Comics say Maniscalco's SiriusXM channel cuts airplay for new talent

Comedian Sebastian Maniscalco's SiriusXM channel is drawing criticism from other comedians who say it has reduced airplay for newer comics, according to The Verge. SiriusXM launched "Sebastian Maniscalco's Comedy Radio" in April, replacing the long-running Raw Comedy channel. The company described the channel as "curated and headlined by Sebastian himself." The Verge reported that Raw Comedy featured uncensored stand-up comedy shows from a range of talent, including a pool of more than 800 comics.

Patton Oswalt and Margaret Cho are among the established comics who posted videos calling on Maniscalco to carry on Raw Comedy's approach by highlighting newer comedians instead of mostly well-known ones, according to The Verge. Oswalt said in an Instagram video that many up-and-coming comedians depend on the money and checks they get from SiriusXM, and that "500 of them have been booted off of Sirius." Liz Miele, Kyle Kinane and Michelle Wolf have also criticized Maniscalco, The Verge reported.

The Verge reported that the channel now airs Maniscalco's own show alongside a stream of stand-up content. Comedian Dan Soder said that content features "very famous comics who are dead or who don't necessarily need the money."

Stand Up for Standup, a nonprofit organization that provides resources for comedians in need, published a report about the channel's shift away from emerging talent, The Verge reported. The organization said that since March, spins on Maniscalco's channels decreased from a wider net of more than 800 comics to a narrower pool of 275 artists, largely skewed toward celebrities. "We believe this shift, both in the overall quantity of artists enjoying plays on Channel 102, and the change in distribution across all spin-getters favoring the top few, is bad for comedians, and bad for the future of comedy," the organization said.

In a statement to Deadline, SiriusXM said Maniscalco's channel "introduced a new creative direction and a regularly evolving programming mix for the channel," adding that "SiriusXM continues to invest in comedians more than any other audio platform." Neither SiriusXM nor representatives for Maniscalco immediately responded to The Verge's request for comment, the outlet reported. The Verge said the criticism was reported earlier by Deadline.