The Virus (XM)

Infobox Radio Station
name = the ViRUS


area = United States, Canada
branding = xL the ViRUS
slogan = Spread the Virus
airdate = August 6, 2004 as High Voltage
November 20, 2006 as The Virus
frequency = XM202
SR197
DirecTV 879
Telus 202
format = Talk radio
class = Satellite Radio Station
owner = XM Satellite Radio
website = [http://www.xmradio.com/programming/channel_page.jsp?ch=202 the ViRUS]
callsign_meaning =

the ViRUS (formerly High Voltage from 2004—2006) is a hot talk channel on XM Satellite Radio. It is one of only two talk-based XM channels in stereo, the other being XM Public Radio.

The Virus is one of XM Satellite Radio's 9 xL channels, which include frequent explicit language. The Virus is XM's only talk channel that has the xL tag, the others being either music or comedy channels.

History

High Voltage (2004-2006)

Launch

The launch of the channel came the day after XM's 2004-08-05 announcement that they were hiring former Infinity Broadcasting talk radio personalities Opie and Anthony to be part of a subscription-only channel on XM. [cite press release |title=TALK RADIO STARS OPIE AND ANTHONY TO JOIN XM SATELLITE RADIO |publisher=XM Satellite Radio |accessdate=2007-10-29 |date=2004-08-05 |url=http://xmradio.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=press_releases&item=870] For two months, High Voltage repeatedly looped two different, 40-second announcements with no background music touting Opie and Anthony's return. At midnight ET on 2004-10-01, the loop was interrupted to air "Opie and Anthony: Ungagged".

The original channel name High Voltage was decided by one of XM's lawyers, despite them telling Opie and Anthony they had time to think of a name. The decision was made without consulting Opie or Anthony when XM decided to put out a press release that afternoon.

Opie and Anthony premiered on 2004-10-04 where their show ran from 6-10 AM ET, with replays throughout the day, and blocks of music at night which usually consisted of an active rock playlist. Due to technical restrictions on XM's master computer in Washington, D.C., no previously recorded show on XM is able to run past 12 AM ET. This was the main reason why High Voltage had to have "variety hours" and Worst of O&As airing at night time, due to the replays either ending at 10 PM or 11 PM ET. Up until early Spring 2005, the channel would run stand-up comedy bits during the commercial breaks. In the show's early days on XM, most of these bits were from George Carlin. Carlin's spots were so frequent it caused listener complaints. In March 2005, they moved their start and end time back an hour, beginning to air from 7-11 AM ET each weekday. This was done to encourage more west coast participation.

The end of the premium channel

Originally launched as a premium subscription channel, XM abandoned the premium charge in April 2005, making High Voltage a standard part of the XM platform. High Voltage became available to all XM subscribers, as did XM Radio Online. In exchange, XM increased the monthly rates of its subscribers. However, they offered a pre-payment plan beforehand that allowed subscribers to pay the same rate for a long-term period.

Ron and Fez arrive

For nearly eleven months, O&A were the only program on the channel. After their original show had ended, the replay of the show from that day would begin immediately after. On 2005-08-01, XM announced that they had signed talk-show hosts Ron and Fez, who worked with O&A at WNEW-FM years prior and were long-mentioned on the Opie and Anthony Show as O&A's best friends in radio. [cite press release |title=TALK RADIO PERSONALITIES RON AND FEZ TO JOIN XM SATELLITE RADIO |publisher=XM Satellite Radio |accessdate=2007-10-29 |date=2005-08-01 |url=http://xmradio.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=press_releases&item=779] On September 12, 2005, Ron and Fez began airing on channel 202 from 11am-2pm every weekday, beginning immediately after O&A end their program. Now, Ron and Fez air on channel 202 from Noon-3pm EST.

Since November 2005, XM 202 has been a part of the DirecTV Total Choice Plus package on channel 879. XM has rated the channel TV-MA L for DirecTV listings. However, shortly after Opie and Anthony returned to FM radio, DirecTV decided to remove the channel from their service, claiming they wanted to go "all music." Thanks to a series of listener complaints, DirecTV restored High Voltage to its lineup.

's that include color displays, Jim Norton's face was put on the display.

the ViRUS (2006-)

High Voltage was rebranded as the ViRUS on 2006-11-20 and remained on channel 202. The name is derived from the Opie and Anthony slogan 'Spread the Virus,' a reference to Viral Marketing. The launch featured a new channel logo as well as exposure on packaging of XM Radio products. In addition, some extra spots on the weekend were dedicated to new weekly shows, such as the "Razzle Dazzle Variety Hour," and the "Saturday Night Virus". [cite press release |title=XM ANNOUNCES NEW “OPIE & ANTHONY” WEEKEND PROGRAMMING |publisher=XM Satellite Radio |accessdate=2007-10-29 |date=2006-11-20 |url=http://xmradio.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=press_releases&item=1391] The latter is a weekly rotating slot featuring comedians and friends of the show. Weekend programs were not restricted to Saturday nights though, as "The Cosmic Circus" aired during a Ron and Fez weekend afternoon replay. Sometimes the Saturday Night Virus includes a second show, running it to 3:00 in the morning.

