something is going on, right?!
2 jakdak 2014-09-30
That's why I made it 15 instead of 3 1/2 x 4 = 14
2 kgt5003 2014-09-30
Ahh so you are throwing the extra hour to them to account for how many Fridays they will likely work. I got ya. That's probably a fair, if not over, estimation of what it will be.
3 PrinceCharmin 2014-09-30
Yeah, that will fill the channel well 24/7.
LOL.
2 Ptone79 2014-09-30
Not as much as a stand or integrity, just for them to realize they will always be treated like shit at this company and try something new.
3 kgt5003 2014-09-30
But is there or was Opie exaggerating shit on air? Since Ant has been fired he said "I know we bitch a lot about management on air but they actually treat is really well here!"
4 Ptone79 2014-09-30
The big things like Ant getting fired happened. If it's truly gotten better since that then maybe they have hope but I think Opie has just started playing nice so he could keep his job and run his own show.
7 kgt5003 2014-09-30
Well then Opie is lying now more so than before. I believe that is possible. Opie is the guy who started the whole "Honest Radio" thing though. Basically he is just exposing himself as a fraud. All along he just wanted to cash an easy check and he used his platform on-air to trash his company as a tool for leveraging their contract negotiations.
1 Ptone79 2014-09-30
I believe you are correct. Add this lie to the one about Ant being able to come back one day and he has all the justification he needs to continue at SXM.
1 brettsd 2014-09-30
They realize it...they just don't care
6 shlomowaway 2014-09-30
In mr. Norton's own words: they're a bunch of whiny, snivelling, grovelling spineless worms.
3 SteelyD80 2014-09-30
Quite a bit of money to work like 15 hours a week right by where you live.
2 DiscoInferiorityComp 2014-09-30
That you think you know the details of their other options?
1 Ptone79 2014-09-30
As far as I know they had no other offers but they could have made their own. Ant proved it was possible. I know signing was the easy option but I don't see it advancing their careers on that platform.
2 triit 2014-09-30
On a piece of paper, write a dollar sign, then 7 digits (that's two commas), and see how hard it is for you to say no. It's disappointing, but understandable...
0 sk00ks 2014-09-30
I just tried this, it was so easy dude what are you talking about
1 ZombieKetchup 2014-09-30
I can't wait for the day there is a TACS cruise and Opie is still content with his deep tracks and Jim Florentine.
Cruises? What am I 9? If I want to see water I'll just go take a shower. Notice I didn't say baths because I'm not 3.
1 LalahComplex 2014-09-30
Now, if the issue with the last cruise is that SiriusXM wanted money from O&A to do the cruise, why would Anthony do a cruise when he has no company offering money and also likely can't carry the insurance that would be required to throw such an event
1 ZombieKetchup 2014-09-30
Anthony has made mention of the idea since leaving Sirius. From my understanding they had something figured out where it wouldn't end up costing the company money. They would of probably like allot of radio stations do for cruise concert weekends. Find a ship, Get sponsers and pretty much reserve all the rooms on the ship for fans who in turn buy those rooms at a probably higher than regular cruise cost.
Ant might not be able to do it now but I believe if his popularity rises and he syncs up with someone like maybe Rogan or other comedians they'd have no problem selling out a ship
1 LalahComplex 2014-09-30
I hope it happens, I'm way behind on Ant's show so I hadn't heard he was mentioning it
1 occult91 2014-09-30
whats that? oh ship not chip
1 LalahComplex 2014-09-30
This whole "not able to do the events they wanted" argument is kinda bullshit. The issue is the company doesn't want to fork out money to pay for events because they don't think/see there will be a big return and they don't care who listens to what show.
So if they go out on their own, there is still no money for events, because imo I don't see either O&AorJ laying out their own money for work
2 Ptone79 2014-09-30
I was mostly talking about the cruise. Ant said they needed to pay SXM money so they could do it. I doubt Howard paid for his BDay party.
1 CapAnson 2014-09-30
It's money.. they got a raise.. and no better offers.. they can't very well truck it out to Ant's house every day.
0 Drunken_Wizard23 2014-09-30
I just wrote this in another thread, but as Jim explained, he got offered a 30% raise, and Ant expressed no interest in working together again. Who could blame them?
2 DuckSpeaker_ 2014-09-30
You have spread this bullshit in like 3 threads so far, and it just isn't true.
https://twitter.com/AnthonyCumia/status/488604055233495040
https://twitter.com/AnthonyCumia/status/488614402929614849
0 Drunken_Wizard23 2014-09-30
Last week Jim responded to criticism from people on twitter for not joining TACS. He said something to the effect of "Why don't I just drive out to Long Island every day, even though he never asked me to."
1 Ptone79 2014-09-30
Ant said he was open to working with them again. He also said he wanted Jimmy if he didn't re-sign. That was a few weeks ago after one of Jim's appearances before it was apparent they were staying with SXM.
2 gsbird1065 2014-09-30
But it was always apparent that they were staying with SiriusXM.
You had to be delusional to think any other outcome was possible.
0 Ptone79 2014-09-30
Why is it delusional to think they may try something else when Opie was saying he was done from the day after they signed the last one? He only stopped talking about leaving once Ant got fired. I now know he saw the opportunity to do the show himself and took it. It would be nice to hear him say that than pretending that SXM will rehire Ant one day.
1 Drunken_Wizard23 2014-09-30
Well maybe he just forgot to bring it up to Jimmy himself then.
1 Ptone79 2014-09-30
Maybe, but he did say it on the show. Like everybody else I have no clue what was said off air