On May 15 XM Satellite Radio hosts Gregg “Opie” Hughes and Anthony Cumia of The Opie & Anthony Show were suspended because of comments made by a guest that advocated raping Condoleezza Rice, Laura Bush and the queen of England. Listeners might draw an immediate comparison between this case and Don Imus’ firing, but there is a major twist that makes this story different. As with Imus, advertisers are pulling their ads, but they are doing so in protest of the hosts’ suspension.

The statements of Opie & Anthony’s guest were undeniably offensive, but they were broadcast on a subscription-only service and were on a station that is clearly defined as having adult content. Although Opie & Anthony’s guest and Imus made offensive statements on the air, Imus was on traditional broadcast television, where he is subject to Federal Communications Commission scrutiny. Opie & Anthony were on satellite radio, which is not subject to FCC scrutiny, and on a station that is clearly defined as having mature content. XM knew what kind of humor Opie & Anthony use. It is like getting upset to find sex on the Playboy Channel.

Like CBS did with Imus, XM has the right to suspend Opie & Anthony, regardless of hypocrisy, but advertisers and consumers have a far greater influence on XM because it is subscription based. Unfortunately, because the cancellation is so recent, there is no evidence as to how many XM users have canceled their service.

But fans of the show have started a grassroots Internet campaign against XM. FightXM.com and peopleagainstcensorship.org are the two biggest sites taking up this fight. Imus never received this kind of support, and there was no backlash against CBS like there has been against XM.

Neither the statements of Imus nor Opie & Anthony are easily defendable, but I think that the reason Opie & Anthony’s audience and advertisers were so quick to come to the show’s defense is that it is clearly in the name of humor — perhaps a misplaced, disturbing brand of humor, but humor nonetheless. Their show is a forum where their guests can make statements like this. Imus’ comments did not come during his own show to his regular audience. This is not an excuse for what either of them said, but it is an explanation why Opie & Anthony are receiving so much support.

The Opie & Anthony Show, and its guests, have the right to say what they want on air because their listeners know what kind of content was part of their show and choose to listen to it. Not only do listeners choose to pay for XM service, they have to consciously seek out the show.

These cases are hard to reconcile with each other. Both of them involve radio personalities being fired or suspended for very offensive statements, but the reaction has been completely different. Advertisers and listeners are backing Opie & Anthony and even going as far to cancel their XM subscriptions. XM gave the hosts a segregated space meant for mature listeners, and they should not be punished for using that space.

Columns represent the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Post.