News Articles From Days Gone By

Radio One gets sirius
(30 October 2009)
Inner-city oriented broadcaster Radio One has posted sirius numbers for the last quarter. The company said it earned $14.2 million (25 cents a share) in the third quarter, its second consecutive profitable quarter. "It's a pretty decent result," said industry analyst Mark R. Fratrik of BIA Financial. "They are moving in the right direction. But like every other radio company, there are both long-term and short-term challenges."     more>>


Old Chryslers get Sirius
(30 October 2009)
Chrysler has announced a special deal just for those who can't afford to buy a new car. The automaker is offering a special "Sirius Everything" package upon the purchase of all Sirius-equipped Chrysler Certified Pre-owned Vehicles. "Chrysler Group is pleased to offer customers the added benefit of a three-month trial subscription to 'SIRIUS Everything' when they purchase an eligible Certified Pre-owned Vehicle," said Steven Beahm, Vice President Sales Operations, Chrysler Group LLC.    more>>

Bubbalicious
(30 October 2009)
SiriusXM's Bubba the Love Sponge (Todd Alan Clem) has released a 41-disc box set called "Bubba Wonka." The collection is a limited-edition set of uncensored material from his popular show on Howard 100 and Howard 101. Included in the set are "The Clemulus Project," a Brent Hatley concert, "Strip Ship," "Bubba Meltdown" and "Brent's Jack Daniels Meltdown."    more>>

Ho Ho HD Radio
(30 October 2009)
The HD Radio Alliance is launching another marketing blitzkrieg for the holiday season. Starting on 2 November the organization plans to run 30 second spots explaining "If you're not GIVING an HD Radio receiver, they're not hearing HD Radio broadcasts. It's Time to Upgrade." The campaign will run on over 600 radio stations in the top 100 markets.    more>>

Pandora tweets
(29 October 2009)
Netcaster Pandora has unveiled a new feature. Listeners will henceforth be able to send either the song or station they're currently hearing to friends via Twitter or Facebook. In addition, just for all you Pandora geeks, Daily Finance has conducted a sirius interview with Pandorameister Tim Westergren. In it, Westergren says that Pandora listeners are buying more music than before, that license fees are unfair, that he wants to put Pandora into car dashboards and that "in the last year there has been a big sea change in the infrastructure surrounding radio. That's driven by the ability of cell networks to carry a streaming audio signal. . . . I think this new ubiquitous streaming capability is a hugely disruptive change that will put Internet radio right up alongside broadcast radio."    more>>

A Sirius Rosie
(27 October 2009)
Rosie O'Donnell hosts a new show starting Monday. "Rosie is a singular, powerful voice with extraordinary appeal, and we are thrilled to be able to connect her with our subscribers... Rosie is the perfect fit for the unbound creativity and possibilities of satellite radio," said SiriusXM President for Entertainment and Sports Scott Greenstein.     more>>

Mel Tells
(27 October 2009)
Not wanting to keep all the hapless SiriusXM investors waiting, Sirius Boss "Mellow Mel" Karmazin offered a preview of what can be expected in next week's big financial teleconference. The occasion was officially Liberty Media's 2009 investor conference where Mel said that he had authorized a new press relsase the morning of 16 October to announce a new certified preowned program for people who can no longer afford a new car. Saying he was very excited about the "significant growth" in the used car market, Mel described as an example that 22% of vehicles on CarMax lots were already equipped with satrads. As a surprise, Mel mentioned that unscribed radios might be used with an advertising based model offering a "taste" of what a satelite radio subscription would offer.    more>>

SiPort leads in HD
(21 October 2009)
SiPort has announced that it is now the world's leading supplier of integrated circuits to HD Radio manufacturers. "We at SiPort are proud of the fact that we are now shipping more HD Radio ICs than any other chip provider," said Aiman Kabakibo, SiPort CEO. "Our market success is due to our ground-breaking SP1010 Digital Terrestrial Broadcast Receiver. Introduced in Q1 2009, this product has been designed into a growing number of portable systems - most notably, the recently introduced and highly anticipated Microsoft Zune HD."     more>>

