News Articles From Days Gone ByDaimlerChrysler and Sirius have announced that they are extending their exclusive relationship through 12 September 2012.
(31 October 2005)
The agreement covers Chrysler Group and Mercedes-Benz vehicles and Freightliner trucks. Over 750,000 Sirius listeners are expected to be generated by the deal.
The agreement covers Chrysler Group and Mercedes-Benz vehicles and Freightliner trucks.
(28 October 2005)
Over 750,000 Sirius listeners are expected to be generated by the deal. Sirius Canada is teaming up with Score Media to launch "The Score." It's Canada's first all sports satellite radio station and is expected to provide 24-7 coverage of all sports-related activities in "The Great White North." Said John Levy, Score Media chairman and chief executive officer, "Canadian sports fans will embrace The Score to quench their thirst for the sports information they want most, where and when they want it."
General Motors has announced plans to build 1.
(27 October 2005)
55 million vehicles with factory-installed XM receiers in 2006."This will be the largest number of GM vehicles with XM Satellite Radios to be built in a single calendar year," said GM North America Vice President, Vehicle Sales, Service and Marketing Mark LaNeve. XM boss Hugh Panero praised the decision saying, "GM's decision to put XM radios in more vehicles than ever before is further confirmation of XM's position as the leader in satellite radio." Nearly 90 percent of GM's U.S. retail models will offer either factory-installed or dealer-installed XM for the 2006 model year.
NASCAR star Jimmie Johnson is joining the XM pit crew.
(27 October 2005)
He'll have a weekly show on the satcaster's NASCAR Radio to discuss racing and talk about music as well as other personal interests. Said Johnson, "For a few years, I've been searchnig for the right outlet to give people an opportunity to get to know a side of me away from the radctrack."
XM is expected to report revenue that is up sharply over that of a year ago.
(27 October 2005)
The number of subscribers reported for the third quarter is 5.0 million, double the number reported during the same period last year. Revenue is $153 million, a 134% increase over the third quarter of last year but the net loss widens to $131.9 million compared with $118 million last year.
"The Boss" is getting Sirius.
(26 October 2005)
The satcaster breaks new ground when it launches E Street Radio, a channel dedicated to the music of Bruce Springstreen. The launch of the new channel coincides with the 30th anniversary of the release of "Born to Run," which is being remastered for release on Columbia Records on 15 November. Said Sirius President of Entertainment and Sports Scott Greenstein, "E Street Radio will offer Sirius subscribers a unique perspective on 30 years of socially conscious music, and set the background for even more relevant songs to come in the future. It will be the most comprehensive presentation ever of Bruce's music and a true inside look at the work and artistry of an American icon." E Street Radio is expected to run through 31 January.
XM has scheduled a conference call to commemorate the announcement of its third quarter 2005 financial results.
(25 October 2005)
The call takes place on Thursday, 27 October at 10:00 AM (ET), at which time the financial results will be posted to the XM website. Interested parties can hear the conference via telephone at (877) 265-5808 or locally at (706) 679-7931.
Martin Lee has been appointed the new Sirius senior vice president of marketing.
(25 October 2005)
Recently selected as 2005 Marketer of the Next Generation by Brandweek magazine, Lee last served as vice president of marketing at Olympus, where he was responsible for product management, branding, advertising and other market-related activities. He will report to Sirius president of entertainment and sports Scott Greenstein who said, "Sirius is proud to have Martin leading our branding efforts. His passion, energy and experience introducing and developing new products in the consumer marketplace makes him the perfect addition to our company."
Satellite radio listeners appear to be getting more Sirius -- at least for the month of September.
(24 October 2005)
The satcaster captured 56% of satellite radio retail sales for that month, its highest monthly share to date. Over 82,000 Sirius tuners were sold in September, a 93% increase over the same period last year and a 52% increase over August 2005 tuner sales. Said Sirius boss "Mellow Mel" Karmazin, "This increase in retail market share is extraordinarily positive for Sirius, especially given that we are now about to enter the busiest time of the year for us at retail."
XM's "Classical Confidential" is opening with a little fanfare from pianist Matthew Bengtson and violinist Joshua Bell .
(24 October 2005)
Both are featured on the debut of the new series hosted by former National Public Radio personality and XM classical music program director Martin Goldsmith. "Classical Confidential" begins on Wednesday, 2 November at 8 PM (ET) on XM Classics (channel 110), XM Pops (channel 113), Fine Tuning (channel 76) and XM Live (channel 200). In a show recorded before a live studio audience of American Youth Philharmonic students, Bell and Bengtson perform Fritz Kreisler's "Praeludium & Allegro" and "Liebesleid," Tchiakovsky's "Melodie", and Sarasate's "Introduction & Tarantella."
Leading global analog integrated circuit designer austriamicrosystems is delivering its AS3654 power management IC to XM for its satellite radio devices.
