News Articles From Days Gone By

Sirius gives Fox the business.
(31 December 2008)
It has been announced that SiriusXM is dropping Fox Business Channel from its lineup. It had been carried by the pre-merger XM but not by Sirius. The move appears to have occurred without any complaints from subscribers.    more>>


Audiovox is Sirius!
(31 December 2008)
Audiovox has announced that it has reached an agreement with SiriusXM to become the principal supplier of Sirius satrads in North America. Says Audiovox prez Pat Lavelle, "This is yet another major milestone for our Company as it further strengthens our leading position in the satellite radio category. Despite the current economic climate, satellite radio is still growing and we believe it will continue to be a prominent form of consumer entertainment."    more>>

The Boss gets Sirius for the New Year.
(31 December 2008)
Bruce Springsteen's holiday performance from December 2001 is being spaced tomorrow, New Year's Day on E Street Radio (Sirius channel 10, XM channel 58). The show is one of a set done by Springsteen from 2000 to 2004 to benefit Asbury Park local area charities and includes a wide range of songs. The 7 December 2001 performance can be heard at 3:00 PM(ET), the 8 December 2001 performance at 6:00 PM(ET). Both feature Conan O'Brien sidekick and long time Springsteen drummer Max Weinberg, Bruce Hornsby, Garland Jeffreys and special guest Elvis Costello.    more>>

XM's Animal Radio takes up pet sitting.
(31 December 2008)
XM and nationally syndicated Animal Radio is broadcasting live from the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters (NAPPS) conference at the Queen Mary in Long Beach. Says Animal Radio veep Hal Abrams, "NAPPS has brought together great experts and years of experience so that changing your work-path won't be so scary - we'll share it with you." The special event can be heard on 24 January at noon (ET) on America's Talk (XM channel 158).    more>>

iLuv iTunes
(31 December 2008)
iLuv has introduced its latest tabletop HD Radio that features iTunes tagging. The new iHD171 is coming out next month at a suggested retail price of $199.     more>>

Sirius' Scott Nevins makes a splash!
(30 December 2008)
Occasional Sirius host Scott Nevins is appearing in New York's Splash Bar for a special production of his Curtain Call with The Broadway Boys. The award winning TV/Radio personality has hosted over 300 live events, collected a roster of celebrity interviews and performed to rave reviews across the country. He also hangs out at the Sirius studios where he has been a sub for John McMullen on his weekly Friday night show "The Crapshoot." His appearance at the Splash Bar with The Broadway Boys starts on 12 January at 11:30 PM.     more>>

Jamie Foxx, Katt Williams & Steve Harvey...Siriusly!
(29 December 2008)
Jamie Foxx apparently let a joke get a little out of hand on a recent SiriusXM FoxxHole show. Foxx instigated while Katt Williams called out Harvey in advance of their head-to-head battle in Detroit on New Year's Eve. Foxx played a segment featuring Williams dissing Harvey, saying, "I wanna apologize for what's gonna happen. But the second that your get on stage, I need you to understand that that's your final time as the 'King of Comedy.' Water seeks its own level, you can't stop it playboy. It is what it is, so I hope you're ready." Harvey then calls and says he's baffled by the whole thing and the gag is fully launched. Happy New Year!    more>>

Leno no longer takes Stern siriusly
(29 December 2008)
Jay Leno says Howard Stern has become a has been since starting his career in satellite radio. Says Leno, "On radio, Howard to me was a populist. The truck driver, the average guy would listen in the cafe, the truck, the old car that's 50 years old and still has an AM radio. But I don't hear him quoted anymore. People don't say: 'Hey, did you hear what Howard said today?'"    more>>

It's "Into Tomorrow" at CES 2009!
(29 December 2008)
Into Tomorrow with Dave Graveline, the syndicated consumer electronics radio program, celebrates its 14th anniversary at next month's International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Visitors to the big event can visit the broadcast studio in Booth 71723 at the Sands Expo Center starting on Sunday, 11 January. Into Tomorrow can be heard on hundreds of AM and FM stations and on SiriusXM.     more>>