A Blackberry grows in Canada.
(21 October 2009)
Bell Mobility is planning to introduce the BlackBerry Bold 9700, the latest 3G smartphone from Research in Motion. The new device will offer access to mobile data services, GPS location, Live television and Sirius. "Bell is thrilled to bring the powerful new BlackBerry Bold 9700 to business and consumer clients nationwide when we launch our new HSPA network next month," said Adel Bazerghi, Senior Vice President of Products at Bell Mobility. "Clients will be able to choose from BlackBerry smartphones that operate on Bell's new HSPA network, offering superior international roaming to more than 200 countries worldwide, or those that operate on Bell's existing EVDO network, already Canada's largest 3G network and offering unbeatable North American coverage."    more>>

Get more on the Internet.
(21 October 2009)
When it comes to playing songs by unique artists the Internet is far ahead of broadcast radio. Apparently the number of unique artists played on Internet is more than 32 times that heard on standard radio stations. "There is room for a more diverse, less centralized music scene in the world today - and this is being created and facilitated by technology and internet radio." says Paul Mockenhaupt, Founder of streamSerf.    more>>

Sirius gets Sirius.
(20 October 2009)
Satcaster SiriusXM is ready to report third quarter earnings on Thursday, 5 November. For the occasion, SiriusXM execs will hold a conference call at 8:00 AM(ET). Media personnel, investors and all those just looking for a cheap thrill can access the conference call at the SiriusXM website or by tuning to Sirius 126 or XM 90.    more>>

Liberty tightens its grip on WorldSpace.
(20 October 2009)
Apparently Liberty Media is once again coming to the rescue of WorldSpace (see RUsirius.com story dated 29 September.) Now, in an emergency motion just filed before the Delaware Bankruptcy Court, WorldSpace lawyers have admitted that the company needs immediate financing to avoid liquidation and Liberty Satellite Radio, a Liberty Media subsidiary, is prepared to lend cash. In the filing, the Court is asked to extend, modify and increase WorldSpace's Debtor in Possession (DiP) financing with Liberty extending a loan "as a potential bridge to a strategic transaction between Liberty and the debtors (WorldSpace)."    more>>

A Sign of the Times
(20 October 2009)
Twin sisters Tali and Ophira Edut, known to listeners of their monthly astrology segment on Sirius as the AstroTwins, are taking their act to Phonezoo. Users will be able to access daily, weekly and monthly horoscopes or sign up for free updates via email or text messaging. Says Phonezoo co-founder Ram Ramkumar, "We are very excited about this new channel that we have been able to bring for Phonezoo.com users. Fresh and innovative content has always been the goal for Phonezoo & our content partner, The AstroTwins, a leader in this field."    more>>

Get Sirius for Halloween
(20 October 2009)
It's that time of year again and SiriuXM is ready. The satcaster has announced Halloween Radio. The special channel will launch on 26 October and run through the morning of 1 November on Sirius Channel 126 ahd XM Channel 120. Featured on Halloween Radio will be scary sounds, creaking doors, wolves, footsteps, bubbling potions, fog horns, breaking glass and other cheap gags.     more>>

Atmel HD
(20 October 2009)
Microcontroller manufacturer Atmel's products are being used by iBiquity to support the development of HD Radio improvements. The Atmel products are used by the HD Radio purveyor to develop a reference design that can then be used by consumer audio manufacturers to develop their products.    more>>

Swiss HD
(19 October 2009)
According to a representative of the Swiss communications regulator local FM stations in Switzerland could be transmitting in HD by next September. The Swiss government plans to introduce a dual system, according to Marcel Regnotto, Swiss communications regulator spokesman. In the next few weeks, a task force will begin planning operational implementation of HD Radio for local FM stations.    more>>

No reverse split for now
(19 October 2009)
SiriusXM boss "Mellow Mel" Karmazin has said that the satcaster has "no plans right now" for a reverse stock split (see RUsirius.com story dated 28 May 2009), an option that had been considered for the purpose of raising the sagging stock price to over a dollar a share. Karmazin also says that the Government's "Cash for Clunkers" program has helped SiriusXM's performance, boosting its stock price by more than 40% during the course of the last several months.    more>>

