News Articles From Days Gone ByThe Big Dance is getting Sirius.
(30 November 2004)
The NCAA men's basketball tournament through 2007 is being carried on "The Dog" as part of a continuing effort to enhance its sports programming. Every game of March Madness is being broadcast for the next three years. Financial terms of the deal were not discussed.
XM is getting sirius about Internet radio.
(23 November 2004)
Two new music channels have been added to the service, "The Eye," featuring a mix of contemporary hip hop and "enLIGHTen!," inspirational tunes in the Southern gospel tradition. They're on channels 26 and 34 respectively.
Sirius Satellite Radio has passed another milestone, the 800,000 subscriber mark.
(23 November 2004)
New boss Mel Karmazin commented, "Sirius is on a roll. We are very excited about this upcoming holiday season, now that we have such a wide array of innovative products on retail shelves." Just in time for a Sirius holiday season, the company expects to have a line of "Plug & Play" receivers from Audiovox, Blaupunkt, Clarion, DISH, JVC and Kenwood in addition to RadioShack's Orbiter and the Brix Streamer. They also expect to have over a million sirius listeners by the end of the year.
XM is trying to raise a little more cash.
(22 November 2004)
The company announced the pricing of $300 million of 1.75% convertible senior notes due 2009. In addition, the initial purchaser of the notes has the option to purchase up to an additional $100 million aggregate principal amount of the notes. The proceeds are expected to be used for working capital and general corporate purposes.
Sirius is on Target.
(18 November 2004)
The national retailer announced that the satellite broadcaster's receivers would be available at over 500 selected locations. Target is featuring the Xact XTR1 "Stream Jockey," the palm-sized Sirius receiver priced at $149 including a universal kit for car or home. A boom box designed to work with the XTR1 is also being offered along with a $25 gift card. Said Sirius boss Joe Clayton, "We're very pleased to welcome Target to our expanding list of national retailers selling Sirius radios."
Merry XMas!
(17 November 2004)
The nation's leading satellite radio broadcaster is devoting four of its digital radio channels to holiday music beginning Thanksgiving Day (25 November). Sunny, the beautiful-music channel (24) is playing traditional classics by Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, and others. The Heart (channel 23) is being renamed Holly for the occasion and features music by he likes of Bruce Springsteen and Celine Dion. Nashville (channel 11) is featuring a "Music City Christmas" with tunes by artists such as Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks, Tammy Wynette, and Jim Reeves. Special X-Mas (channel 83) provides a little on the lighter side with novelty songs, oddball parodies, and rock covers of holiday classics.
Mercedes-Benz is more Sirius than ever.
(17 November 2004)
The automaker announced the availability of Sirius receivers on select 2005 model-year vehicles as a factory-installed option. The option is specifically engineered for the vehicle and is fully integrated into the audio system. "Mercedes-Benz is extremely pleased to broaden the availability of Sirius throughout its 2005 model year lineup," said Mercedes-Benz USA Veep of Customer Services Klaus Ulkann.
As Americans get more Sirius, the satellite radio industry should become more mainstream.
(16 November 2004)
That's the thinking at Simmons, which signed "The Dog" to a multi-year agreement for the National Consumer Survey (NCS) . Simmons' president Chris Wilson said, "Simmons' NCS will empower Sirius to better understand and identify the behavioral portraits of their clients and prospects and determine the most effective branding and marketing strategies."
More sirius music venues are becoming XM-rated.
(15 November 2004)
The number one satellite radio broadcaster announced that it would be providing live concerts from the Blue Note and the B.B. King Blues Club in New York. The multi-year agreement includes performance by Chick Corea, Aaron Neville, Jimmy Cliff and Alan Parsons. Said XM programming chief Lee Abrams, "We're thrilled to be broadcasting live shows from the Blue Note and the B.B. King Blues Club, which are two of the greatest places to hear live music anywhere in the country."
The folks at XM are celebrating.
(14 November 2004)
So are their counterparts at GM. The automaker announced that it recently signed up its one millionth XM subscriber. Said XM boss Hugh Panero, "GM reaching its one-millionth XM subscriber is a major milestone and demonstrates the commitment GM has to XM Satellite Radio."
The American Music Awards are getting Sirius this year.
