"Hey, did anyone listen to Opie and Anthony yesterday?"

3  2018-04-18 by Papalazarous

Has anyone ever said this to you in casual conversation in the last ten years? I have never met anyone in person that has brought up or heard of the show. I wasn't around when they were on terrestrial radio, but were they ever popular? Or just a fringe thing?

20 comments

1  butts_mckinley 2018-04-18

They were huge in 2001

1  TheBlueAwning 2018-04-18

  1. My dad said this.

1  ShaolinNY 2018-04-18

kike

1  MalcolmX_InTheMiddle 2018-04-18

High school

2004

Once

1  MawBTS1989 2018-04-18

They were the top show in their timeslot in 2002, but then came their firing and a three year layoff that they never really recovered from.

But most here would agree that "classic O&A" is boring and hack, and the 2005-2013 period is when the show was at its peak.

1  TurningFrogsGay 2018-04-18

They were the top show in their timeslot in 2002

This is something they've said over the years. This "they were taken out in their prime," narrative. The truth is the show on WNEW probably peaked in mid-late 2001, then was in a snag by the time they got fired in 2002. Still popular and syndicated to a bunch of major markets, but they had already started getting lazy.

Opie used to brag on XM about the WNEW listeners not noticing that they would as Artie says, "knock off early," most days. Nope, we noticed and the last few arbitron books can attest to it.

1  TheBlueAwning 2018-04-18

Not really.

The structure of the syndication deal paid them more money every year. They signed that deal in June 2001 and were fired in August 2002, so the rest of 02, all of 03 and 04 these dudes got paid more than they ever had to stay home.

1  TurningFrogsGay 2018-04-18

Where’s the conflict between that and what I said?

1  TheBlueAwning 2018-04-18

They really didn't start making bank until they were fired. They've always been lazy but I doubt they were "rich" in August 2002. I've been to both Op's & Ant's rentals. You aint rich if you're renting an apartment.

1  ShaolinNY 2018-04-18

kike

1  ShaolinNY 2018-04-18

kike

1  thats-the-bit 2018-04-18

Kike

1  ShaolinNY 2018-04-18

kike

1  ShaolinNY 2018-04-18

kike

1  NortheastPhilly 2018-04-18

I still ask people that all the time

1  Thelonius16 2018-04-18

In 1995, one person said to me: “you might like these guys on AAF. They are assholes.”

No one has ever mentioned them to me in person since then.

1  Barnes_Barnes 2018-04-18

Once on an unrelated message board in 2008 I posted a casual question: Who do you listen to, Stern or O & A?

I got one reply and this guy said Jason Ellis, whom I wasn't even aware of at the time.

1  BonesMalone2 2018-04-18

My dad used to mention seeing wow written in the dirt on the back of trucks in New York..... Said it was related to some radio show.

1  just_lou 2018-04-18

Heard it quite often in the WNEW era.

1  bry03cobra 2018-04-18

The best time period of OnA was XM before they moved to Sirius