Sirius words from Audiovox
(19 October 2009)
Joe Caltabiano, National Sales Manager of the Satellite Radio Division of Audiovox has said that low end satellite radio hardware sales are estimated at no less than 300,000 units for the current quarter. He is also encouraged by the success of the SkyDock (see RUsirius.com story dated 24 August 2009), which will now apparently be sold in Apple Stores for the first time. Caltabiano provided some details on the "Rock 'N' Rewards" program in which new SiriusXM subscribers are being offered up to $100 cash back on a Visa gift card depending on the level of service.    more>>

The Performance Rights Act saga continues.
(16 October 2009)
A Senate panel has approved The Performance Rights Act (see RUsirius.com story dated 11 August 2009). Should it become law, the legislation would require terrestrial radio stations to pay royaties just as do Internet, satellite and cable broadcasters. Stations with annual revenues under $50,000 would pay a royalty fee of $100 per year. Stations with revenues between $50,000 and $100,000 would pay $500 per year, stations making between $100,000 and $500,000 would pay $2,500 per year, and stations making between $500,000 and $1.25 million would be charged $5,000.    more>>

Mike and the Mad Dog Together Again
(16 October 2009)
Sports fans across America, but especially in the New York area, will be pleased to know that Mike Francesa is briefly reuniting with Chris "Mad Dog" Russo. Just after 1:00 PM(ET), Russo will be paying Mike a visit at his "Mike'd Up" show on WFAN, his first appearance at his old venue since he and Francesa broke up a 19-year partnership 14 months ago. Francesa returns the favor this evening at 6:30 PM(ET) when he makes an appearance on Russo's "Mad Dog Unleashed" on Mad Dog Radio (Sirius 123). What's the occasion? Russo's 50th birthday and the return of the Yankees to the American League Championship Series.    more>>

AirAmerica website returns.
(16 October 2009)
Thanks in part to Alexander Interactive, Air America's website is returning. The new site includes text, audio and video commentary, multimedia streaming and OnDemand content. "The new AirAmerica.com features a re-designed look and mobile accessibility that will make it easy for listeners, viewers and readers to access our content anytime and anywhere," said Michael Bassik, chief digital officer, Air America Media. "In addition to the upgraded features and functionality, this new site will facilitate our talent to post original content and interact with their audience." Air America can be heard on 103 affiliates nationwide and on Sirius and XM channel 146.    more>>

Sirius Phish
(16 October 2009)
Jam On (Sirius 17) is presenting a four-part series on the history of Phish festivals. One of the most significant and culturally important elements of Phish’s history are their festivals. From their first (the Clifford Ball in 1996) to the future fests (the upcoming Festival 8 this Halloween weekend), they’ve been putting on weekend-long getaways for their fans for nearly fifteen years.     more>>

From the chili capital of the world
(15 October 2009)
Cincinnati restaurant critic and writer Polly Campbell is scheduled to make an appearance today on the Morning Living radio show on the Martha Stewart Channel (Sirius 112, XM 157). She'll be discussing dining and eating in Cincinnati, answer quesions about local specialties and recommend restaurants. So if you're planning to be in Cincinnati anytime soon and just don't want any more chili, this could be the show for you.    more>>

Kirk and Sulu together again with Stern
(15 October 2009)
William Shatner and George Takei may settle their ongoing dispute on the Howard Stern Show. Captain Kirk and Mr. Sulu of Star Trek fame have apparently been feuding since Shatner, claiming he wasn't invited, failed to show up at Takei's wedding to longtime partner Brad Altman. Shatner apparently just doesn't like being around former Trekkers. Says Takei, "Bill's never shown up. It's very strange because he enjoys the limelight and yet he doesn't like the limelight to be shared with colleagues from Star Trek." We'll all look forward to a lively exchange with Howard as moderator, with any luck sometime soon.    more>>

Volvo goes HD.
(15 October 2009)
Volvo has announced that it is now the first automaker to offer HD Radio as a standard feature across its entire product line. "By becoming the first in the industry to offer HD Radio Technology across our entire product line, Volvo is showing our loyal customers that we're dedicated to innovation and providing them the most pleasurable driving experience at affordable costs," says Doug Speck, President and CEO of Volvo Cars of North America.    more>>

Monty Python gets Sirius.
(14 October 2009)
Starting this Friday, 16 October, and running for only ten days it's Monty Python Radio. The temporary channel (XM 151, Sirius 105) features the greatest Python moments such as the Dead Parrot, the Argument Clinic, the Lumberjack song and the Philosophers' Drinking Song. The new channel is being broadcast the day after John Cleese, Michael Palin, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam are presented with a special award from The British Academy of Film and Television Arts.    more>>

