Exclusive: SiriusXM redacts its statement on viral Raw Dog comedy The debacle comes amid an ongoing decline with online comics.
A spokesperson told Deadline in an exclusive statement, “SiriusXM has proudly supported the comedy community, and we’re hearing comedians speak out this week. Our decision to end Raw Comedy was due to the poor performance of the channel and came before Sebastian joined the SiriusXM lineup. While the challenges facing working comedians are bigger than any one person or decision, we remain committed, as we have been to SiriusXM and Sebastian for more than two decades.” Maniscalo is working to make Comedy Radio a place where comedians can be heard at every stage of their careers.
It is not yet clear what steps SiriusXM will take to address the issue brought to their attention by the working and middle class comics community.
Interestingly, while the debate over SiriusXM ignited on social platforms earlier this week, it is related to a decision the satellite radio provider announced in April.
We had news that SiriusXM would be replacing Raw Dog Comedy, a long-running channel on its subscription service, with Sebastian Maniscalco’s Comedy Radio, a 24/7 branded channel.
As many, including nonprofits, later argued stand up for stand upThis evolution of SiriusXM’s comedy programming quietly took away a reliable source of revenue for many comics who needed it most. Whereas Raw Dog gave airtime to a broad base of stand-up, which resulted in residuals, what happened on the new channel is a concentration of airtime among the industry’s upper echelons of comics – living and dead – which has driven out many others.
Describing SiriusXM’s move as “devastating”, comedian Liz Mille said, “Because of this action, hundreds of comedians will no longer be able to receive these royalties. Working-class comedians, people who only make money on the street, who have no safety net, who depend on this money to survive, no longer have that money.”
Perhaps, he argued, Maniscalco was at first unaware of the rebrand’s impact on the broader comedy community. “But now you know, and you can help us. You can fix it. We’d love to rejoin the channel and get the streams and plays we were getting before you took it over.”
SiriusXM’s statement reflects their view that Maniscalco is catching fire in a situation that was not of his own making, and which he does not deserve. Read our original story on the Raw Dog comedy debacle here; Stay tuned for SiriusXM’s next moves.