The show must go on.
(24 December 2008)
Despite the doom and gloom in the economy, next month's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is going on as scheduled with auto execs appealing to techno-geeks in a last ditch effort to save their industry. One of the big items in next year's show is expected to be HD Radio, now slated to be made available on vehicles from 11 automakers.     more>>

Siriusly downgraded!
(24 December 2008)
Investment scorekeeper Moody's has downgraded SiriusXM's debt rating to "Ca" from its previous "Caa1." The move reflects an increased probability that the satcaster will default in its debt payments and is consistent with its negative rating outlook and speculative grade liquidity. Says Moody's "With nearly $1.0 billion of its $3.3 billion total debt coming due in the New Year ($190 million in February, $350 million in May and $433 million in December), and given the current background of the capital market, dislocation and the company's poor liquidity situation, the rating actions anticipate that Sirius will be unable to pay or refinance its maturing debts without negotiating some sort of compromise arrangement with at least a portion of the affected constituents."    more>>

Get ready for the assault!
(23 December 2008)
The HD Digital Radio Alliance promises a marketing blitzkrieg for the first quarter of next year. The campaign emphasizes the evolution of HD Radio with features such as iTunes Tagging and hammers home the fact that HD Radio is free..."perfect in a recession." The ads start rolling out on 29 December.    more>>

It's kids' stuff!
(23 December 2008)
SiriusXM is lanuching a new program, "Kids Stuff," inspired by the satcaster's Kids Stuff channel. The three-hour daily show is dedicated to the "sandbox set" and features a mix of pre-kindergarten themed music with old-school storytelling and fairytales. The new show premieres on 24 December with an exclusive performance by recording artist Laurie Berkner. Kids Stuff spaces on Sirius and XM channels 116.    more>>

Bubba gets Sirius
(22 December 2008)
Todd Clem, aka "Bubba the Love Sponge," is remaining with SiriusXM despite expanding his terrestrial radio empire. Clem's shows are produced in Tampa, base of his flagship station WHPT. His Sirius program, available on the satcaster's Howard 101 channel and as part of the "Best of Sirius" on XM, can be heard every afternoon. He had been fired by Clear Channel in 2005 after the broadcaster was hit with $755K in fines from the Federal Communications Commission. Terms of the new SiriusXM deal were not disclosed but it's fair to assume they do not include any stock.    more>>

NFL remains Sirius, seeks new terrestrial partners
(22 December 2008)
The National Football League may be abandoning its longtime radio partner Westwood One due to the latter's dire financial straits. The league has permitted an exclusive negotiating window with the beleaguered network to lapse, a move that opens the window for competitors. During the exclusive negotiating period Westwood One offered to pay roughly $20 million per year, 30 percent higher than that expected from ESPN Radio. NFL execs passed because Westwood's stock price has declined from $27 a share in December 2004 to 5 cents today, three times less than even SiriusXM's 14 cent stock price. In addition to ESPN Radio, bidders are expected to include Sporting News Radio, Sports USA Radio and The Content Factory.    more>>

It's approved!
(19 December 2008)
The long-awaited reverse split in the SiriusXM stock price has been approved at this year's annual meeting. The vote boosted the number of authorized shares to 8 billion and permitted a reverse split ranging from 1-for-10 shares to 1-for-50 shares. The company hopes to be able to sell more shares to raise the needed $1 billion in loan repayments due next year. Says analyst April Horace of Janco Partners, "This gives them a little more flexibility as it relates to the refinancing." The company predicts an increase in subscribers from the current 18.5 million to 20.6 million next year, something that may assuage the fears of stockholders who feel they've been had.    more>>

You're fired!
(19 December 2008)
SiriusXM is ending the year with 22 percent fewer employees than when the year started. The company expects to have cut 458 people from its staff by the end of this month, going down to 1,600 people from the 2,058 it employed prior to the July merger between Sirius and the former XM. The cuts are expected to save $425 milion next year. In addition, the satcaster forecasts a smaller-than-expected adjusted loss before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization of $200 billion this year. The announcements were made by SiriusXM boss Mel Karmazin at this year's annual shareholders meeting.    more>>

