Is This The Last Week For Opie And Jim Norton?

When Anthony Cumia got fired by SiriusXM, his longtime partners Greg "Opie" Hughes and comedian Jim Norton could not leave with him because they were under contract to the satellite radio provider and faced massive financial penalties if they just walked away.

Now, however, the end of that contract is near and there has been nothing from either the hosts or SiriusXM to suggest what will happen.

It's possible the end of the deal simply means that Opie with Jim Norton goes off the air, but it's also possible the pair continues without a contract or even that a new deal can be reached.

Opie and Jim's contracts expire October 1, so, if the end of the deal means the end of the show, this could be their last week on the air.

In recent weeks Opie has been quiet about his contract status but he did mention previously that no negotiations were taking place and that they would have already started if the company intended to keep the show.

That's generally true, but there have been some signs that SiriusXM is interested in keeping thing as they are.

Though the company was obligated to pay Norton and Opie, it did not have to keep the show on the air.

SiriusXM has also made some investment, albeit minor, in the channel where Opie and Jim air, adding some trial programming featuring comedians well-known to the Opie and Anthony audience.

Though Opie would most likely prefer to reunite with Cumia, he may not have the option to do that as his former partner has found success with his own subscription-based show, which he has said he wants to do on his own.

Cumia, whose new program airs in the afternoon, has left open the idea he would put O&A back together if a morning opportunity arose.

For now, with no obvious suitors for Opie and Jim, it might make sense for them and SiriusXM to simply stay together.

That makes sense, but it's also possible this is the last week for the pair and that their next home, with or without Cumia, has yet to be decided.