April 2006 Archives

Ok, so I just got my greasy hands on the Samsung Helix XM2go. For those of you just tuning in, the Samsung Helix is identical to the Pioneer Inno in all things except for form-factor. In fact, maybe the biggest difference between the two is the headphones (and maybe the power button), but that's it, everything else is the same. So if you're looking to read a review on the next generation XM2go units, you might want to start here first.

That said, if form-factor is the only difference, then what everyone will want to see if pics pics pics and more pics. So go forth and enjoy the photos after the jump...

One small thing to note: My wife and I are expecting our second child at any minute now - literally - so I had to use my crappy digital camera for these photos (the other one is in "The Bag" ready to go). So I apologize in advance for the lack of clarity if there is any.

SIRIUS Satellite Radio will air Bill Bennett's Morning in America starting on May 1st on SIRIUS Patriot, SIRIUS' conservative talk channel (ch 144) from Monday - Friday from 6am - 9am ET.

William J. Bennett, former Secretary of Education and leader of federal anti-drug efforts, is also a bestselling author, established public speaker, and commentator. He served as President Reagan's chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities (1981-1985) and Secretary of Education (1985-1988) and then President Bush's "drug czar" (1989-1990).

Bennett frequently has guests on and takes listener calls. Although he is a well-known Republican, Bennett has often crossed party lines in order to pursue important common purposes.

A real photo of the SIRIUS Sportster Replay SP4-TK1 is now available, courtesy of Crutchfield. Originally we had "artists concepts" to go by, which showed the unit having a color display, which obviously this one doesn't. I also need to note the difference in the whole product code thingy there, originally the SPTK3 and SPTK4 were the new Sportster units (one non-color, and one with a color display). So maybe we will be seeing the SP4-TK2 as the much rumored color unit?

Either way, color or not, this is one nice looking unit. About the size of the Audiovox Xpress, this definitely should be on your father's day list (hint hint).

Here's those details you all want to see:

SIRIUS Sportster Replay SP4-TK1
Cost: $169.99

• Plug-and-play SIRIUS satellite radio
• Car accessories included: cradle, suction-cup mount, power adapter, roof-mount antenna
• Internal memory continually stores the last 44 minutes of the channel you're listening to
• Built-in FM transmitter broadcasts on any FM frequency
• 6-line display
• 30 channel presets
• S-Seek lets you save up to 30 song titles or artists, and alerts you whenever one is playing on SIRIUS
• Game Alert lets you know when your favorite team is playing
• Jump button lets you go to a preprogrammed channel instantly
• Short-cut button lets you save a wireless FM transmission frequency
• Car cradle includes an auxiliary audio input
• Search by category, channel, artist, or song title
• Wireless remote control
• Dimensions: 4-1/2"W x 2-15/16"H x 5/8"D
  

Thanks solace!

Quickly becoming one of my favorite places to read during my lunchhour, the Lee Abrams blog gives us yet another blockbuster post. Mr. Abrams goes into great detail on the goals of XM Satellite Radio to liberate radio, and reading it really lets you understand that this man truly loves what he does. Here's a quick snippet to entice you:

Am I pissed off at FM. Hell YES! I grew up with the transistor under the pillow…BELIEVING that radio is the theater of the mind. To hear how music radio has declined into this artless, soul-free zone is disturbing and upsetting. That’s why XM must re-invent radio to recapture the magic and save America from the parody of itself it has become. I don’t live in the past. I respect the past. To hear airchecks of the GREAT stations from the 50’s and 60’s can be an inspiration in the same way a Robert Johnson 78 can inspire a blues musician. Radio was COMPLETE back then. A total experience. Not a morning show, tested library and billboards.

And yes, I know, some of you are diehard anti-XM folks (for some reason) but the things that Lee talks about here applies to the entire industry. FM is a dying medium, crushing under it's own bloated weight. Satellite is the next step in the experience. If you believe that, no matter what the service you're subscribed to, then you'll enjoy reading The XM Sound.

WorldSpace Satellite Radio has unveiled their new satellite radio receiver, the Diva II, to the Indian marketplace. A stand-alone unit that is also compatible with most music systems, the Diva II is equipped with sleek speakers, an audio stereo amplifier, and four pre-fixed audio equalizer modes. Other features include forty memory presets, a self-learning tutorial that gets users comfortable with satellite radio technology, a full function remote, and a data port for computer connectivity.

