News Articles From Days Gone ByXM is getting sirius about bringing its satrads into compliance with FCC regulations.
(31 May 2006)
The satcaster has been having problems with emissions from the FM modulator for the Delphi SkyFi2 which was said by the commission not to be "in compliance with permissible emission limits." In addition to Delphi, Audiovox has also been cited by the FCC for emissions from its Xpress, a radio designed to work with the XM system. XM has said that it is "implementing a series of actions involving various radios to bring them into compliance, including requesting our manufacturers to suspend shipments to retail of radios or accessories that may require changes to operating or installation instructions, or modifications to software or hardware." more>>
Sirius Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer David Frear is expected to present at today's Bernstein Strategic Decisions Conference in New York.
(31 May 2006)
A live audio webcast of the presentation will be available via the Investor Relations section of the Sirius website at 3:00 PM(ET). more>>
WorldSpace may be getting some competition in India thanks to a revised policy for satellite radio.
(31 May 2006)
The Indian government is readying the policy that will both regulate the sector and throw the satellite radio spaced open to multiple players. "We will formulate a policy on satellite radio soon. After that, any number of players can start such a service," an official in the country's Information and Broadcasting Ministry said. more>>
WorldSpace has announced a new alliance with Barista, India's countrywide chain of coffee shops.
(31 May 2006)
The alliance allows customers in Barista's 74 outlets to tune into the the international satcaster's programming. Fifty of the outlets will permit customers to personalize the experience with individual listening stations. more>>
A recent study by Arbitron/Edison Media Research indicates that one in three Americans is interested in HD radio.
(31 May 2006)
More than one-third of respondents said they were interested in the new medium with eight percent saying they were "very" interested and another 27 percent saying they were "somewhat interested." more>>
Sirius is introducing the Sportster4, a plug and unit that easily transitions between car and home.
(22 May 2006)
The new version of the popular Sportster also includes a vehicle dock that includes an input for MP3 players. It retails for $170. more>>
XM is in the process of sirius damage control after a lawsuit was introduced over the capabilities of the Inno (see RUsirius.com story below).
(19 May 2006)
The satcaster is now issuing a statement to its subscribers regarding XM's policies on receivers that are capable of recording. more>>
The satcaster is now issuing a statement to its subscribers regarding XM's policies on receivers that are capable of recording.
(19 May 2006)
Sirius bloggers may want to check out the satcaster's "Blog Radio." It's a daily music show hosted by music bloggers and kicks off on Monday, 20 May on the Left of Center channel. The show can be heard weeknights at 10 PM (ET). more>>
The Chicago Tribune is reporting that radio executives, particularly at XM and Clear Channel, are increasingly seeking talk-radio programming for female listeners.
(19 May 2006)
XM created "Take Five" to provide special programming capable of capturing the huge buying force presented by women. more>>
Sirius Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer David Frear is speaking at today's Oppenheimer Mobile Entertainment Conference in New York.
(18 May 2006)
A live audio webcast of the presentation is being made available at the Sirius website. more>>
The introduction of the Inno, first reported in RUsirius.
(17 May 2006)
com on 18 April, has not been as good for XM as had been hoped.The satcaster is now being sued by the recording industry because the new Pioneer device is capable of storing digitally broadcast music in violation of copyright law. The suit seeks $150k in damages for every song copied by XM customers to an Inno. XM defends itself by saying that the music stored on an Inno cannot be moved elsewhere and only lasts as long as a customer is a subscriber. more>>
Brazilian metal warrior Max Cavalera is getting Sirius.
(17 May 2006)
The satcaster's Hard Attack (channel 27) has announced the upcoming airing of MAXimum CAVALERA Radio, a two-part series featuring "The Best Of Cavalera," hosted by Hard Attack's Jose, and a free format offering with a playlist personally developed by Max Cavalera. more>>
Four more retailers are following Radio Shack's plunge into the world of HD radio.
(16 May 2006)
Ken Cranes in Los Angeles, Harvey Electronics and Electronics Expo in New York and Mickey Shorr in Detroit are launching in-store merchandising and area-advertising campaigns devoted to the new technology. The campaigns are being carried out in conjunction with the HD Digital Radio Alliance , a partnership of most of the large station owners in the United States. more>>
Radio Shack is getting ready for HD radio.
(15 May 2006)
The retailer has announced the addition of HD receivers to its stores in several major cities including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Houston, Washington and corporate home market Dallas/Fort Worth. Said Radio Shack executive vice president Jim Hamilton, "Radio Shack has been a destination point for generations of customers looking to fulfill their home and portable radio needs, and HD DIgital Radio technology is clearly the most significant advancement in terrestrial radio broadcasting since the introduction of FM stereo more than 50 years ago." more>>
Sepultura is getting Sirius.
