NEW YORK (AP) – The comeback is nearly complete for Opie and Anthony.

It was just four years ago when the raucous radio duo became shocked jocks, yanked off the air for their infamous “sex in St. Patrick’s Cathedral” stunt. The pair are back now as satellite radio stars and terrestrial radio saviors – doing shows in both formats, and luring back listeners lost by the disastrous David Lee Roth.

“Oddly enough, our goal a few years ago was just to get work,” said Anthony Cumia, one-half of the once-reviled team. “We wanted to get a job.”

Now they have two. From 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., they host a syndicated terrestrial radio program for CBS. And then, for the next two hours, Opie and Anthony bring the act to their home of the last 20 months, XM Satellite Radio.

The move made them the first broadcasters to make the shift from satellite back to terrestrial radio. And it allowed them to take over some of the stations where their nemesis, Howard Stern, ruled the ratings before his jump to Sirius Satellite Radio.

“It’s the best of both worlds,” said Greg “Opie” Hughes. “We wanted to do this 18 months ago, when we heard Howard was leaving, but unfortunately CBS was still a little too scared of us. They had to fail miserably to see things our way.”

The high-profile failure was Roth, and the former Van Halen frontman disappeared less than four months after stepping in for Stern. In their first full month back on terrestrial, Opie and Anthony repaired much of the ratings damage left by David Lee.

In New York, Philadelphia and Boston, the number of people listening during an average 15-minute stretch of show more than doubled in three key demographics, according to Arbitron numbers. Listeners ages 18-34, a fourth category, basically tripled in all three markets.

The duo initially returned on seven stations at the end of April; on Monday, WJFK-FM in Washington will become the 11th station now carrying the syndicated program. More stations are expected to join soon.

“I’m not at all surprised about O&A’s rapid recovery of their audience – they’re talented pros and they have very strong name recognition,” said Tom Taylor, editor of the trade publication Inside Radio. “They’re baaaack.”

Opie offers another explanation for their sudden success: “It just shows there’s nothing to listen to. How starved were these people?”

Either way, the success provides vindication for the pair.

“We’re happy to be in this position, it’s the best of our careers,” said Cumia. “A couple of years back, I never thought I’d be saying that. Our goal is to make what we call the greatest comeback in radio history.”

Part of that includes expanding their empire, whether adding more stations or launching this summer’s “Opie and Anthony’s Traveling Virus,” a tour of comedians who appear regularly on the show.

After that?

“I actually want to start a religious cult,” said Hughes. “One that would end with Kool-Aid, or everybody wearing Nikes.”

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