(24 October 2005)
The new chip features voltage regulators, a lighting unit, battery charger, audio amplifier and housekeeping functions. XM's Executive Vice President for Technology and Engineering Dr. Stell Patsiokas said, "With austrimicrosystems' highly integrated power management IC we are able to offer exciting products to our customers."
XM is giving a free satrad to every fan at the first game of this year's World Series, the largest giveaway in the history of the event.
(21 October 2005)
Fans arriving at Cellular Field in Chicago will receive coupons good for the brand-new Delphi XM Roady XT. Should the series last past the first four games a similar offer from the satcaster will be extended to fans at Minute Maid Park in Houston for Game Five. Said XM's Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnership Marketing Howard Jacobs, "We want every fan at the first game of the World Series to experience XM Satellite radio for themselves. And if the series goes to five games, we will do it again for Game Five."
"Sexpert" Sue Johanson is getting Sirius.
(21 October 2005)
An audio version of her popular Oxygen Network show "Talk Sex With Sue Johanson" is scheduled to debut on the satcaster's lineup starting on 23 October. "Sue is a luminary in the world of sex therapy," said Sirius President of Entertainment and Sports Scott Greenstein. "Her talk show has the perfect balance of humor and intelligence which will be a great resource for our listeners."
WorldSpace is continuing to extend its global satellite broadcasting service.
(21 October 2005)
The company has announced that it has received licenses from the Telecommunications Regulatory Authorities (TRA) of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates for terrestrial repeater networks. The repeaters are essential for the deployment of mobile services in those countries, now due for rollout in the first half of 2006.
Anticipated Sirius and XM MP3 wearable satrads are coming under increasing fire from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
(20 October 2005)
The Sirius S50 and the XM/Samsung Nexus are said to be in violation of copyright law (see RUsirius.com news, 30 September). RIAA is hoping to settle the issue "on a business-to-business basis," according to an unidentified spokeswoman. The issue may be settled by a new agreement between the satcasters and the music industry on copyright revenue. The satellite radio industry currently pays the music industry roughly 7% of total revenue. The RIAA argument is that since the new devices store content they are capable of being used to reproduce copyrighted material. Said a Sirius spokesman of the argument, "Tape recorders store content too." The S50, and by implication the Nexus "can't retransmit or rebroadcast the music anywhere, so in essence it's just a satellite radio receiver." The S50 is scheduled for release a the end of this month.
Just in time for the holiday season, and the debut of Howard Stern's satcast, Sirius is offering two new units for shoppers who may be a little short on cash.
(20 October 2005)
For $49.99 the Sirius One and XACT Visor could prove to be the perfect gifts for satellite radio enthusiasts. Sirius Senior Vice President and General Manager, Consumer Electronics Division, Bob Law said "The Sirius One and XACT Visor offer easy and inexpensive ways to access Sirius' superior programming.
FoXM is becoming a reality.
(19 October 2005)
The nation's leading satcaster is expanding its talk programming with the launch of the FOX News Talk Channel this January. The new channel is expected to offer news and analysis from Bill O'Reilly, Tony Snow, John Gibson and others. Said FOX News Radio senior vice president Kevin Magee, "We are very pleased to partner with XM Satellite Radio. This provides another opportunity to expand the FOX News brand and to reach our growing audience across multiple platforms."
Tony Hawk's Demolition Radio, his weekly Sirius offering, is being integrated into Activision 's " Tony Hawk's American Wasteland " video game.
(19 October 2005)
The new edition of the number one best selling action sports video game is now available in retail outlets nationwide with Sirius branding as part of its song identification feature. Sirius logos can also be seen in customization options, on buildings and on billboards across the game's Los Angeles cityscapes.
While Sirius and XM have been slugging it out in Canada, Worldspace has continued to expand elsewhere.
(18 October 2005)
The third satcaster has now made its subscription satellite radio service available in Pune, India. With an estimated market of 3.5 million the city is the seventh in India to be served by Worldspace. "Pune represents Worldspace's seventh of eight planned India city launches for 2005 and reinforces our commitment to executing on our strategic business plan," said Worldspace boss Noah Samara in a prepared statement.
Tired of bad customer assistance service?
(14 October 2005)
It may be time to get Sirius. The satcaster has been recognized by J.D. Power and Associates for call center operation customer satisfaction excellence. The distinction cites a strong commitment by Sirius to provide outstanding customer service. The Sirius call center, which has handled more than three million interactions, successfully passed a detailed audit of its operations including training and quality assurance capabilities.
Honda is more XM-rated than ever.
(13 October 2005)
The auto manufacturer has announced that it will equip over 550,000 of its 2006 vehicles with XM Satellite Radio. "The rapid expansion of XM Satellite Radio across he Honda and Acura lineups demonstrates the broad appeal of XM's award-winning content offering," said XM veep for OEM Paul Kirsch. The number of Honda and Acura factory installations represents a record for the automaker.