(15 May 2006)
Band members Andreas Kisser and Derrick Green are the featured guests tomorrow (16 May) on "Bloody Roots" with host Ian Christe. The program starts at 9:00 PM (ET) and is promoted by the satcaster with the words "Hear the greatest international success story in metal from the horses' mouths." more>>
Clear Channel boss Mark Mays says he expects high-definition digital radio to take off as prices on HD receivers descend to around $100.
(12 May 2006)
The CEO of the broadcasting giant said, "As we look at HD, clearly we're looking for distribution in all outlets, whether it's in a Macintosh computer, iPod or Chevrolet driving down the highway." more>>
The Samsung Nexus YP-X5 is said to be XM's answer to the Sirius S50.
(12 May 2006)
The part-satrad part-digital music playercan play digital music and tune into satellite programming. The YP-X5 holds about a gigabyte of music and is Windows compatible. more>>
What does the Catholic Church have to do with Howard Stern?
(11 May 2006)
They're now both on Sirius. The Archdiocese of New York is collaborating with the satcaster to develop a 24-hour Catholic Channel, which is scheduled to debut this fall with daily audiocasts of Mass from St. Patrick's Cathedral. Take that Dan Brown. more>>
Harris is certainly sirius about HD radio.
(10 May 2006)
The company's broadcast communications division won two awards for the new FlexStar HDX-FM/HD radio exciter. The device was honored with a "Cool Stuff" award from Radio World magazine and a "Pic Hit" award from Radio magazine. Both awards were presented during this year's NAB convention. more>>
Despite rumors of a return to terrestrial radio Howard Stern is remaining Sirius.
(10 May 2006)
The "King of All Media" said, "I'm very flattered terrestrial radio can't let go of me. But I would throw up if I had to go back. I'm never going back." Three media companies had apparently make overtures to Stern through his agent. more>>
Get ready for the Sportster4.
(10 May 2006)
The new Sirius "Plug & Play" radio measures 4.5" X 2.5" X 0.6" and weighs 4.2 ounces, 40 percent smaller than the Sportster Replay and conveniently transportable between home and car. Like the Sportster Replay it features a large 6-line scrolling display and rotary tuning knob. It also has a replay feature that allows users to pause, rewind and replay up to 44 minutes of programming. It retails for $169.99. more>>
Alpine has announced that it is shipping the HCE-100XM, the latest XM NavTraffic data receiver.
(10 May 2006)
When connected to Alpine's NVE-N872A DVD-based satellite-ready fixed navigation system it provides drivers with continuously updated traffic information. Said Alpine marketing veep Stephen Witt, "Alpine strives to make the driving experience exceptional. We can't control external factors like traffic jams, but we can make dealing with it better. When using the XM NavTraffic receiver and service with our fixed navigation system, consumers have more information about their route and can make more informed decisions about which way to go." more>>
Korean automakers are increasingly making satellite radio the standard in vehicles they produce.
(9 May 2006)
Kia and Hyundai have already taken the plunge and others are expected to follow. "You've got the bottom end of the market saying here's where we're going," said Stuart Kagel, analyst for Janco Partners in Denver. The high end is heading in that direction. It's a function of where the middle shakes out." more>>
Rogers Communications appears to be getting Sirius, unless they're getting XM.
(9 May 2006)
The Canadian cable giant has filed an application to change its cable licenses to add satellite radio services in Ontario, New Brunswick, Labrador and Newfoundland. "Rogers also considered that the addition of one or both of these services to its digital offering would act as an important catalyst to encourage its customers to migrate from an analog to a digital distribution environment," Rogers said in its application to the Canadian Radio-relevision and Telecommunications Commission ( CRTC ). more>>
WorldSpace is going to Italy.
(9 May 2006)
The international satcaster has announced that its WorldSpace Italia S.p.A., has received approval from the Italian Ministry of Communications to launch a subscription satellite radio service in the country. The approval grants WorldSpace Italia the right to provide service in the 1479.5-1492 MHz band for the operation of its hybrid satellite/terrestrial network. more>>
XM investors are madder than ever and have said so in a lawsuit filed by Finkelstein, Thompson & Loughran in the United States District Court of the District of Columbia.
(9 May 2006)
The class action suit is in the behalf of shareholders who purchased, converted, exchanged or otherwise acquired XM common stock between 28 July 2005 and 15 February 2006. The lawsuit alleges that XM violated federal securities laws by issuing false or misleading public statements regarding XM's ability to reduce its new subscription costs. The story was originally reported in RUsiriusl.com on 5 May. more>>
Broadcasting giant Clear Channel is reporting that a full 196 of its radio stations in 48 markets are set to air HD digital multicasts.
(8 May 2006)
In each local market the HD2 multicasts either complement existing on-air programming or bring entirely new music or talk formats. The new broadcasts can be heard either on-the-air or via Clear Channel's HD2 streaming site. more>>
It may be time for satellite radio to get sirius about the Perform Act.
