The Opie & Anthony gag order (part 1)

April 4, 2000:

The genesis of the gag order that Howard Stern placed on Opie and Anthony when they both worked for Infinity Broadcasting. This is Opie & Anthony ruining the surprise concert that Howard was to announce on K-Rock the next morning.

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HNozWJmMMo

New York Post

Wednesday, July 12, 2000

HOWARD HAS HIS RADIO RIVALS GAGGED

By John Mainelli

Radio blabbermouth Howard Stern has gotten fellow shock jocks to do something totally out of character - shut up.

The entire staff of rowdy new talk station WNEW - FM (102.7) is banned from even uttering Howard's name - because Stern whined to top management and threatened to quit over "copycats" and "dirty tricks", The Post has learned.

WNEW is owned by Infinity Broadcasting, the same company that owns K-Rock (92.3), the flagship for Stern's wildly popular - and hugely profitable - syndicated wakeup show.

Stern's main beef is with Opie and Anthony, NEW's fast-rising, risque duo. He got especially angry in April, when Opie and Anthony blew the whistle on a much-touted "surprise" rock concert announcement Stern was to make the next morning.

Without naming names, a furious Stern delivered an on-air ultimatum (I offered my resignation") and protested to top bosses.

The gag order is strictly enforced by censors operating digital delay machines.

"We've all been told that nobody can mention other [company] shows, especially one of them," said Ron, of NEW's new night-side Ron and Fez team. "We can talk about Opie and Anthony, because they don't care and they won't panic.

But there's one especially that we can't talk about."

Callers, too, can't talk about Howard. Midday producer "Butchy" recently had to stifle Leslie "The Radio Chick" Gold when a caller tried to discuss Stern, warning that "the corporate suits" forbid it.

Howard also isn't talking about his rivals.

"They're dying to get some attention from me." Stern said on the air. "The imitators like to bash me - 'We're the young guys. We're the new guys. We're the future.'

"You're the future of what? You've got me down even to the way I talk. It's like the Howard Stern Handbook."

Neither Stern nor Opie & Anthony would comment on the gag order.

Stern has a reason to fear his rivals. Opie & Anthony are No. 1 with men in the lucrative afternoon drive time - and could threaten Stern if they moved to mornings.

"If they were to go up against him, it would force him to do what he should have done years ago," says Michael Harrison, publisher of Talkers Magazine.

"And that is to begin moving away from the strippers and lesbians and turn his genius toward communicating with an older, more sophisticated audience...[Opie & Anthony] are much better at talking to goofballs than he is."

Category:

Comedy

Tags:

• Opie
• Anthony
• Howard
• Stern
• gag
• order

[Dionysus187]

lol there is no defense. He's a fucking puss and had a gag order put on them. It's a lose/lose scenario when it comes ot how Howard came off doing it. Either OnA were an actual threat to his success so he had to take drastic measures opposed to making sure he had the better show. Or OnA are shit and he had to get a gag order for a shit show because said shit show was actually doing damage to his 'empire' which just goes to show its a shitty empire to begin with.

[indianajoe219]

I'm so glad this happened to Stern for all of the bullshit he pulled behind the scenes on the boys. Fuck him!!!!!!!!!!

[Dnize24]

Don't know too much about O&A but it seems like they spend alot of time nagging on Howard and his show.

[kennyd722]

This is old stuff but Howards show has been sucking since Artie left, I wasnt a huge Artie fan but its just a fact. Howards show has gone way down hill... And O&A are still funny

[KingEyebrow]

I think he put a gagging order on them coz their obsessed with him he's scared their gonna try and take his skin

[bee4010]

Why are they so consumed with howard and his show? I've listened to howards show for a while and haven't heard him mention these dicks!

[pguest1080]

gregg "opie" and anthony and skinhead show is morning zoo boring wack radio. it's boring. boring. boredom radio.

[DiaperRash38]

@EricLynchSucks Damn! You got me

[m62flyover98]

This is great, but man Opie stumbled that big moment. "The Stone Temple Playioaoa uhhhhh the stone temple pilots are gonna play..." And then he does it again the second time. "The Stone Temple Playlots uhhhh"

[m62flyover98]

@madmike1971 lol you're an idiot. Anything to think they aren't as funny as they are. How pathetic ;)

[EricLynchSucks]

@DiaperRash38 Bill Donahue is this you?!