Anthony Cumia's First Comments on Opie and Jim Norton Continuing His Show Without Him

On Tuesday, Gregg "Opie" Hughes and Jim Norton announced they will continue the "Opie and Anthony Show" on Sirius XM, without longtime partner Anthony Cumia. Cumia was fired from Sirius XM last week. The company cited a series of profane tweets that Cumia posted following an altercation with an African-American woman in Times Square last week, as the reason for the firing.

Since that time, fans of the show have been up in arms, speculating about the future of the show, and protesting Sirius XM. A petition was started to reinstate Cumia on the show, Sirius XM headquarters in New York were picketed early Monday morning, and users began posting images of their closed Sirius XM accounts after they unsubscribed on social media. 

There was also speculation Hughes and Norton would leave Sirius XM to show their support for Cumia. However, their contractual obligations keep them with the show until October:

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Hughes confirmed the show would return next Monday, 

As for Cumia, he will be returning to the airwaves as well. In an exclusive phone interview with The Wire, Anthony Cumia shed some light on his future in radio. He confirmed that the "Live From the Compound Show" that previously aired from his home will continue and become his primary outlet. "I'm getting the Live From the Compound Show up and running, handling some logistics stuff and getting the stuff together. In the meantime, I'll be putting out a couple promos. I'm definitely ready. Hoping to air the first week of August." 

Many of show's fans who canceled their Sirius XM plans, have said they would be happy to pay Cumia directly for a new radio show or podcast. (The "Opie and Anthony Show" was only available to Sirius XM customers who paid extra for premium channels.) Having confirmed he will continue with a radio show, Cumia does not yet have a price set for his show, "I haven't figured any of [the cost] out yet, I'm still talking with a lot of people about what platform to use and what the cost will be. I can guarantee it'll be less than Sirius XM." 

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Though the details of his show are not yet established, Cumia is thankful for the reaction from his fans, "I love all the support. It really is refreshing to see in this business. I think they're making an impact. They're making their voices heard, that is absolutely great. They're displeased with what happened and letting the powers that be know that with their dollars." 

As for Hughes and Norton continuing the show without him, Cumia gave them his blessing, "I understand the position they've been put in, I love those guys. I completely get it." 

Cumia also hopes to work with the other staff of the "Opie and Anthony Show" in the future, including Sam Roberts, Roland Campos, Sal Gallassio, and Erik Nagel, although he confirmed that they also continue to be employed by Sirius XM. "I'm sure [the staff] will have jobs still. I can't see them getting thrown out of there because of an out-of-context reading of tweets. But look, if they're made available at some point, I'd love to work with them. They're all really great."

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While the show will take on new life, it seems obvious that Cumia will not be returning to Sirius XM. As for the name of show, it is unclear whether it will change to the "Opie and Jim Show" or remain the "Opie and Anthony Show." Sirius XM did not immediately reply to request for comment.

This article was originally published at http://www.thewire.com/business/2014/07/anthony-cumia-breaks-his-silence-on-opie-and-jim-norton-continuing-his-show-without-him/374086/

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