News Articles From Days Gone ByThanks in part to Honda's association with XM, The National Association of Black Organizations (NABO) and the National Action Network (NAN) are lobbying Congress to increase the automaker's import tariffs and limit the number of products they allowed to manufacture in the U.
(30 April 2003)
S.NABO CEO Reverend Horace Sheffield III said "American Honda maintains a fiscally unsound relationship supportive of the value and racially insensitive XM Satellite Radio. XM has fought carriage of the value positive Word Network. The Word is mainstay of TV sets throughout Black America." The Word Network, carried by XM rival Sirius, has long been a point of contention between XM management and NABO. Regarding their lobbying efforts in Congress, Sheffield said "The sons and daughters of African Americans are again demonstrating our commitment as Americans by fighting, being held POW, dying, and killing for this nation. It is wrong for a foreign power such as Japan to engage in institutionally racist behavior patterns that would deny African Americans jobs, business and decency in broadcasting. That is why we will lobby Congress to increase the tariff on all Honda products in addition to limiting the number of vehicles manufactured on our shores."
In an innovation as significant as the SkyFi, XM is introducing a satellite receiver designed for personal computers.
(29 April 2003)
The "XM PCR" connects directly to a USB and allows users to access the full breadth of XM's 101 channels. "Now the XM radio revolution is a mouse-click away for the millions of Americans who daily spend hours at their computers." said XM boss Hugh Panero.
XM has been so successful that they've decided to promote some of their top executives.
(28 April 2003)
Among those getting a new title are Joe Titlebaum who has been promoted from SVP/General Counsel to Executive Vice President/General Counsel, Neil Eastman who has jumped from VP to SVP of Advance Applications, and Patricia Kesling who moves from VP to SVP of Marketing and Operations. Said boss Hugh Panero "We are delighted to promote these senior executives whose important contributions allowed us to rapidly reach one-half million subscribers, and put us on track to surpass the one million subscriber mark this year."
According to Arbitron and Edison Media Research, young adults are getting sirius about satellite radio.
(25 April 2003)
Those in the 18 to 24 year old age bracket have proven to be "very interested" in the concept. "Sirius dedication to broadcasting the latest music, 24/7, with no annoying commercials or mindless DJ chatter is a major attraction for young adults," said Sirius Veep Larry Rebich, who handles programming and market development. "Because we dedicate 60 unique streams to music, Sirius can offer a great variety of today's most popular tunes, like our jam band stream, that you just won't find anywhere else. "
Noting that Honda continues to maintain a relationship with XM, the Reverend Al Sharpton of the National Action Network is urging the auto manufacturer to review its relationship with African Americans.
(24 April 2003)
He is joined by the Reverend Horace Sheffield III, CEO of the National Association of Black Organizations, who said "We support those that support us. We cannot be silent while African Americans spend hard earned dollars with a company that does not hire, promote or do business with us in a statistically significant manner. Adding insult to injury, American Honda maintains a fiscally unsound relationship supportive of XM Satellite Radio. XM has fought carriage of the value positive Word Network. " XM has maintained relationships with other African American programming organizations instead of The Word.
Toyota has announced that it would be offering XM as a dealer-installed option on the 2004 Camry Solara coupe starting in August.
(23 April 2003)
XM Veep Dan Murphy commented "We're thrilled that Toyota has decided to make XM available on the all-new Camry Solara coupe. The appeal of XM is a perfect fit with Toyota's contemporary and compelling Scion brand and Solara coupe vehicles."
Sirius has just announced that they've signed an exclusive contract with Honda to have Sirius Satellite Radio installed in the 2003 Infiniti FX45 sport utility vehicle.
(23 April 2003)
It's featured at this year's New York Auto Show .
Sirius makes a slam dunk as it takes the NBA playoffs to nationwide radio.
(22 April 2003)
The complete lineup is featured on streams 124, 125, and 126. "Our listeners loved getting their NBA play-by-play fix on Sirius during the regular season," commented Sirius Veep Larry Rebich. "Sirius is proud to carry the full lineup of playoff action from Saturday's tip-off right through the finals." Sirius is hoping that their NBA playoff coverage is more successful than Kevin Garnett's efforts at getting past the Lakers.