The Diva II runs for the equivalent of slightly more than $55 USD, and is available in "Elegant Black" or "Chic Silver" is available at WorldSpace Lounges and at leading electronics stores in most major Indian cities.

[Press Release] 

The satellite radio industry is evolving from what it was only a couple years ago. With the emergence of new "hybrid" satellite radio receivers, like the Pioneer Inno, Samsung Helix, and Sirius S50; the retail outlets that sell them are changing how (and where) they market satellite radio as well.

Dan Murphy, XM's product marketing and distribution senior VP, told TWICE that these new devices allow retailers to place displays in their MP3 departments or in their specialized Satellite Radio sections, while other retailers will merchandise the devices in both areas.

This is good news, especially considering that XM Satellite Radio is ramping up to launch "one of our largest" print and TV ad campaigns in May to promote the Helix/Inno/Nexus, Murphy said.

[TWICE]

SIRIUS Satellite Radio's Playboy Radio and Crown Royal have teamed up to create a special segment aimed at entertaining and educating listeners about the ins and outs of horse racing.

Playboy Radio's "Playmate on the Paddock" gives an all encompassing look at the Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown, hosted by one of Playboy's most popular Playmates-Jodi Ann Paterson, Playboy's 2000 Playmate of the Year.

The Playmate will instruct listeners how to watch a race, gauge weather and track conditions, and give early round elimination race results and commentary during the weeks leading up to the Kentucky Derby.

[Press Release via SIRIUS Backstage] 

TWICE points out that Mel Karmazin said at the recent Morgan Stanley Global Automotive Conference that SIRIUS' Mobile Video service will definitely be live. There has been some speculation that the satellite video service would be a cached service, where the user downloads the content to storage for playback later.

"We want the consumer to have some live TV channels in the back seat. Your kid is watching Disney or Nickelodeon [in the home] and you go into the car and pick it up, right in the car," said Mel Karmazin.

When asked whether SIRIUS is partnering with Disney or Nickelodeon, SIRIUS Senior VP Bob Law said, "We are talking to people like that." Law also said that SIRIUS will likely unveil their satellite video technology at the International CES in January and launch the service shortly thereafter.

This contradicts earlier reports that SIRIUS' Mobile Video is on schedule for mid-2006.

When discussion the programming on SIRIUS' video service, Law said, "It's definitely going to be some live relevant broadcasting. It's not going to be something that could be duplicated by a DVD."

[TWICE] 

Light Reading has a writeup on their revised satellite radio subscriber projections, and on the conservative side, they're estimating over 17.2 Million total subscribers between SIRIUS and XM in the next 18 months.

Based on SIRIUS' growth from July 04 - March 06, SIRIUS will be growing at a rate of 243 subscribers every hour - bringing in a total of 7.1 Million subscribers in 18 months. Based on XM's growth rate from June 04 - April 06, XM will grow at a rate of 284 new subscribers an hour. That's a total of 10.1 Million subscribers in 18 months.

Obviously, there are events that cause spikes in growth - like Stern for instance. And using numbers from mid 2004 might make hourly additions a bit more conservative than necessary, but sometimes it's nice to weigh on the more conservative side.

[Light Reading] 

SIRIUS Backstage lets us know that SIRIUS subscribers have the opportunity of getting a free SIRIUS Satellite Radio receiver.

If you see the following graphic, it means you qualify:

Click here to log in to your account management page.

You have from April 18, 2006 through May 1, 2006 to act on this, and need to pre-pay for 6-months.

[SIRIUS Backstage] 

Celebrities in Satellite Radio are a key aspect to driving public awareness of each service. In general, most celebrities don't spend much time on the air, but that doesn't really matter. They're meant to get people through the door and hooked on the service. Think the Victoria Secrets "million dollar bra" or the Dodge Viper - most will never wear or drive one - but who cares, you're going to buy the Ipex or Caravan anyway.

AdRants has an enlightening writeup on the different approaches taken by SIRIUS and XM Satellite Radio when it comes to the celebrities they choose to sign on. According to recent research from E-Poll, a celebrity appeal research company, there are dramatic differences in public opinion for satellite radio celebrity talent. XM's talent has more "universal" appeal, while SIRIUS' selection is far more polarizing as illustrated by E-Poll's E-Score rating.