Buyer beware!
(18 December 2008)
The annual SiriusXM shareholder meeting starts today. It's a closed meeting so it's open only to those dumb enough still to be holding SiriusXM stock. At issue is the controversial proposal to initiate a reverse stock split of 1 to 50. Together with a proposal to raise the share count to 8 billion from 4.5 billion, the procedure would have the effect of raising the value of a share of SiriusXM from 15 cents to around seven bucks with each investor having his share count lowered by a factor of 50. It saves the company the embarassment of being kicked off the NASDAQ exchange for having a stock price of less than a dollar.    more>>

How Sirius is Stern?
(18 December 2008)
Reports have been circulating that "King of All Media" Howard Stern may soon be walking away from the SiriusXM microphone. It's an issue he's been bringing up occasionally, in particular last week, and one he raised again this Monday saying, "I don't know what I'll do." He apparently doesn't want to return to the terrestrial airwaves but to quit doing radio entirely, wishing to spend more time with his new wife Beth Ostrosky. Speculation has it that after his contract with the satcaster expires at the end of 2010 he'll be offered a deal that allows him to work only occasionally. It's an offer similar to the one made by NBC to Johnny Carson as the latter speculated about his future in television. SiriusXM boss Mel Karmazin is apparently willing to do whatever it takes to keep Stern around but Howie has to decide whether he wants to remain in the spotlight or not. There has been no word as to Stern's replacement should he leave but speculation is that the operation might be left to sidekick Artie Lange.    more>>

They're number one!
(18 December 2008)
The list of the biggest radio advertisers for 2008 has been released and the top one for radio was the HD Digital Radio Alliance with 1.69 million spots. The runners-up were Wal-Mart with 1.64 million and Geico with 1.56 million. The list came from monitors in 77 radio markets.    more>>

Disco's back!
(17 December 2008)
SiriusXM has announced the return of two popular channels: The Strobe and Backspin. They are dedicated to disco/classic dance and old school hip-hop respectively. The satcaster has also announced the launch of "The Beat Morning Show," hosted by Geronimo, on 15 January. "Bringing back The Strobe and Backspin, and adding 'The Beat Morning Show' is part of our commitment to respond to our subscribers' overwhelming passion for our service," said Scott Greenstein, President and Chief Content Officer for SiriusXM. "We are fortunate to have an enthusiastic audience that embraces satellite radio with unprecedented fervor. We will continue to listen to them as we strive to create the best audio entertainment experience available." Both The Strobe and Backspin had been cancelld as part of the merger of Sirius and XM and are returning as the result of popular demand by subscribers.    more>>

Under pressure, FCC bails.
(16 December 2008)
Due to complaints from two politicians the Federal Communications Commission is suspending its planned public meeting scheduled for Thursday. Says a spokesman for FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, "We received the letter from Senator (Jay) Rockefeller (D-WV) and Congressman (Henry) Waxman (D-CA) today and spoke with other offices. In light of the letter, it does not appear that there is a consensus to move forward and the agnda meeting has been cancelled." One of the topics up for discussion had been the proposal for force SiriusXM to include HD Radio receivers in all future satrads.    more>>

Emmis eliminates dividends ,,, for now.
(16 December 2008)
In a further sign of difficulties in the radio business, Emmis Communications has suspended its quarterly dividend. The owner of local radio stations throughout the country has announced that it would not be making a quarterly payment on its Series A Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock. It had been scheduled to pay dividends in January totaling $2.25 million although it pays no dividend on its common stock. As previously reported in RUsirius.com, radio stations have been having a difficult time competing with satellite radio, iPods and Internet Radio. Emmis owns 23 radio stations and publishes locally-oriented magazines in numerous communities.    more>>

XM gets Sirius about New Year's hockey
(16 December 2008)
Hockey is going outdoors on New Year's Day and SiriusXM will be there. The satcaster is spacing the big event between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings from Wrigley Field on 1 January 2009 at 1:00 PM(ET). The game marks the 701st meeting between the two teams and just the second time the National Hockey League has played one outside in the United States. The first outdoor game was a big success as it was played on 1 January of this year between the Buffalo Sabres and the Pittsburgh Penguins.    more>>

