SiriusXM’s decision to overhaul its stand-up comedy channel has sparked backlash from working comedians who say the change has wiped out a key source of income for performers outside the industry’s top tier.
In April, the satellite radio company replaced Channel 99, known as Raw Dog Comedy, with a new channel hosted by comedian Sebastian Maniscalco, called “Sebastian Maniscalco’s Comedy Radio.” Since then, comedians and an industry advocacy group have said the shift has sharply reduced airplay for hundreds of working stand-ups.
According to the advocacy group Stand Up for Stand Up, the number of comedians actively featured on the channel fell 66%, from 812 in April to 275 by September. More than 75% of plays now go to just the top 50 comedians on the channel.
The change matters financially because comedians typically earn royalties, around $15 per play, when their recorded sets air on satellite radio. Comedians removed from the rotation no longer collect those payments.
Veteran comedian Rich Vos, who has performed stand-up for 40 years and was previously among the 20 most-played comedians on Channel 99, said he spoke out on behalf of performers earlier in their careers who are more exposed to the loss of income.
“Everything in life breaks down to money, numbers and money. That’s what it breaks down to,” Vos told Fox News Digital.
“I had a great run with Sirius. I appreciate how much they played me, for how long they played me and, you know, but there’s a lot of comics that aren’t doing as well as I do,” he said. “I’ve been around for over 40 years. So, there’s comics that have been doing it five, 10 years and it’s tougher for them. These are the comics that are really getting hurt by this.”
Vos noted that stand-up comedians have no labor union to collectively push back against programming decisions like this one.
Stand Up for Stand Up says the fallout has hit what it calls the “middle class of comedy” — working performers who make a living from stand-up but aren’t household names, and who often live paycheck to paycheck.
Prominent comedians including Patton Oswalt and Michelle Wolf have publicly urged Maniscalco to help restore airplay for the affected comedians. In an Instagram video addressed directly to Maniscalco, Oswalt said:
“The fact that you and I still get to tour and still get to work and still get to be as funny as we are is because comedy right now is so dynamic and has so many new, young voices that are coming up. But 500 of them have been booted off of Sirius. I know you didn’t mean to do anything bad by doing it. You can easily reverse this decision. Get those young comedians back on the Sirius channel. Let them get those checks. Let them keep working.”
The channel’s new lineup leans on established names such as Chris Rock, Jim Gaffigan, Jamie Foxx, Whitney Cummings and Kevin Hart, along with archived recordings from late comedians including Joan Rivers and Bob Hope.
SiriusXM has said the decision to end Raw Comedy predated Maniscalco’s arrival and was based on the channel’s performance.
“We have been listening to comedians speak out this week and want to clarify that our decision to end Raw Comedy was due to the channel’s underperformance and came prior to Sebastian joining the SiriusXM lineup,” the company said in a statement. “While the challenges facing working comedians are bigger than any one person or decision, we remain committed, as we have for more than two decades, to making SiriusXM a place where comedians at every stage of their careers can be heard.”
Fox News Digital said it reached out to Maniscalco directly but was referred to SiriusXM’s statement.
Vos pushed back on the company’s explanation.
“I don’t know what underperformance [means]. Obviously, that means not enough people are listening to it,” Vos said. “I just know funny is funny, and if that’s your channel is to play funny, then maybe your marketing strategy is wrong… But funny’s funny, and that’s basically what a comedy channel is about, being funny.”
Maniscalco has also faced direct criticism over the changes. In an Instagram video posted Wednesday, he asked fellow comedians for patience while he works to broaden the channel’s roster.
“This goes out to all my fellow comedians – I want to let you know that I heard you, I support you, I love you. I know how hard the grind is. Believe me, I’ve been there,” he said, adding that he had “nothing to do with removing Raw Comedy from SiriusXM.”
“I just ask that you give me a little time, guys. I just got here and I need a little time to build out the channel. So I just want to let you know that I heard you and just give me some time and be patient and I think you’ll like the result. God bless everybody,” Maniscalco added.
In an earlier statement to Fox News Digital, SiriusXM said: “SiriusXM works together with our creative partners to program the best possible experience for our listeners. The launch of Sebastian Maniscalco’s Comedy Radio introduced a new creative direction and a regularly evolving programming mix for the channel, and SiriusXM continues to invest in comedians more than any other audio platform to deliver a wide range of comedy offerings across our channels.”
You must be logged in to post a comment Login