So: Now with the prospect of Jim and Sam in the morning, I'm thinking of renewing my sub to Sirius XM. One reason for this is because Opie is no longer involved with the lineup, but the other is because I always though thatt Sam was the young, "hip" (note quotation marks) voice on the show that stopped these over-middle-aged broadcasters from sounding like completely irrelevant dinosaurs to younger (under 50 years old) listeners.

Jim is completely out of touch with modern culture, much to his stubborn pride; so was Opie, but mostly because Op is a goddamn idiot that was never "with it" to start. Anthony must have stopped paying attention to popular culture around 1980. While Sam is a bit of a spaz, with his obsession with wrestling and all, he also pays attention to and interacts with the culture and world around him. He's not futzing over how to use the computer or cuing up the right clip online; his references aren't 30+ years old; he doesn't embarrassingly misunderstand basic concepts that are familiar to people under 40; and in general, he's a younger, fresher voice on the radio than any of the former 3 hosts have been in a long time.

Since Jim's a worm, he's heavily influenced by the people around him, particularly when he's being led by them. Opie was a rudderless moron who couldn't steer a conversation; Anthony was funny but directionless, and (again) out-of-touch with the modern world. Sam can steer a conversation and keep it relevant and (unlike Opie) funny. Also, Sam's 2 years younger than me, so he's a hell of a lot more relatable to me than any of the other guys.

So with Jim as the funny one and Sam as the competent, relevant host, this outfit might actually turn the tide and make these people fun to listen to again. I may even pay for it again, if this turns out to be true.