Why Comedy Radio Needs Room for Working Comedians

Hearing a comedian for the first time can start with a few minutes on the radio. You catch their name, look up another set, and find out they're playing near you. That first listen can become a ticket bought and a comedian you follow for years.

That's why the changes to SiriusXM's Raw Comedy channel matter to live comedy fans.

What changed

In April, SiriusXM replaced Raw Comedy with Sebastian Maniscalco's Comedy Radio, promoting a lineup built around comedy's biggest names. Now, comedians are speaking out about losing regular airplay and the royalty income that came with it.

Vulture reports that Stand Up for Standup counted 275 acts in the channel's September rotation, down from 812 in April. Its estimate puts 75% of plays with the top 50 acts. SiriusXM describes the change as a new creative direction.

Comedians are speaking out

Working comics who relied on that rotation for a share of their income haven't stayed quiet about it.

Comedian Liz Miele posted a video addressed directly to Maniscalco: "This video is for @sebastiancomedy. It hurt the middle. The road dogs, the people in the clubs every night pushing comedy forward. Bring Back Raw Dog."

Greg Stone posted his own video, titled "Sebastian Maniscalco Is Destroying Comedy," appealing to Maniscalco "as one Italian to another" to restore airplay for working comics.

And in his newsletter Funny How, comedian Matt Ruby wrote that the channel "is crushing middle class comedians who rely on payments from the company to pad income."

Two more comedians posted directly about it.

Gianmarco Soresi weighed in too, tagging his post #SiriusSebastian.

A first listen matters

A familiar name can persuade someone to tune in. A less familiar name can give them a reason to seek out a different show next weekend.

Comedy radio has room to do both. Regularly playing comedians who are still building an audience gives listeners something they might never have searched for themselves. It also helps working comics reach people beyond the cities they can afford to visit.

Airplay helps pay for the next show

Comedians speaking out describe radio royalties as an important part of their income. Touring comes with travel, accommodation and other costs before a performer gets home with any profit. For comics balancing shows with another job, time away can also mean wages lost or shifts rearranged.

An additional source of income can help make those dates viable. Losing it makes the next trip harder to justify, even when there are people who want to see the show.

This affects experienced club comedians as well as newcomers. A comic can have years of strong work behind them and still need help reaching an audience.

Give more comedians a chance to be heard

SiriusXM and its programming partners can use this channel to introduce listeners to a wider range of performers. We think that deserves a bigger place in the programming decision.

At LaughTrack, we support the comedians asking for broader airplay. Helping people find live comedy means giving them opportunities to discover names they don't already know.

How to help

Share the comedians' own accounts. Repost their explanations of what airplay meant to their work, with a link back to the original.

Tell SiriusXM what you value. Through its customer support channels, ask for regular airplay for emerging and working comedians. Mention it if radio has helped you discover someone you later saw live.

Support a comic you've just discovered. Buy a ticket, purchase an album directly where available, or join their mailing list. Recommend their work to someone who might enjoy it.

Give unfamiliar names a chance. Try a local showcase, arrive in time for the support acts, and look up the performers you enjoyed.

More comedians getting heard gives fans more reasons to go out and see comedy.