OPIE & ANTHONY IN FOR ROTH David Hinckley – New York Daily News CBS officials were about the only people in radio yesterday not saying that XM Radio's Opie and Anthony will replace David Lee Roth on seven CBS morning shows, including flagship WFNY (92.3 FM) here.
A deal will be announced soon for Opie and Anthony to do a split shift: a three-hour simulcast on CBS and XM, 6-9 a.m., that will comply with FCC content guidelines, and then two hours just for unregulated XM, where the profanity and graphic content often soar past FCC limits, according to Billboard Radio Monitor and other sources.
CBS spokeswoman Karen Mateo yesterday said the company had no comment on these reports, and XM officially said the same. Other sources within XM suggested the deal, rumored for weeks and noted this week in the trade sheet Inside Radio, could be imminent.
Arbitron ratings for January-March come out Wednesday. They are likely to show Roth in a deep trough since he took on the herculean task of replacing Howard Stern in January.
Bringing in Opie and Anthony would be "a big win for everyone," said Paul Heine of Billboard Radio Monitor. "It gives XM major visibility. It gives Opie and Anthony a bigger audience. And CBS can cut bait on a train wreck and bring in a show that people have already voted for."
Opie and Anthony were a big hit on WNEW, which is also a CBS station, before they were taken off the air in August 2002 following the infamous "Sex in St. Pat's" incident.
Opie and Anthony have said little on the air about the current reports, though they have been hinting big news is coming.
Anthony Cumia yesterday took a swipe at their rival, Stern, saying, "I wonder how he'll try to spin this."
WFNY switched to the "Free-FM" talk format after Stern left, and CBS officials have said all along it needs time to develop.
"It's not fair to judge any show after one ratings book," said Heine yesterday. "Although, that said, I think it's fair to say the Roth show isn't working."
Roth has broadly hinted on-air he expects to be gone soon. |