After a long wait Canadians can finally get Sirius (or XM) this December.
(12 October 2005)
As of the middle of that month happy listeners will be able to switch to one service or the other legally. In exchange for Government approval Sirius Canada and XM affiliate Canadian Satellite Radio are each carrying eight home-grown channels, four in English and four in French.
Howard Stern fans who aren't really Sirius can enjoy his replacements, David Lee Roth and Adam Carolla .
(12 October 2005)
The ex-Van Halen crooner and the host of the "Man Show" have been signed by Infinity to replace the "King of All Media" when he moves to satellite radio in January. Roth will be based in New York, Carolla on the West Coast.
As the "King of All Media" prepares to get Sirius so does Tim Sabean.
(11 October 2005)
The latter has been named Programming Director for the satcaster's two Howard Stern channels, reporting to Sirius President of Entertainment and Sports Scott Greenstein. Said Greenstein, "No one is more suited to support Howard's vision for the channels than Tim Sabean." Sabean programmed many of the stations that carried The Howard Stern Show for more than a dozen years.
Future XM satellites may be getting a new antenna design.
(11 October 2005)
Harris is going to be providing Space Systems/Loral with unfurlable mesh antenna reflectors for use on XM-5. The satcaster's new satellite will serve as a ground spare, ensuring continuous coverage in the event of a malfunction in one of the current XM satellites.
XM is charging ahead as the number one satcaster, adding 617,000 subscribers during the third quarter for a total of 5 million.
(10 October 2005)
The quarterly subscriber totals represent a gain of 48% more than that during the same period last year. To celebrate the company has declared a quarterly dividend on its 8.25% Series B Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock. The dividend is payable in shares of XM's Class A Common Stock at a rate of $1.0313 per share of Series B Preferred Stock owned.
Lawmakers are taking action to put the Emergency Alert System (EAS) on satellite radio.
(7 October 2005)
That's the word from Communications Daily , which is reporting that 21 House lawmakers including Majority Whip Blunt (R-Mo.) sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission urging that satellite radio licensees comply with EAS rules. Sirius and XM have both expressed support for their inclusion in the system.
Sirius Canada's board of directors has chosen Mark Redmond as the their President and CEO.
(7 October 2005)
A former Thomson executive, Redmond has held many senior positions in Canada, the U.S and internationally. He has been working closely with Sirius Canada to prepare the company for entry into the Canadian marketplace. Said Sirius Canada Chairman Michel Tremblay, "We are delighted to have Mark lead Sirius Canada as we get ready to launch our service to all Canadians."
Brightpoint is getting Sirius.
(7 October 2005)
Its subsidiary, Brightpoint Activation Services LLC, has entered into an agreement with the satcaster to distribute its receivers and related products and services into Brightpoint's independent dealer and agent channel. Through Brightpoint's Accesspoint Dealer Network program, current and future dealers will have the opportunity to become Authorized Sirius Agents with the ability to offer Sirius service plans, approved devices, and account activation.
WorldSpace is on the move.
(7 October 2005)
The international satcaster is moving its headquarters from Washington D.C. to nearby Silver Spring, Maryland. The company hopes to benefit from their new site's close proximity to other media companies as well as reducing their overall costs.
359,000 happy listeners got Sirius during the last quarter.
(5 October 2005)
That's nearly twice the number of subscribers the number two satcaster added during the same period last year. Sirius said it ended the quarter with roughly 2.2 million subscribers and expects to reach 3 million by the end of the year. Said Sirius boss "Mellow Mel" Karmazin, "We continued to experience strong subscriber growth during the third quarter, which was the best third quarter in our history, and increased our market share from the year-ago quarter by more than 20 percent."
Sirius is being sued by The Word Network .
(4 October 2005)
The suit alleges that racial and religious discrimination fueled the satcaster's decision not to renew its broadcast contract with the religious programming company that broadcasts primarily to African-American communities. Filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, the suit charges Sirius with a "concerted effort to remove African-American and religious programming providers from its satellite network." Sirius has declined to comment.
It's official.
(3 October 2005)
Coach K is now XM-rated. Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski is hosting a new radio program on XM starting on 12 October. "Basketball and Beyond with Coach K" is expected to feature discussions with figures from the worlds of business and entertainment as well as college basketball. "XM Satellite Radio has been very supportive in formatting the show to allow us to run 'motion offense' to react accordingly to the topical issues in sports, business and beyond," said Krzyzewski. The financial details of the agreement have not been released.
Audiovox is slashing its 3rd-quarter revenue and blaming it all on satellite radio.
(3 October 2005)
Citing "drastically reduced" satellite radio pricing from its chief competitor the company cut its forecast revenue from $139 million to $123 million. The move is said to be the result of matching the $49 price carried by Delphi's Roady2 XM plug-and-play unit.