Bobby Anthony

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 team with Hughes to host their own show. The first incarnation of the show was a three-year stint in afternoons at WAAF in Boston, from March 1995. After an April Fools' Day prank that led to their firing, Hughes and Cumia relocated to afternoons at WNEW in New York City in 1998. 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 became 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 ended after SiriusXM abruptly fired Cumia for a series of racist tweets. Cumia started his own show, The Anthony Cumia Show, while Hughes and Norton remained at SiriusXM to host Opie with Jim Norton. In 2016, the pair split to pursue their own shows on SiriusXM. Hughes was fired from SiriusXM in 2017, and pursued his own podcast.