NSN is Sirius about bowling
(15 December 2008)
The Nevada Sports Network is getting sirius about this year's college football bowl games, ensuring that all of its covered games are available on satellite radio. The action starts with the Roady's Humanitarian Bowl, featuring Nevada and Maryland. The game takes place on 30 December in Boise, Idaho at 4:30 PM(ET). Next up is Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl on 31 December from Nashville at 3:30 PM(ET). The matchup features local favorite Vanderbilt against Boston College as the Eagles attempt to extend their record bowl game winning streak. The last NSN game is the GMAC Bowl from Mobile, Alabama as Tulsa takes on Ball State. The Ball State Cardinals feature Nate Davis, no not the guy who used to run XM but the quarterback who is this year's Offensive Player of the Year. The game kicks off at 8:00 PM(ET) on 6 January 2009. SiriusXM channels for these games have not yet been announced.    more>>

Al Bell is sirius about his new website
(15 December 2008)
Former owner of Stax Records and president of Mowtown Al Bell is working wth American Media Services Interactive to launch Al Bell Presents. The new website is expected to provide a wide range of Soul, R&B, Gospel, Blues, Jazz, Neo-Hip-Hop, Neo-Rap and Neo-Soul. Says AMSi prez Charles Andrew Whatley, "Designed with a contemporary-retro look and state-of-the-art functionality, Al Bell Presents: The Website was built by our technicians to provide users a number of audio and visual features."     more>>

Verizon makes CC go HD
(12 December 2008)
Verizon Wireless is the first national advertiser to sponsor HD Radio multicasts, on-air and streaming on 21 Clear Channel Radio stations. Branded "Verizon New Music," the offering features bocks of songs and interviews concurrently on HD Radio and on the Internet. The group of stations includes WHTZ (New York), KIIS (Los Angeles), WKSC (Chicago), KYLD (San Francisco), KHKS (Dallas), WIOQ (Philadelphia), KUBE (Seattle), KBPI (Denver) and WKST (Pittsburgh). Tune in (or log on).    more>>

Marley & Me gets Sirius (XM).
(11 December 2008)
Animal Radio, which can be heard on America's Talk (XM 158) is featuring a special on the new motion picture "Marley & Me" on Saturday, 20 December at noon (ET). The best-selling book adaptation features Owen Wilson, Jennifer Anniston and Eric Dane. "We're very excited to have partnered with 20th Century Fox to bring listeners behind-the-scenes and VIP passes for an Advanced Screening of this Christmas gift," says Animal Radio Executive Producer Judy Francis. The show re-spaces on Sunday, 21 December, at 9:00 AM(ET).    more>>

MMTC says yes to terrestrial.
(11 December 2008)
The Minority Media and Telecommunications Council says yes to a question from the Federal Communications Commission as to whether or not to require SiriusXM to include terrestrial receivers in all satrads. To support its position the MMTC points out that minorities have missed out on major broadcasting licenses, moving their points of view to smaller stations with weaker signals, especially those from AM outlets. "By requiring satellite radio receivers to include reception capability that provides a seamless scan of analog AM and FM, HD Radio and SDARS, the Commission would ameliorate this historic residue of spectrum inequality by elminiating listeners' perception that AM radio is a separate and unequal service," says an MMTC statement.    more>>

Sweet Baby James is Sirius.
(11 December 2008)
James Taylor is being featured on Artist Confidential, SiriusXM's exclusive music series dedicated to allowing music icons to perform live and speak candidly. The JT session premieres on "The Coffee House" channel (Sirius 30, XM 51) on Monday, 15 December at 9:00 PM(ET) and will be respaced on Tuesday, 16 December at 12 noon (ET), Wednesday, 17 December at 12:00 AM(ET), Thursday, 18 December at 3:00 PM(ET), Saturday, 20 December at 9:00 AM(ET) and Sunday, 21 December 21 at 9:00 PM(ET). It's also being featured on "The Blend" channel (Sirius 2, XM 25) on Wednesday, 17 December at 12 noon (ET), Saturday, 20 December at 6:00 PM(ET) and Sunday, 21 December at 9:00 AM(ET). For Artist Confidential, Taylor is performing music from his new Grammy Award-nominated CD, "Covers," which features the music of Big Mama Thornton, Junior Walker and Jimmy Webb among others. In addition to discussing the new release, Taylor is also performing some of his own compositions like "Carolina in My Mind" and "Sweet Baby James."     more>>

