Stern Seiged by O&A Army at Letterman Appearance

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Stern Seiged By O&A Army at Letterman Appearance / Foundrymusic.com

By Ian Rice
Arts and Lifestyle Editor


Radio talk show host Howard Stern was bombarded by banners and chants supporting rival broadcasters Greg "Opie" Hughes and Anthony Cumia (commonly known as Opie and Anthony) as he attempted to enter the Ed Sullivan Theater Thursday afternoon. Stern, who was there to tape a segment for that evening's "Late Show with David Letterman," barely stepped out of his car before the legion of Opie and Anthony fans (affectionately known as the O&A Army) pounced.


Banners, signs and loud shouts were abound as Stern attempted to speak to the limited number of press before entering the building. But as the O&A Army managed to infiltrate the news broadcasts as well, Stern quickly disappeared into the Ed Sullivan Theater, safely hidden from the taunting fans of his rivals.


Stern was appearing on the Letterman program to promote his upcoming move to the Sirius satellite radio platform. Opie and Anthony joined competing provider XM last November, marking the first time a large comedy-based talk program took their act to satellite radio. According to the company's Head of Programming Eric Logan, XM Satellite Radio currently outshines Sirius in subscription numbers by a margin of two-to-one. While industry insiders once predicted that Stern's signing would boost Sirius' subscription rate enough to seriously rival its competitor, it seems now predictions have changed in light of a somewhat lukewarm public reaction to the shock jock's move.


Stern made no comment about the seige on his appearance during his broadcast this morning, leaving many wondering what happened to his once-agressive stance against his rivals. Speaking of which, Opie and Anthony discussed the incident at length during their morning drive program.




"The Opie and Anthony Show" airs nationally every weekday on XM 202, 7AM - 11AM. Replays follow throughout the day.


"The Howard Stern Show" airs every weekday, 6AM - 10AM on WXRK-FM in New York City, NY.