(12 November 2004)
Celebrities participating in this Sunday's event receive a duffel bag of gift items including a lifetime subscription to the satellite broadcaster's programming. The gift bags are assembled by Steve Stein of Hollywood Connection. The show, to be broadcast on ABC, features performances by Usher, Alicia Keys, and Kenny Chesney.
College basketball kicks off its XM-rated season on 15 November.
(12 November 2004)
The satellite broadcaster is carrying the ACC, Big Ten, and Pac-10 games. Said XM Veep of Programming Eric Logan, "College basketball is another reason shy XM is the sports leader in satellite radio."
After a long controversy over local satellite radio traffic broadcasts the National Association of Broadcasters has withdrawn its petition to the Federal Communications Commission to stop the practice by XM.
(11 November 2004)
The satellite broadcaster started broadcasting local weather and traffic on 1 March in 15 major cities, a move similar one made by Sirius. XM's statement on the withdrawal of the petition states, in part, "This is a complete vindication of our position that XM has complied and continues to comply with FCC rules. NAB's action validates that there are no content restrictions on XM."
A total of 12 XM-rated products have been recognized as honorees for the Innovations 2005 Awards.
(11 November 2004)
The awards, now in their 15th year, honor excellence in consumer technology design and engineering. They are sponsored by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and endorsed by the Industrial Designers Society of America (ISDA). Said XM's Dan Murphy, Senior Veep of Product Distribution and Marketing, ""We are truly honored to have both MyFi -- the first portable XM2go product -- and XM NavTraffic recognized as the Best of Innovations 2005 Honorees." The other honorees for XM are the NVE-N872A Navigation System by Alpine, SkyBox by Audiophase, XM SkyFi2, the SkyFi Marine Kit and Roady2 by Delphi, the PD7140 PD1 and PD7141 PD2 high performance and personal systems by Eton, the XM WX Satellite Weather Chartplotter by Garmin International, the Xrt12 XM reference tuner by Polk Audio and the AVIC-N2 multi-function navigation system by Pioneer.
The awards, now in their 15th year, honor excellence in consumer technology design and engineering.
(10 November 2004)
They are sponsored by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and endorsed by the Industrial Designers Society of America (ISDA). Said XM's Dan Murphy, Senior Veep of Product Distribution and Marketing, ""We are truly honored to have both MyFi -- the first portable XM2go product -- and XM NavTraffic recognized as the Best of Innovations 2005 Honorees." The other honorees for XM are the NVE-N872A Navigation System by Alpine, SkyBox by Audiophase, XM SkyFi2, the SkyFi Marine Kit and Roady2 by Delphi, the PD7140 PD1 and PD7141 PD2 high performance and personal systems by Eton, the XM WX Satellite Weather Chartplotter by Garmin International, the Xrt12 XM reference tuner by Polk Audio and the AVIC-N2 multi-function navigation system by Pioneer. Delphi's SKYFi2 and XM NavTraffic have been honored by Popular Science as 2004's "Best of What's New." SKYFi2 was chosen for an award in the Gadgets category. NavTraffic, powered by NAVTEQ Traffic, was cited in Auto Tech. Said Popular Science Editor Mark Jannot, "These awards honor innovations that not only impact the way we live today, but change the way we think about the future."
An XM-rating is probably not exactly what they had in mind but Gina D's Kids Club is ready to take its act to the satellite broadcaster starting on 29 November.
(10 November 2004)
announced that the their programming would be airing on XMKiDS. Songs from the Gina D's Kids Club television program are being featured. They include "Do the Cuddle Bug," "Kindness" and "Sharing."
Sir Elton John (Reginald Dwight) is now XM-rated.
(9 November 2004)
He's appearing in a national advertising campaign for the Delphi MyFi hand-held satellite receiver. A TV spot is premiering the week of 15 November, following the 9 November release of "Peachtree Road," John's latest album. Said XM boss Hugh Panero, "Elton John is one of the most important and beloved artists in music, and the MyFi is one of the most important breakthroughs in portable audio."
He's appearing in a national advertising campaign for the Delphi MyFi hand-held satellite receiver.