The case is closed!
(9 December 2008)
A recent case filed by Michael Hartleib against SiriusXM has been dismissed. The case, which could have had far-reaching implications had it been settled in Hartleib's favor, involved the requirement that SiriusXM develop satellite radio receivers capable of receiving both the Sirius and the XM digital signal. In his lawsuit, Hartleib claimed that prior to the merger Sirius and XM had fraudulently represented that they were planning to release an interoperable radio when they had no intention of doing so while concealing their true intention to merge the two companies to the detriment of shareholders. These actions, according to Hartleib, were in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act and the Racketeering and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). The court ruled that Hartleib failed to show that he "suffered some individualized harm not suffered by all of the stockholders at large." Hartleib can still amend his complaint and re-file within twenty days.    more>>

Dante Valozzi is Sirius.
(9 December 2008)
Who is Dante Valozzi? He's the guy who won Howard Stern's Sirius contest "I Want To Be Howard Stern." The NYU graduate who most recently had been working as a news reporter for WWNC in Ashville, North Carolina sent "The King of all Media" a demo tape that, together with two on-air interviews, yielded him $5000, two live interviews with Stern and two shows on Sirius 101. "After I did my first show," said Valozzi, "I was standing out in the hallway talking to the producers, and my cell rang and it said 'restricted.' (Stern) called my cell phone to tell me how much he loved my show. For a couple of days afterward he was quoting from the thing." Not bad for a guy whose previous job consisted of covering city council meetings. With a little luck he'll soon be trading quips with Artie, interviewing hookers and telling bathroom jokes on Sirius.    more>>

The NAB wants more power.
(9 December 2008)
In a story being followed by RUsirius.com (see story dated 24 October 2008) the National Association of Broadcasters is throwing its weight behind plans to boost the HD Radio digital signal level to 10 percent of the standard analog signal. The NAB is thereby joining a proposal signed by a group of 18 broadcasting organizations including Clear Channel, CBS and Emmis to abandon the current 1 percent of analog standard. In related comments the NAB said that when HD Radio was authorized, the power levels were set "at an extremely low level, out of an abundance of caution and in order to conservatively introduce the new digital service and minimize any interference issues." Since then, says the NAB, there have been "virtually no reports" of interference.    more>>

Seth Rudetsky is back on Broadway
(8 December 2008)
The host of Sirius' "Seth's Big Fat Broadway" is enjoying the roar of the greasepaint and the smell of the crowd as he hosts this year's "Gypsy of the Year" at New York's New Amsterdam Theatre today and tomorrow. This marks the 20th anniversary of the all-singing, all-dancing event for BroadwayCares/Equity Fights AIDS. Rudetsky shares his hosting duties with Tyne Daly and Jonathan Hadary, stars of the 1989 revival of Gypsy. The event has raised over $32 million since its inception.    more>>

Owen Perry is alive and well on satellite radio
(8 December 2008)
Owen Perry, a singer-songwriter from the 1950s is finally back...on satellite radio. The man who wrote songs like "Tattle Tale Tears" for Faron Young and "New Silver Bells" for Webb Pierce is being featured on "Willie's Place" on XM 13. Says Perry, "I had a friend call me all excited a few nights ago, saying I just saw you on TV." Perry was inducted into the Southern Songwaiters' Guild Hall of Fame in 1996. Now if we could only get him on Sirius' "Outlaw Country."    more>>