This shows key strategic differences in XM's and SIRIUS' approach, both of which I think have their positive and negative aspects.

Take XM's "universal" approach, while people will have a generally favorable opinion of these celebrities, there doesn't exist the same level of "passionate" fans who would do anything for these personalities. On the flip side of that coin, you won't be driving away any subscribers either.

SIRIUS' more polarizing approach that both attracts the hardcore fans, yes, like Stern's fanbase. But it also has the potential of preventing some subscribers from signing up because they find Stern "mean" and "rude."

Which approach is better? Neither. Both. There's plenty of the market to go around.

[AdRants] 

The worst kept secret in radio is now official. Surprise!

Opie and Anthony will be heard on the following CBS Radio stations:

New York - WFNY 92.3
Dallas - KLLI 105.3
Philadelphia - WYSP 94.1
Boston - WBCN 104.1
Pittsburgh - WRKZ 93.7
Cleveland - WXRK 92.3
West Palm Beach - WPBZ 103.1

CBS Radio stations in New York, Dallas and Philadelphia will also stream the O&A show show online at 923freefm.com, 1053freefm.com and 941freefm.com, respectively.

Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

SIRIUS Satellite Radio will broadcast a new interview with Bruce Springsteen this Sunday, April 23rd at 10am ET, where Springsteen discusses his upcoming album We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions, on SIRIUS Stars channel 102.

The interview will be rebroadcast on Monday, April 24th at 1pm and 7pm ET, and on Tuesday, April 25rd at 1pm ET, on channel 18, The Spectrum.

Springsteen’s new album features his interpretations of 13 traditional songs associated with folk artist Pete Seeger, and will be released on Tuesday, April 25th.

The pests will enjoy this one. Not even a full work week has gone by since DirecTV removed O&A from the lineup, and word has it that DirecTV is reinstating them back today or tomorrow. According to people familiar with the matter, DirecTV was overwhelmed by the response (read: pest attack) and has decided to bring back Opie and Anthony.

No word on whether MLB Home Plate will return as well, or what the channel number will be.

Thanks Brian! 

XM Canada inked a multi-year distribution agreement with Harley-Davidson to offer XM Canada pre-installed with three months of service, on select models.

XM Canada currently is available for Harley-Davidson 2006 models as a dealer-installed aftermarket option.

[Press Release] 

So now that the cat is out of the bag when it comes to Opie & Anthony syndicating their XM Satellite Radio show to CBS Radio - a lot of questions have been raised. What's the details on this and how will it affect subscribers/non-subscribers?

First, the bombshell. Today is David Lee Roth's LAST DAY on CBS Radio. This has been confirmed by a CBS representative.

Opie and Anthony will be starting on CBS Radio starting next Wednesday. Opie and Anthony will on a total of 7 markets and not 3 markets as was said on Stern's show.

Of those seven markets, O&A will be on in the afternoon drive slot on Cleveland's WNCX, which will allow "Rover" - WNCX's morning drive jock - to continue broadcasting in his current timeslot.

Opie and Anthony will do three hours simulcast from WFNY studios, from 6am - 9am ET, which will be broadcast uncensored on XM Satellite Radio and a FCC-friendly version will be simulcasted on the CBS stations. Then O&A will go down to the XM studio and broadcast an additional two hours, from 9am - 11am ET, exclusive to XM Satellite Radio subscibers. Additionally, there's word that more programming will be added to High Voltage 202 as an added value.

During the simulcast, O&A will be allowed to publicize XM Satellite Radio with little (if any) restrictions. This has no relation and does not void the CBS Radio lawsuit against Stern, because the lawsuit is not about mentions of SIRIUS but rather the alleged hiding of a subscriber incentive. There's little doubt though that this move by CBS to allows free XM publicity will be brought up in the courts.

Expect an official press release on this very soon (possibly today?).

[via AllAccess.com] 

(Side note: it sort of stinks that Inside Radio is getting all the credit for "breaking" this news, when it was really Allen Sniffen from the NY Radio Message Board who broke this back in early March. A little attribution would be nice.)

SIRIUS Satellite Radio will release their first quarter 2006 financial and operating results on Tuesday, May 2, 2006.

