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- Opie and Anthony was an American radio show hosted by Gregg "Opie" Hughes and Anthony Cumia that aired from March 1995 to July 2014, with comedian Jim Norton serving as third mic from 2001. The show originated in 1994 when Cumia took part in a song parody contest on Hughes' nighttime show on WBAB on Long Island, New York. After subsequent appearances, Cumia decided to pursue a radio career and teamed with Hughes to host their own show. The show began with a three-year stint in afternoons at WAAF in Boston. In 1998, after an April Fools' Day prank led to their firing, Hughes and Cumia relocated to afternoons at WNEW in New York City. They gradually reduced the amount of music and adopted a talk format, incorporating "shock jock" humor and regular appearances by stand-up comedians. The show became the highest rated afternoon show in New York City, and was nationally syndicated from 2001 to a peak of 17 stations. In August 2002, the show was cancelled for a controversial incident during their annual Sex for Sam contest. Infinity Broadcasting kept the hosts off the air for two years, preventing them from being hired elsewhere. In October 2004, Opie and Anthony returned to the air in mornings on the uncensored subscription-based XM Satellite Radio from New York City. From April 2006 to March 2009, the first half of the show was simulcast on as many as 24 terrestrial radio stations owned by CBS Radio and Citadel Broadcasting. On July 3, 2014, the show abruptly ended after SiriusXM fired Cumia for posting "racially-charged and hate-filled remarks" on social media. Cumia started his own show, The Anthony Cumia Show, and Hughes and Norton remained at SiriusXM and hosted Opie with Jim Norton until 2016, when the pair split pursue their own shows. In 2017, Hughes was fired from SiriusXM for filming an employee as he used the toilet. (en)
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