HD may save radio
(5 December 2008)
HD Radio may be the savior of the broadcasting industry according to Fitch Ratings. Digital radio "could provide upside" in an otherwise bleak year but "could be offset by the increased inventory, which could pressure pricing unless the technology is able to attract a national advertiser base." In general, however, radio has a negative outlook in 2009. "Listenership is likely to continue to fall, available inventory should remain relatively stable, and pricing could be up on some advertisers but not enough to compensate for declines in unit sales."    more>>

Pink slips pound media
(5 December 2008)
Think SiriusXM has it bad? Think again. Job losses in the media are widening as the recession deepens. The most recent victims are employees of Viacom and NBC with 1,350 positions having been slashed. Viacom has said that it is cutting 7% of its work force, or 850 jobs. Fortunately for him, Sumner Redstome is retaining his chairman's position. Meanwhile, at NBC, 500 workers have been cut in an effort to reduce the operating budget by 3% or $500 million. "The media is an industry in transition in the midst of a tough slowdown, and there's potential for additional job cuts, but they have to be done without hurting the fabric of these companies," says Barrington Research analyst James Goss. "The industry we have in a couple of years from now will be a lot different from the one we have going into the recession." It's not clear from from the analyst's comments whether or not the job cuts would extend to individuals like Brian Williams, David Gregory, Chris Matthews or Keith Olbermann.    more>>

The Hockey News is sirius (on XM)
(4 December 2008)
The bible of hockey is launching a new radio show on XM Canada starting this Friday, 15 December. It's set to space every Friday afternon at 3:00 PM(ET) and repeat on Sunday afternoons at 6:00 PM(ET). Hosted by The Hockey News' Adam Proteau and XM Canada's Mike Ross, the one-hour satcast faces off with guest Jeremy Roenick.. "THN Radio is going to provide what no other hockey show can - namely, the stories behind the stories you read in our magazine or on TheHockeyNews.com," says Proteau. THN Radio can be heard on NHL Home Ice (XM 204).    more>>

Mellow Mel's still confident
(4 December 2008)
SiriusXM boss Mel Karmazin is optimistic that the satcaster will be able to weather the storm of a weak economy and poor automobile sales. Speaking at the Reuters Media Summit in New York, Mel confidently forecast double-digit revenue growth in the fourth quarter and thinks his company can boost revenue in 2009. "The merger has made us control our costs (and) we are dealing with going to significant profitability in the years ahead," said Mel. "Is everything rosy? Of course not. But what's going on is not operationally problematic."    more>>

Martha's sirius about her holiday auction
(4 December 2008)
Listeners to Martha Stewart Living Radio (Sirius 112 and XM 157), and even non-listeners, may want to consider participating in her holiday auction for "Taste of the NFL." The event kicks-off this week, allowing participants to bid on Christmas ornaments from the Martha Stewart Collection signed by a variety of celebrities. Signers include Martha, Howard Stern, Gayle King, Maya Angelou, Tom Arnold, Jacqueline Bisset, Robin Quivers, James Taylor, Isaac Mizrahi, Marrianne Williamson and Lee Ann Womak. "Taste of the NFL" has raised more than $6.8 million for hunger-related charities since its start in 1992.    more>>

Have a holly, jolly HD Radio!
(3 December 2008)
The HD Digital Radio Alliance has announced a new marketing blitzkrieg for the holiday season. The strategy this year includes a newspaper insert and promotional giveaways focusing on the benefits of HD Radio. The newspaper insert goes out this Friday. The campaign then moves on to online banners and radio ads to the tune of $57 million, 100 markets and 700 stations.    more>>

Satellite radio critic siriusly finished
(3 December 2008)
Want to know why your Sirius stock certificates are worth more as walpaper than as financial instruments? Maybe it's the influence of Mark Wienkes of Goldman Sachs. His untimely comments about the future of Sirius and of satellite radio in general may have been instrumental in sinking the company's stock price even more than could be expected given the current state of the economy. Sirius investors can rejoice, however. He's gone. Goldman Sachs is terminating coverage of SiriusXM. In an announcement yesterday, the firm said, "We are terminating coverage on the following companies: Entercom Communiations, Entravision Communiations and SiriusXM Radio. This is our final report on these companies."    more>>