Opie and Anthony suspension

In May 2007, an Opie and Anthony audio byte appeared on the website Breitbart.tv, which had a clip of their show featuring a homeless man talking about how he would sexually abuse Condoleezza Rice, and the Queen of England. This clip soon made its way to the Drudge Report, and gained a lot of attention through news media outlets, as this was following the firings of CBS Radio peers Don Imus, and JV & Elvis. Opie and Anthony were not allowed to discuss the situation on the air, and continued their show. On May 15 2007, Opie and Anthony were suspended for 30 days for comments made on the previous days broadcast. [cite press release |title=XM Radio Suspends Opie & Anthony |publisher=XM Satellite Radio |accessdate=2007-05-16 |date=2007-05-15 |url=http://xmradio.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=press_releases&item=1452] The show could no longer be heard on XM, but it was still heard on the terrestrial outlets. The Virus turned into Ron and Fez every hour, every day, and the weekend programs were also suspended. The fans of the show were angered by this decision, and were calling XM to complain or cancel their subscriptions. Weeks later, XM began hyping up Opie and Anthony's return, and even abandoned the embargo on the show to run worst-of CBS show blocks four days before the live show returned. The show returned on time as promised, on 2007-06-15.

On 2007-09-23, the Virus added "Unmasked" to the weekend lineup. The show is hosted by Ron Bennington of Ron and Fez, as he interviews a comedian in front of an audience of their fans. The show runs every other Sunday at 2 p.m. ET, which will be an encore of the show's real premiere on XM Comedy Saturdays. Following the Sirius / XM merger, the ViRUS was added to Sirius on 2008-09-30 as part of it's "Best of XM" package and broadcasts on channel 197.

Weekday Programming

Weekend programs

*Opie & Anthony Worst of the week - A replay of parts of show from the week. Divided into two parts.
*Ron & Fez Best of the week - A replay of shows from the week. The Ron and Fez weekend replay schedule is set after the Friday show. See this [http://www.ronfez.net/messageboard/viewmessages.cfm/forum/46/topic/50637 RonFez.Net Thread] to see which day will be on what timeslot. Sometimes preempted for other O&A/R%F shows.
*Unmasked- A weekly show hosted by Ron Bennington (and occasionally Sonny Fox) that features in-depth interviews with comedians in front of an audience of fans. The show is similar in spirit to XM's music series, Artist Confidential. The show airs every other Sunday afternoons at 2 pm ET, which is an encore of the show's premiere on XM Comedy Saturdays.
*The Big City - A weekly hour long show hosted by Ron & Fez discussing the news and commentary of New York City during the past week.

Notable Saturday Night Virus shows

* Big Kev's Geek Stuff - Hosted by resident O&A show geek, Big Kev.
* Black Rock Coalition - Hosted by Ron and Fez producer Earl Douglas.
* Black Phillip - AKA Bitch Management, hosted by Patrice Oneal and a few friends.
* Brother Wease - Hosted by WCMF personality Brother Wease, and other personalities from his morning show in Rochester.
* The Lazlow Show - Hosted by tech host and Grand Theft Auto producer Lazlow.
* The Hideout - Hosted by El Jefe and J-Dubs
* CT and Jivin - Hosted by Corey Thompson and dump guy for O&A's K-Rock show Matt Jivin
* The Than and Sam Show - Hosted by O&A show producer Sam and former producer Than.
* Uninformed - Hosted by Bill Burr and Joe DeRosa.
* Vos & Bonnie - Hosted by Rich Vos and Bonnie McFarlane.
* Dee Dee's Basement - Hosted by former XM Kids personality Dee Dee Grucelski.
* Storytime with Francine - Hosted by former O&A intern Francine.
* Bob Kelly and Sometimes Colin Quinn - Hosted by comedian Robert Kelly, and rarely Colin Quinn co-hosts with him.
* Louis CK - Hosted by comedian Louis CK.
* Weird Medicine - Hosted by Dr. Steve and PA John.
* High Society Radio - Hosted by Pepper Hicks, Bronx Johnny, and Chris from Brooklyn
* The Secret Show - Hosted by a drunk Danny Ross, Co-hosted by a drunk Anthony Cumia.

Former programs

*Razzle Dazzle Variety Hour- Programming included "the Opie and Anthony Staff Musical Adventure Hour," "worst of the walks," and "when the mics are off."
*SModcast - Hosted by Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier. This was a rebroadcast of the podcast.

ee also

*XM Satellite Radio
*Opie and Anthony
*Ron and Fez

References

External links

* [http://www.xmradio.com/programming/channel_page.jsp?ch=202 the ViRUS]
* [http://www.sirius.com/thevirus the ViRUS (Sirius page)]