Mirge this
(14 October 2009)
The Mirge, SirusXM's new satrad capable of receiving both Sirius and XM, is now generally available. The major benefit of the new platform is that Sirius listeners can also receive Major League Baseball broadcasts, a feature previously restricted only to owners of XM receivers. Originally available for $249 (see RUsirius.com story dated 8 January 2009), the Mirge is now available from shopxmradio for $189.    more>>

Audiovox gets Sirius.
(14 October 2009)
Satellite radio manufacturer Audiovox put up some sirius numbers recently. The company reported an overall decrease in net sales from $147.2 million a year ago to $124.9 million. The decline, however, was said to be partially offset by increased sales of satellite radio products.    more>>

Struble sees possible HD Radio power increase.
(13 October 2009)
iBiquity boss Bob Struble says a four-fold power increase for HD Radio (see RUsirius.com story dated 9 October) may be possible. Says Struble, "We are working hard with all industry parties on a compromise and remain hopeful we will get there. As we recommended to the FCC, the 6dB interim increase seems to us to be a good basis for that compromise. We think that asymmetrical sideband transmission is a useful capability and have been working on it for awhile."     more>>

Digital radio still on the rise.
(13 October 2009)
Worldwide demand for digital radio continues to rise. The market for the technology experienced year-over-year growth of 85% between 2007 and 2008. Among the major factors affecting the trend are satellite and HD radio. The global market for satellite and terrestrial digital radio is expected to grow from 12 million unit shipments in 2007 to 55 million unit shipments in 2012.    more>>

California sun may set on satellite radio.
(13 October 2009)
Thanks to new environmental regulations in California, satrads and other electronic devices may be degraded or cease to function altogether. A rule set to take place in 2012 requires that a special coating be applied to all automotive windshields to stop 45% of the sun's energy by 2014 and 60% of the sun's energy by 2016. To what end? To reduce the energy consumed by automotive air conditioners, thereby helping to reduce global warming. Unfortunately, the required window coatings may interfere with satellite radio, cellphones and garage door openers in addition to adding up to $215 to the price of each vehicle.     more>>

Five Years
(13 October 2009)
Award winning broadcaster Bob Edwards is celebrating his fifth year on XM Public Radio. Since coming to satellite radio in 2004, Edwards has received numerous awards including the ASCAP Deems Taylor Radio Broadcast Award, three Gabriel Awards and the National Press Club's Robert L. Kozic Award. Edwards can be heard daily at 8:00 AM(ET) on XM channel 133 and Sirius channel 196.    more>>

The Power behind ZuneHD
(12 October 2009)
ZuneHD owners will be pleased to know that the performance and power efficiency of the unit comes courtesy of Atheros' Radio-on-Chip for Mobile (ROCm) technology. "Our ROCm mobile WLAN solution sets the mobile industry bar for wireless througput and low power," said Amir Faintuch, vice president and general manager of Atheros' mobile business unit. "Atheros mobile Wi-Fi enhances the new Zune to enable up to 14 hours of streaming music on a single battery charge -- that makes for quite a party."    more>>

Reach MD expands coverage
(12 October 2009)
Reach MD, available on XM Channel 160, has announced two new series by the New England Journal of Medicine. NEJM Audio Summaries is a 3-minute weekly vignette that allows medical professionals to hear summaries of new leading medical research findings, articles and editorials. JEJM Audio Perspectives are roundtable discussions among key opinion leaders on topics of critical interest.    more>>

SkyDock is here at last.
(12 October 2009)
The long-awaited SkyDock (see RUsirius.com story dated 24 August 2009) is finally here. The device that turns any iPhone or iPod Touch into a vehicular satellite radio is apparently now available at Best Buy and other retail outlets. It works in conjunction with an app from Apple's iTunes store to produce exclusive content from SiriusXM as well as sports and stock tickers.    more>>