(8 May 2006)
As reported by RUsirius.com on 27 April, the U.S. Senate is getting interested in restricting the ability of satellite receivers to record the digital downlink. This interest has now taken the form of legislation that would force satellite broadcasters to disable a network feature that lets subscribers digitally record blocks of satellite programs onto devices such as MP3-type headphone stereos. The so-called Perform Act is now making its way through the Senate Judiciary Committee. more>>
Some XM investors are claiming that Hugh Panero isn't sirius, and they're mad.
(5 May 2006)
The group of investors allege that XM's CEO sold almost all his shares while making false statements about cost cuts. A class-action suit is currently working its way through the courts stating that Panero misled investors about XM's ability to reduce the cost of adding new customers as it tried to meet its goal of having 6 million subscribers by the end of 2005. more>>
HD radio is getting sirius.
(5 May 2006)
The HD Radio Alliance has said that an additional 22 radio markets are ready to begin broadcasting HD2 channels. With the new channels, 50 radio markets now have the service which spans over 450 radio stations. The new markets include Phoenix, San Diego, Denver, Kansas City, Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. more>>
Beginning today RUsirius.
(4 May 2006)
com is providing coverage of HD radio.This new transmission scheme allows terrestrial broadcasters to provide two digital signals together with the conventional analog signal. The result is sound quality that is equivalent to that of satellite radio and without any of the annoying popping and fading associated with terrestrial radio. One thing is different, however. There's no service charge. Listeners need only purchase an HD radio for $300, take it home and start listening. more>>
Lifestyle guru Deepak Chopra is getting Sirius.
(4 May 2006)
The satcaster has said that the best selling author and leader in the field of health and wellness will host a live, weekly three-hour call-in talk show. The show will frequently feature in-studio guests. "I think this show extends my reach," said Chopra in an interview with Reuters. "Even though I have sold more than 30 million books worldwide, not everybody reads books. This is a whole different audience, from truck drivers and people on the highway to housewives." more>>
Antex has a new XM-rated system ready for use either in the home or at a place of business.
(4 May 2006)
The XM-3000 is designed for use in multi-zone, multi-room audio systems typically found in luxury homes and boats. It extends the line of TriplePlay satellite receivers for Antex, integrating easily with popular entertainment control systems from other vendors. more>>
Fans of Howard, Robin, Artie and the whole sick crew who want to yuck it up at work can now do so.
(3 May 2006)
Sirius subscribers will be able to hear the "King of All Media" via the Internet by mid-June. "This will be another catalyst for Sirius to get new subscribers who will find listening online at their office, home or dorm to be an additional incentive to subscribe," said Sirius boss "Mellow Mel" Karmazin. more>>
International satcaster WorldSpace is continuing to expand its service in India.
(3 May 2006)
Subscription service is now being launched in Goa, Jaipur, Nagpur and Trivandrum, collectively representing a population of over 6.2 million. WorldSpace Chief Operating Officer Andy Ras-Work commented, "WorldSpace continues to gain traction across India, and service availability in these burgeoning markets enables us to reach more Indian residents than ever before." more>>
As reported on RUsirius.
(3 May 2006)
com on 14 March, Sirius receivers that re-transmit the received signal to a standard car stereo system are creating problems with nearby drivers.Now, it seems, someone is doing something about it. Robert Gonsett, editor of the CGC Communicator has corresponded with Jim Collins in the corporate communications department at Sirius. The note missive complains about Sirius receivers sold in Escondido, California that transmit on 87.7 MHz or 87.9 MHz, frequencies close to those used by some public radio stations. If the interference problems persist the satcaster may find itself in the position of having to recall many of its units. more>>
"Mellow Mel" & Co.
(2 May 2006)
have apparently put up some Sirius numbers for the first quarter of 2006. Sirius revenue has nearly tripled to over $126 million with a market share of 57% in the number of net subscriber additions. Year end guidance now envisions over 6.2 million subscribers. Said Sirius boss Mel Karmazin, "Sirius led the industry in the first quarter with the majority of satellite radio net additions, while achieving 64% share at retail and strong growth in our OEM channel. Based upon our growth we are pleased to be raising our subscriber guidance for 2006 to over 6.2 million." more>>
Speck has announced a new line of protective cases for the new XM-ready Pioneer Inno and the Samsung NeXus and Helix.
(2 May 2006)
The rubberized case for the Nexus comes with a swivel holster belt clip and screen protector. Leather cases for the Helix and the Inno feature screen protection and either a belt clip or wrist strap. more>>
XM has announced an exclusive partnership with the Roundabout Theater Company , one of the country's leading not-for-profit theaters.
(1 May 2006)
The satcaster is planning to feature a new series offering listeners backstage access to theatrical productions on and off Broadway. The monthly "Talkback" series features interviews with directors, stars and creative talent following Broadway performances. "We're thrilled to provide listeners with the first behind-the-scenes look into the minds of cast and crew after Broadway performances." more>>