SIRIUS also plans to hold a conference call at 8:00 am ET to discuss these results. Investors, the financial community and the press can listen to the conference call SIRIUS' Investor Relations page, and on SIRIUS Channel 125.

Both companies will market SIRUS Satellite Radio receivers and accessories throughout Canada, including the Streamer GT, Streamer Replay, Streamer GTR Replay and the SIRIUS One.

Pana-Pacific will also supply Delphi’s new heavy duty integrated SIRIUS Satellite Radio receivers to truck manufacturers including Kenworth, Peterbilt, Mack, International Truck and Engine, Volvo, Sterling, Western Star and Freightliner.

The announcement was made today at Truck World 2006 where Pana-Pacific and SIRIUS Canada are exhibiting together.

[Today's Trucking] 

Reuters reports that Bob Dylan's first installment of his new show debuting May 3rd on XM Satellite Radio will revolve around the theme "weather." To some, this may sound like an odd theme... that is until you see the playlist planned for Dylan's first show.

Want to see the playlist for yourself? Of course you do, check it out after the jump...

No, not Don Imus you silly goose. Fred Imus, brother to Don Imus and famed country music DJ, is joining SIRIUS Satellite Radio to host Fred’s Trailer Park Bash. The weekly country music program will launch on Saturday, May 6th and will be broadcast each Saturday from 6am - 10am ET SIRIUS Outlaw Country (channel 63).

Imus will broadcast his show from his trailer in Tucson, Arizona. He will continue to appear as a regular guest on his brother Don Imus’ syndicated radio program Imus in the Morning, which is also broadcast on MSNBC.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting more on what we've been hearing: Opie & Anthony are to replace CBS Radio's David Lee Roth.

In a sign of the struggles some broadcast-radio stations face in the absence of Howard Stern's popular morning show, Mr. Stern's successor in New York and other markets will leave CBS Corp.'s airwaves, to be replaced by the duo Opie & Anthony, according to people familiar with the matter.

Babblermouth.net is reporting that the duo's return to terrestrial radio will be on CBS' NY, Philly and Dallas' Free-FMs as well as WBCN Boston, WNCX Cleveland, Pittsburgh's K-Rock and West Palm Beach's The Buzz.

UPDATE: The NY Post, FMQB, and Radio Ink have all picked up on this.

Satellite Standard Group has a great post on the NPD Group results released for the month of March and Q106:

For March 2006 the NPD market share was as follows:
Sirius - 56%
XM - 44%

For the entire first quarter the NPD share split was as follows:
Sirius - 59%
XM - 41%

Now remember, NPD numbers arguably are a great indicator for trending on retail marketshare, but analysts have always had one gripe with NPD numbers: Wal-Mart sales are not reported. Wal-Mart is a leading reseller to a particular segment of the population, a fairly large one, and especially for the midwest residents where other electronics outlets are few and far between.

Still, these numbers show SIRIUS clearly dominated the retail market in other outlets since September '05, with little sign of slowing down anytime soon.

SSG futher expands on their earlier NPD post with a chart showing NPD numbers going back to January 2005, and attributing the retail success to Howard Stern's presence. Can't say I disagree... the numbers don't lie.

[Satellite Standard Group]

XM Satellite Radio has scheduled a conference call on Thursday, April 27, 2006, at 10:00 AM ET to announce and discuss its first quarter 2006 financial results. To listen to the conference call via telephone, please call one of the following numbers approximately 10 minutes prior to the planned start of the call.

Call-in number: (877) 265-5808
Local call-in number: (706) 679-7931

The conference call can also be accessed via a live webcast on XM's website.

Couple more quick things about Bob Dylan's arrival on XM Satellite Radio. First, check out this promo (audio) which really gives a very indepth insight into Dylan's history, influence, and a preview of things to come on XM.

Also, Lee Abrams has a blog now (!!!) in which he wrote an incredibly detailed background of Dylan's arrival. Extremely interesting stuff, and well worth the read. I'd like tip my hat and welcome Lee to the world of blogging. I really hope he continue posting, because reading Lee's words is truly inspiring.

Thanks cb! 

Eton has issued a recall for the Eton E1XM AM/FM/Shortwave/XM Satellite Radio receiver, for units found in serial range 3,067 - 5,462.

The issue that Eton has discovered is a missing trace on the circuit board. In the event that a customer has the unit plugged into an electrical outlet, using the AC adapter for power, and has a set of batteries in the unit, it could cause battery heat-up, leakage and possibly rupture. This may cause fire and/or personal injury.