HD Radio gets more power
(9 October 2009)
NPR Labs has indicated that the power of the digital HD Radio signal can be raised by 6 dB (see RUsirius.com story dated 12 August 2009). The result has been reported to the Federal Communications Commission to which NPR staff indicated that "high-power HD Radio would uniquely cause significant first-adjacent analog interference to more closely spaced NCE-FM stations within the station's protected service coutour." Based on the latest test results, however, NPR believes that a 6 dB increase could be implemented on an interim basis. Whoopee! Does this mean HD Radio may actually find a few more listeners?    more>>

Welcome Miss Howard
(8 October 2009)
Sirius' Howard Stern is ready to declare the winner of his Miss Howard TV contest (see RUsirius.com story dated 19 June 2009) on 15 October. And the winner is...Paulina Sherwood, and undergraduate at Arizona State University and "Tempe 12's Miss May 2009." She'll head to New York to talk with the "King of All Media" about whatever he wants, replete with sex jokes and constant requests for her to undress. We'll also look forward to some lewd comments by Artie Lange and gratuitous expressions of shock from Robin. A good time will be had by all.    more>>

Digital Radio Mag
(8 October 2009)
Just when you thought there couldn't possibly be any more websites dedicated to satellite radio...here's Digital Radio Mag. It was created for satellite fans to offer unique content from writers passionate about the medium. The site is supported by Sirius Buzz, TSS Radio and SiriusXM News.    more>>

Radio on a roll.
(8 October 2009)
Broadcasting stocks, including satellite radio, have been soaring this year. Companies have been posting triple-digit percentage gains so far this year with most of the advance occuring during the third quarter. Does it mean that we're out of the recession yet? Not likely. But Wall Street likes to anticipate and all indications are that advertising revenue will advance next year.    more>>

Sirius Baseball
(8 October 2009)
This year's Major League Baseball playoffs will be extensively covered on both XM and Sirius as we march toward yet another World Series. XM is offering broadcasts of every game in addition to 24 hour baseball talk on MLB Home Plate (XM 175, Sirius 210). In addition, Sirius is offering fans the chance to talk about the games on Mad Dog Radio (Sirius 123, XM 144). Chris "Mad Dog" Russo will be broadcasting live on select dates from the AL or NL ballparks.     more>>

Siriusly Funny
(8 October 2009)
Sirius Canada is teaming up with comic Russell Peters to look find his Best Funny Five (BFF). The winner will have the opportunity to open for Peters during his upcoming 20th Anniversary North American Tour. "There's no where to hide when you're on-stage doing stand-up. You've got to deliver," says Peters. "The Sirius Best Funny Five contest is a great opportunity for someone to experience what it's like to step into the spotlight and perform in front of thousands of people."    more>>

BMWHD
(7 October 2009)
BMW is more supportive of HD Radio than ever as the automaker puts the technology into two more 2010 models. The mid-size SUV X5 and the coupe X6 models are now being equipped with HD Radio, joining the 2009 6 and 7 Series along with the 2010 1 Series, 3 Series and Z4 Roadster. Then again, if you have a big BMW maybe you don't need an HD Radio.    more>>

Blackberry slacks off.
(7 October 2009)
Internet radio provider Slacker has seen its business improve since it was adopted by Blackberry as its first music app. Says Slacker boss Jim Cady, "We're in a place where we thought we would be, but not necessarily on the platform where we thought we'd be." Slacker is also available in iPhones but is not as popular as rival Pandora.    more>>

Bob Parks gets Sirius today.
(7 October 2009)
Project 21 member Bob Parks is due to make an appearance on Mark Thompson's "Make It Plain" program today at 6:15 PM)(ET). Parks is ready to talk about the Obama Administration's handling of the economy and Afganistan. Bob Parks is an internationally-read political and social columnist. In addition to writing radio commentary, Mr. Parks appears on his award-winning television program, Black & Right and has been a guest on talk radio programs nationwide, as well as on CNN and C-SPAN. He is formerly the Vice President of the Massachusetts Republican Assembly. "Make It Plain" can be heard on Sirius Left (Sirius 146) and America Left (XM 167).    more>>

Diana Falzone moves to evenings
(6 October 2009)
SiriusXM host and former Maxim model Diana Falzone is moving her popular show on Paltalk.com to evenings, where she'll have the opportunity to interview motion picture celebrities, sports figures and musicians. The first edition of the new Diana Falzone Show premieres at 8:00 PM(ET) on 8 October with actor Vincent Pastore, who became well-known as the character Big Pussy on the Sopranos.    more>>