Just to show that they're sirius about XM, Acura announced that the all-new model year TL will include XM as standard equipment.
(21 April 2003)
Said XM boss Hugh Panero "As Xm marches to the one million subscriber mark later this year, the all-new 2004 Acura TL represents another key expansion of XM into the great family of Acura and Honda vehicles."
Sirius has just added two more automobile manufacturers to its list of partners.
(17 April 2003)
On the high end, Mercedes-Benz announced that most of its 2004 models are getting Sirius. Receivers will be available this fall on all C-Class, E-Class, S-Class, M-Class, CL-Class, SL-Class, and CLK-class vehicles. Sirius Veep Doug Wilsterman commented "Mercedes-Benz owners represent an audience that expects high quality and excellence in service, two cornerstones here at Sirius." On the low end, MINI has announced that Sirius radios would be available this month for the Cooper and the Cooper S. "MINI is a truly unique phenomenon, and we believe that the driver who appreciates what makes MINI so unique will enjoy Sirius, taking the best music and entertainment with them on the road," said Wilsterman about the MINI agreement. He made no comparison with Mercedes-Benz.
Unable to decide if they're sirius, the folks at Audi have decided to offer both satellite services in the latest models.
(16 April 2003)
Their line-up of A4, A6, and S4 vehicles are being wired-up for Sirius receivers. The quattro line starts getting Sirius in June. Said Sirius Veep Doug Wilsterman "The Audi experience has always been about more than just driving and that's why we know customers will want Sirius in their new Audi vehicles." Mindful that customers may prefer the competition, Audi is also making XM available as an option. The news was greeted by XM boss Hugh Panero who said "XM is pleased to make its service available on such an impressive array of 2004 Audi models. Audi customers will soon be able to join the more than one-half million XM subscribers who enjoy XM's critically acclaimed programming each day."
In an effort to cash in on Mother's Day, Sirius is launching a campaign aimed at helping active moms get through their busy days.
(16 April 2003)
"Moms are busier than ever these days, some of us at home full time, some of us holding high-powered jobs, but all of us juggling family schedules, and attending after-school activities. Many of us practically live out of our cars," said Sirius programming executive and mother of twins. "With over 100 streams to choose from, every mom can find music she loves and news she can use."
XM has finally topped the half-million mark.
(15 April 2003)
That's the number of subscribers the satellite provider now has in one of the fastest growing consumer audio trends in history. Said XM boss Hugh Panero "The march to one million subscribers this year begins today. In record industry parlance, with half-a-million subscribers we have achieved 'Gold' status. Now we are on our way to 'Platinum.'" And he's sirius.
Gays and lesbians are getting Sirius about satellite radio.
(14 April 2003)
That's because there is now a 24-hour-a-day channel dedicated to their interests. OutQ, on Sirius, replaces the Outdoor Life Network. Said Harvey Fierstein, playwright and star of the musical "Hairspray" "I don't know whether it will be incredible or not, but a place on radio to put gay thoughts can only produce positives."
XM receivers are being displayed around the country as part of Alpine Electronics' support for Honda's 2003 Civic Tour.
(11 April 2003)
The event features a 50-city music tour with neo-punk bands Good Charlotte and New Found Glory . Twelve Civics equipped with Alpine XM receivers are being away in a national sweepstakes.
In a move that has been anticipated and, no doubt, overdue XM announced that its subscribers can add receivers at a discounted rated of $6.
(11 April 2003)
99 per radio per month."XM is already the most affordable satellite radio service available today and the only satellite radio service available as a home or portable product," commented XM boss Hugh Panero. He added "Our subscribers love XM and want it in as many locations as possible." The new discount is called the "XM Family Plan."
Both XM and Sirius reported increased revenue last year but both have also reported large net losses as they attempt to attract subscribers.