Jim Meyer talks once with TWICE
(3 December 2008)
In an interview with TWICE, SiriusXM operations and sales president Jim Meyer discussed the satcaster's "Best of Both" offerings and their marketing strategy. The "Best of XM" and "Best of Sirius" packages for Sirius and XM subscribers respectively have apparently been quite successful. Says Meyer, "We're encouraged by the early results." The company is also switching to joint advertising and away from the current individual ads for Sirius and XM. SiriusXM hopes the change will reduce consumer confusion. "If you go to a Best Buy or Circuit City beginning (last) week, for the holiday period, you'll see a common display with both brands displayed and a common merchandise strategy," says Meyer. "We think that goes a long way toward the elimination of confusion. Also, within the retail brochures, (there is) one promotion for both brands." SiriusXM is also moving toward radio commercials rather than television ads to promote its product, a wise move given the recent downturn in radio revenue.    more>>

Call it the naked launch
(3 December 2008)
CBS Radio has announced that it is entering into an agreement with Yahoo! Music's LAUNCHcast Radio. Starting early next year, LAUNCHcast's 150 stations and more than 150 CBS stations are being combined with a newly-created CBS player being integrated into the Yahoo! Music site. Says Jimmy Pitaro, vice president of Yahoo! Sports and Entertainment, "LAUNCHcast powered by CBS Radio expands Yahoo!'s extensive media portfolio, which already includes many of the leading print and video providers in each category, to include one of the largest providers of radio on the internet. Our agreement with CBS Radio will deliver internet radio's most comprehensive and diverse collection of music, news and sports programming to Yahoo!'s massive audience."    more>>

O&A bomb in Boston
(2 December 2008)
Beantown fans of Opie & Anthony may have to get satrads to hear them. They've been bounced from WBCN to make way for "Toucher & Rich," a locally-produced show. Said WBCN marketing director Cha-Chi Loprete, "The trend has been towards a local morning show. We haven't had a local morning show since the days of Charles Laquidara." Gregg "Opie" Hughes and Anthony Cumia have claimed they were sacked for budgetary reasons. Their show is, of course, still available on SiriusXM.    more>>

The times, they are a changin'
(2 December 2008)
SiriusXM has finally announced a comprehensive list of all the changes that subscribers can expect from the satcaster as a result of the merger of Sirius with the former XM. The new options, programming and features have all previously been described in segments on this website but this is the first time the company has put out a comprehensive list. First of all, there's pricing. Sirius customers can pay an additional $4.04 a month on top of their base $12.95 to get the "Best of XM," a package that includes NBA and NHL games, PGA golf, Opie & Anthony and Oprah. XM subscribers can get a "Best of Sirius" package that includes the NFL, Howard Stern, NASCAR, Playboy and Martha Stewart. Then there's hardware. A new satrad is coming out early in 2009 that receives every Sirius and XM channel. Its cost has not been announced. The last item to be announced is programming. SiriusXM has a new channel lineup that features merged content from the previous independent satcasters. This means an expanded number of streams, 134 from Sirius and 170 from XM. Got it? Now go out and see if that Sirius stock you bought last year is still worth the ink they used to print it.    more>>

KAOS goes HD
(2 December 2008)
Thanks to a little help from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, KAOS listeners in Olympia, Washington will be able to hear the station from The Evergreen State College in HD. Said KAOS develoment director John Ford of the extra HD channel, "On the plain old channel, there will be the same KAOS that you hear now. On the side channel, there could be dedicated or focused programming, perhaps all information. That's happening throughout the country with noncommercial radio stations like ours." The grant for the big conversion was in the amount of $78,900.    more>>

John Basedow is getting Sirius
(1 December 2008)
The infomercial fitness guru is bringing his act to the Covino & Rich show on Wednesday, 3 December at 2:00 PM(ET). He'll be asked about how he developed a nationally recognized brand from scratch, some exercise videos and lots of television time. Covino & Rich or "The Show" is dedicated to pop culture and spaces on SiriusXM Stars (Sirius channel 108, XM channel 139).    more>>