Get ready to Smile
(6 October 2009)
Just when we thought we'd seen it all, here's Smile Radio, a custom service made exclusively for dentist offices. Says Dave Rahn, co-president of Smile parent Custom Channels, "A number of my dentist friends really had a hard time finding a good music solution for their dental office. Many used FM or satellite radio, or their own iPods or CDs -- but found each had serious drawbacks. We created Smile Radio to address their concerns about lack of variety, tiring repetition, inappropriate songs, commercials and interruptions." Open wide!    more>>

Last.fm debuts in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and the Bay Area
(6 October 2009)
The long-awaited arrival of Last.fm in HD (see RUsirius.com story dated 11 September) is finally here. CBS Radio has announced that Last.fm Discover is now available on WWFS (102.7 HD2) in New York, KCBS (93.1 HD2) in Los Angeles, WXRT (93.1 HD3) in Chicagoland and KITS (105.3 HD3) in San Francisco. To celebrate, Muse will be featured throughout each day playing songs and describing their new release "The Resistance."    more>>

Testament gets Sirius today.
(5 October 2009)
Those eagerly awaiting the performance of Testament on Liquid Metal (Sirius 27, XM 42) (see RUsirius.com story dated 12 August 2009) need wait no longer. It's being played in its entirety tonight at 9:00 PM(ET).    more>>

Zero
(5 October 2009)
In a move that only reinforces the belief that digital downloads are worthless, Outlaw Country (Sirius 63, XM 12) star Mojo Nixon has decided to release his entire catalog free. "I'm just the kind of crazy person to do it," said Nixon. "What do I have to lose? I'll make more mone off of this in the long run." The move includes the release of his latest album, Whiskey Rebellion.    more>>

Live from Gretzky's, it's XM Canada
(2 October 2009)
XM Canada has announced that starting Monday, 5 October, it will be broadcasting "The Power Play" live from Wayne Gretzky's Restaurant in Toronto every weekday from 3 to 6 PM(ET). Hosted by Scott Laughlin, the show will feature special guests and live co-hosts. "We're thrilled to be adding new NHL content to our programming, especially the new live broadcast from Wayne Gretzky's Restaurant," says Joe Thistel, Director of Programming, Sports and Talk at XM Canada.    more>>

A Sirius September
(2 October 2009)
While auto sales numbers for the last quarter aren't exactly stellar, they could mean more customers for SiriusXM. According to Satwaves, the vehicles that are being purchased are the ones most likely to have pre-installed satellite radio receivers. SiriusXM partners such as Hyundai and Kia, both of which include satrads in all of their vechiles, are reporting a rise in sales for the entire quarter. In addition, Ford and Chrysler, which pay for a one year trial subscription, have both announced increases in production.    more>>

Sirius Canada adds more sports.
(1 October 2009)
Sirius Canada is adding Hockey Central at Noon and Prime Time Sports to the lineup of sports programming on "Sports Express" (Channel 97). Says Sirius Canada Prez Mark Redmond, "Sirius listeners told us that they can't get enough sports news, interviews and opinion from Canadian sportscasters. Hockey Central at Noon and Prime Time Sports are two of the country's top rated sports programs and by adding them to the Sirius lineup we're creating an one-stop-shop for sports fans featuring some of the best radio personalities around."    more>>

Reggie gets Sirius.
(1 October 2009)
What better way to ring in October than to spend it with Mr. October? As the Major League Baseball playoffs begin, Reggie Jackson will be co-hosting "October Nights" on SiriusXM each Tuesday night starting on 6 October. He and Bill Pidto will be taking calls from listeners as well as providing commentary on all the baseball action leading up to and including this year's World Series.    more>>

NPR boss takes cut, overhauls operation.
(1 October 2009)
National Public Radio chief executive Vivian Schiller, along with other top managers at NPR, have accepted no pay during the last two weeks of the fiscal year. The move is an attempt to tighten the belt of an organization facing a projected $8.5 million deficit this year. Since accepting her current position after a long period with the New York Times, Schiller has been working at overhauling NPR, adding new VPs of development and strategic operations and revamping the Web site. NPR expects its financial picture to improve by the end of 2011.    more>>