(9 April 2003)
XM, the clear leader, ended the year with 483,075 subscribers and a net loss of $515.9 million. Sirius wrapped up the year with 29,947 listeners and losses of $278 million. In return for his company's fine performance Sirius boss Joe Clayton was awarded a bonus of $300,000 for 2002.
XM is teaming with Weather Works to provide an advanced weather service to mobile users in the marine, aviation and emergency management markets.
(8 April 2003)
The real-time graphical service will utilize Weather Works' patented Storm Cell Identification and Tracking technology together with its NEXRAD radar. The Weather Works NEXRAD system is currently provided to hundreds of television stations nationwide. XM boss Hugh Panero said "We have assembled a dream team of launch partners for the end-to-end delivery of this service, each bringing best-in-business capabilities to the enterprise."
In a further indication that it is anticipating problems with its satellites XM is filing a $400 million insurance claim against the "progressive degradation" of its Boeing space vehicles.
(7 April 2003)
The claim is based on a previously disclosed design flaw related to the solar arrays, the output power of which is currently considered to be above "minimum acceptable levels."
Fans of Delphine Blue of "The Trend: Adult Album Album Alternative" on Sirius may be interested in knowing that she's being dropped by Fordham University's WFUV (90.7 FM) in favor of syndicated programming.
(7 April 2003)
Said WFUV program director Chuck Singleton "Delphine was a unique talent among all the great deejays here at 90.7 FM, and we are very sorry to lose her."
In a development that may have an impact on the satellite radio business, the FCC is considering relaxing ownership rules for media companies.
(4 April 2003)
The ruling, if it goes forward, would permit companies such as Clear Channel Communications to own more properties in markets they already serve. The net effect is that terrestrial broadcasters will be in a position to compete more effectively with satellite broadcasters XM and Sirius, especially if they implement digital techniques to enhance their signal quality.
The ruling, if it goes forward, would permit companies such as Clear Channel Communications to own more properties in markets they already serve.
(3 April 2003)
The net effect is that terrestrial broadcasters will be in a position to compete more effectively with satellite broadcasters XM and Sirius, especially if they implement digital techniques to enhance their signal quality. As if commercials weren't enough, there's now a show that talks about them -- and it's being carried on XM. " The Advertising Show ," a local Texas program, went nationwide on Syndicated Solutions and XM. It's hosted by Brad Forsythe, co-founder of full-service agency Forsythe & Butler, and by Ray Shilens, president and CEO of Intelligent Audio. It does, of course, have commercials. It's sponsored by Ad Age .
Just to show he's Sirius Ben Harper produced an hour-long session at "The Dog"'s New York studios last month.
(2 April 2003)
He's on Virign Records. It's_ON Sirius A&E stream 137.
XM has announced that it's finally up to close to half a million subscribers.
(2 April 2003)
483,075 listeners have signed up to date, with more than 135,000 beginning their subscriptions since the beginning of the year. Said XM boss Hugh Panero "XM started 2003 on a very strong note. The company's accelerated subscriber growth is fueled by the critically acclaimed Delphi XM SkyFi Radio, which is penetrating the home, portable and automotive market, and XM's availability in new General Motors' vehicles."
483,075 listeners have signed up to date, with more than 135,000 beginning their subscriptions since the beginning of the year.
(1 April 2003)
Said XM boss Hugh Panero "XM started 2003 on a very strong note. The company's accelerated subscriber growth is fueled by the critically acclaimed Delphi XM SkyFi Radio, which is penetrating the home, portable and automotive market, and XM's availability in new General Motors' vehicles." Adding to its commanding position in the satellite radio market, XM has added Wal-Mart to its list of outlets for the SkyFi "satellite boombox." In announcing the new partnership, XM boss Hugh Panero said that the value of Wal-Mart participation would be to underscore XM's arrival as a mass market product. XM is projecting 1.2 million subscribers by the end of 2003.
In its continuing effort to build market share Sirius is expanding its cooperative agreement with Hertz to offer satellite radio to customers at major airports.
(1 April 2003)
The Sirius cities now include Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Detroit, and Houston. Hertz plans to get Sirius with 33 major airport markets by July.