WOW Alert

We understand there are some local TV news directors out there concerned that XM Radio shock jocks Opie & Anthony are targeting a new WOW campaign (Whip it Out Wednesday) toward their remote news broadcasts.

The pair, banished from Infinity's New York station for a contest promoting sex in public places, has long encouraged listeners to get naked in arguably innappropriate places, including flashing truckers who are better left to concentrate on the family sedan in front of them, and a a notable breast-baring on the Today Show.

At press time, we could not independently confirm the concern, but in the wake of the FCC's crackdown on indecency, broadcasters have a low threshhold for surprise exposure to fines and possible license revocation.

We'll keep you posted, but newspeople may want to keep an eye out for people with trench coats, zip-up blouses, velcro closures, wrap-around skirts, kilts....

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.