(9 November 2004)
A TV spot is premiering the week of 15 November, following the 9 November release of "Peachtree Road," John's latest album. Said XM boss Hugh Panero, "Elton John is one of the most important and beloved artists in music, and the MyFi is one of the most important breakthroughs in portable audio." The 2004 Billboard Digital Entertainment Awards has named XM the best radio service and Hugh Panero the "Innovator of the Year." Panero marked the occasion by commenting, "We are honored that XM Satellite Radio has been named the best radio service by some of the most important and influential people in the entertainment industry."
XM put up some sirius numbers for the third quarter.
(5 November 2004)
As of 30 September the satellite broadcaster reported 2,516,023 subscribers, an increase of 415,671 for the quarter and a 75 percent increase over the 237,395 happy listeners added a year ago. Said XM boss Hugh Panero, "We are the satellite radio leader in subscribers, technology and content." XM reported quarterly revenue of $65.4 million, more than double that of the same period last year. Their loss for the period was $118 million as compared to $133.5 million last year at this time.
XM is broadcasting the Radio Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony this Saturday.
(4 November 2004)
XM veep, Programming, Eric Logan commented, "We at XM are very pleased to be able to broadcast the Radio Hall of fame induction ceremony live to our millions of listeners." Among the inductees is XM's Bob Edwards.
The future of satellite radio in Canada has hit a snag.
(4 November 2004)
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission said Canadian content is bound to be a key element when it considers who should get a license. XM partner Canadian Satellite Radio (CSR), led by John Bitove, may not be providing adequate Canadian content as part of its initial proposal. In its initial application, CSR proposes a license to carry four Canadian-produced channels in its mix of up to 101 streams. In in attempt to assuage the fears of the Canadian government, Bitove said XM has agreed to broadcast 2000 hours annually of Canadian programming on U.S. airwaves. Rival CHUM and its partner Astral Media have raised the stakes by agreeing to broadcast at least 15 French-speaking stations, an aboriginal-only outlet and third-language services that comply with Canadian content rules.
Despite the controversy over the broadcast of local traffic reports, XM and Pioneer are charging ahead with an aftermarket in-car navigation system using XM NavTraffic.
(3 November 2004)
The AVIC-N2 displays traffic incidents and road flow conditions on a motorized 6-inch touch screen monitor. According to Pioneer's Michael Townsen, "Traffic conditions are continually broadcast by the XM NavTraffic service, keeping drivers informed at all times. Because the AVIC-N2 can fit virtually any vehicle on the road, everyone can have access to detailed traffic information."
According to Satellite News , the Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association's (SBCA's) government affairs staff is concentrating on fighting the National Association of Broadcasters' (NAB) petition opposing the delivery of local radio and traffic by Sirius and XM.
(2 November 2004)
The SBCA comments are being incorporated in an ex parte filing reminding the FCC that the broadcasts in question do not violate any licenses or FCC regulations.
In competition with XM partner Canadian Satellite Radio, Sirius Canada announced of AndrDeanne Sasseville as Canadian Talent Development Coordinator, based in New York.
(2 November 2004)
Ms. Sasseville has been working as a publicist in Quebec's cultural scene and has promoted emerging Canadian musical talent for Musique Plus. Sirius Canada boss Kevin Shea commented, "We're pleased to have AndrDeanne, who has experience in and sound knowledge of the Canadian music industry, take on this important role as an ambassador for Canadian artists in the US."
Satellite Week is reporting that Sirius boss Joe Clayton won't rule out a possible buyout of Howard Stern's contract with Infinity Broadcasting.
(2 November 2004)
The buyout, one of three possible scenarios, would push up the Sirius debut of "The King of All Media" ahead of the currently planned January 2006 date. Another possibility, according to Clayton, is that Infinity could "chase him off the air," a "highly unlikely" possibility.
It may not feature Janine Turner but Northern Exposure is getting underway at X-Country.
(2 November 2004)
The XM-rated program is being produced in cooperation with Canadian Satellite Radio to expose listeners, on a regular basis, to Canadian artists across a range of musical genres. Said XM Chief Programming Officer, "XM already plays the music of hundreds of Canadian acts and the Northern Exposure series will increase the profile of all this great Canadian talent even more."
Delphi has announced that it would be showcasing the new XM MyFi at this year's Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) show.
(1 November 2004)
At the event, taking place at the Las Vegas Convention Center on 2-5 November, Delphi will also display its complete line of satellite radio systems. The MyFi is the first product in the XM2GO line. It is a completely portable unit with the ability to store up to five hours of programming.