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With the firings of Don Imus, Donnell "Ashy" Rawlings and JV and Elvis, and now the 30-day suspension of Opie and Anthony, many are wondering if the shock jock days are coming to an end.

Tom Taylor, editor of Inside Radio, openly wonders that, saying, "Nobody in radio thinks they're a shock jock; they're entertainers. But if [the genre] isn't dead, it's certainly had a storm warning."

Radio & Records Executive Editor Paul Heine added that "It remains to be seen whether or not broadcasters will get some balls and stand up for their right to entertain people on radio. But the whole genre of edgy radio is under the microscope now, and anyone with an ax to grind will probably have their words fall on receptive ears."

While I personally place no value on these types of shows, it does make me wonder why there is such a response at this particular time, seeing they've been around for three decades.

Another thing I wonder is when and if Howard Stern will be collared. Seeing he's the leader of these types of shows, it's puzzling that he hasn't been challenged yet. I would think that it's coming.

A week or two ago I wouldn't have thought this, but with satellite radio - which isn't regulated by the FCC - now being brought into the picture through the Opie and Anthony suspension, this could reach to almost anywhere.

The response to Opie and Anthony specifically could possibly be related to the attempted merger of XM (XMSR) and Sirius (SIRI), which don't want to ruffle anyone's feathers at this particular phase of the process.

It does look like this is the beginning of the end of the really edgy, provacative stuff on radio. If that's the case, it'll still take time for it to take affect as there are a lot of smaller, regional shows that will take time to filter down to.

The shock jocks aren't the only ones concerned about this, many in the media are wondering if they will be come after next simply for speaking what they think.

This is a slippery slope that will continue to be traveled on until the genre shrinks to irrelevance or attackers take it too far, and lose the support of the public. Either way, this isn't over yet.