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Sebastian Maniscalco’s new SiriusXM Comedy Radio channel has led to criticism from fellow comedians who claim it has reduced airtime for hundreds of lesser-known performers by about 66%, according to Stand Up for Stand Up data shared with XMPlaylist. The group reports that while the number of distinct comics playing on Raw Comedy was 812 in April, this dropped to just 275 in September despite similar overall play counts. Comedians like Liz Miele and Greg Stone are calling for SiriusXM to restore the original channel, arguing that the change has significantly impacted revenue for working comedians who rely on royalties from airplay.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-06,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
In April, SiriusXM replaced its long-running Raw Comedy channel with Sebastian Maniscalco’s Comedy Radio. Critics argue that this change has squeezed hundreds of working comedians out of a lucrative source of royalties. According to data from XMPlaylist provided by Stand Up for Stand Up, the number of distinct comics receiving spins on SiriusXM dropped from 812 in April to 275 in September—a 66% decline—while the overall monthly plays remained roughly constant. Comedians like Liz Miele and Greg Stone are calling on Maniscalco and SiriusXM to reverse the decision, stating that it has shifted airplay towards more well-known performers. The loss of airtime is particularly harmful for comedians who rely on royalties from these broadcasts during lean periods between tours.
Written for “Sebastian Maniscalco Controversy” on 2026-10-06,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.35, but 1 quote(s) could not be found in the article and the other 1 are attributed speech rather than the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 60950: no verified evidence · logged 2026-10-06
Sebastian Maniscalco is taking heat from fellow comedians over his SiriusXM comedy channel, which critics say has squeezed hundreds of working stand-ups out of a lucrative source of royalties.
asserted
critics → take → royalties
SiriusXM replaced its long-running Raw Comedy channel in April with Sebastian Maniscalco’s Comedy Radio, a 24/7 channel the satellite-radio giant has described as “curated and headlined” by the arena-filling comic.
asserted
giant → replace → comic
Now, comedians including Liz Miele and Greg Stone are calling on Maniscalco and SiriusXM to reverse course, arguing the revamped channel has sharply concentrated airplay among better-known performers.
asserted
channel → include → performers
Stand Up for Stand Up, an advocacy group for comedians, says data supplied by XMPlaylist shows the number of distinct comics receiving spins plunged from 812 in April to 275 in September — a drop of roughly 66% — even as the overall number of monthly plays remained in roughly the same range.
asserted
number → stand → range
“The problem is,” Miele said in an Instagram video, “Raw went from playing 800 working class comedians to now playing less than 300 celebrity comedians like Joan Rivers, Johnny Carson, Bob Hope, Norm Macdonald.”
asserted
Raw → say → Rivers
Miele said the lost airplay has hit comics who relied on the royalty checks while touring.
asserted
who → say → checks
“And it is devastating,” she said.
asserted
she → say → ?
“Because of this action, hundreds of comedians will no longer be able to have these royalties.”
asserted
hundreds → have → royalties
Stone also appealed directly to Maniscalco, while allowing that the comic may not have realized the impact of the programming overhaul.
uncertain
comic → appeal → overhaul
“I’m going to assume you didn’t notice [the effects of the rebrand],” Stone said in a video posted to Instagram.
asserted
Stone → go → Instagram
“’Cause no Italian is going to take money out of the hardworking man’s pocket.”
asserted
Italian → go → pocket
He urged listeners to call SiriusXM and demand that the company “Bring back Raw Dog,” referring to the predecessor channel’s longtime Raw Dog Comedy branding.
asserted
company → urge → branding
The backlash has also drawn attention from other comics, including Patton Oswalt, Michelle Wolf and Matthew Broussard.
asserted
backlash → draw → Oswalt
SiriusXM defended the overhaul, saying it was part of a broader programming change.
asserted
it → defend → change
“SiriusXM works together with our creative partners to program the best possible experience for our listeners,” a company spokesperson said.
asserted
spokesperson → work → 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.”
asserted
SiriusXM → introduce → channels
Sources close to SiriusXM told Deadline that the company viewed the rebrand as necessary because the old channel was not meeting listenership expectations.
asserted
channel → tell → expectations
The company has not publicly released channel-level audience data, however.
asserted
company → release → data
It also remains unclear how much control Maniscalco personally has over individual selections.
uncertain
Maniscalco → remain → selections
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