If you purchased an Eton E1XM within this serial number range, please contact Eton technical support immediately at 800-872-2228 from 9am - 4 pm PT, Monday through Friday. You will receive a replacement receiver free of charge, and as a token of Eton's appreciation, they will be offering a complimentary FR200 Emergency Radio for your inconvenience.

[Eton Corp] 

The rumor mill isn't letting this one die. Rumors of Opie and Anthony being syndicated to terrestrial radio - specifically on some of CBS Radio's East Coast markets - still are buzzing about.

Originally, word had it that O&A were to replace David Lee Roth on Howard's old home of K-Rock. But since then reportedly talks had stalled.

Now Inside Radio reports that O&A would actually do their show from CBS Radio studios in NYC, but would continue to broadcast on XM Satellite Radio. Interesting. Considering they are the only on-air XM radio personalities in the 57th Street studios, this could be plausible. UPDATE: I'm an idiot. Ron & Fezzy broadcast from the same location.

[Inside Radio] 

Official word from XM Satellite Radio just came in that Bob Dylan's much anticipated music show, "Theme Time Radio Hour with Your Host Bob Dylan" will make its world premiere on May 3rd at 10am ET, on Deep Tracks XM channel 40.

Each weekly show will feature an mix of music based around a specific theme, with Bob Dylan himself will offer stories about the music and topics of interest. Dylan also will read and answer select emails sent in by fans. In addition, "Theme Time Radio Hour" will feature contributions from special guests, including Elvis Costello, Charlie Sheen, Penn Jillette, Sarah Silverman and Jimmy Kimmel.

A complete list of tracks, along with XM+Napster purchase links, from each "Theme Time Radio Hour" show will be posted on a dedicated Bob Dylan page on XM's website, as well as photos and information on encore broadcasts. Fans also can e-mail their questions and music requests directly to Bob Dylan at bobdylan@xmradio.com

Encore broadcasts of "Theme Time Radio Hour" will air throughout the week on Deep Tracks and XM's folk music channel, The Village XM channel 15.

[Press Release]

XM Satellite Radio will sponsor a special benefit concert to support the Elf Foundation at the Home Entertainment 2006 Show which is being held on June 1-4, 2006 in Los Angeles. The Elf Foundation is a non-profit charity that creates "Rooms of Magic" - private entertainment theaters in children’s hospitals that bring the enchantment of uplifting music and film to seriously ill children around the country.

The benefit concert will feature Dr. John, which you probably know him best for his 1973 hit song, "Right Place, Wrong Time."

The concert will take place on Saturday, June 3rd 5:00pm to 7:00pm. 

[Press Release] 

The long awaited Sirius S50 Executive Boombox is now finally available. The Sirius Store just got a big ol' shipment in, and they're being made available for online order at 3:30pm CT today. These are definitely going to be a hot seller, so if you've had your eye on one, don't putz around.

I got the chance to see the prototype of the S50 Executive Player back in August, and the thing definitely looks slicker in person than it does in the pics.

The S50 Executive Boombox lets you listen, play, record and manage your Sirius S50 all from the convenience of your home or office. With the stereo speakers consisting of three drivers each, a desktop stand, wall-mounting bracket, indoor SIRIUS antenna, media dial, full control buttons, and wireless remote - you've got a one-stop solution for convenient listening.

[The Sirius Store] 

Disclosure: Yes, The Sirius Store is a sponsor, but I'd still write about this even if they weren't.

Just got an email from SIRIUS promoting the new Howard 100 and Howard 101 schedule lineup that most of us already are quite familiar with. Still, it's a very nice promotional piece to remind everyone - especially the casual listeners - of the schedule in an email that they can print out or refer to.

Check out the full email after the jump... 

In lieu of a semi-boring day in world of satellite radio today, let's take a trip back in time to just over a year ago. When Dan Mason, former CBS Radio President, predicted that by this time today - there would be over 1,300 HD Radio stations broadcasting digital radio across the U, S of A. With the euphoric HD Radio signal washing over a whopping 80% of the US population, and over 15 separate manufacturers pumping out HD Radios, it was proclaimed that "AM and FM is changing before your eyes."

Or maybe not.

Here we are, a year later after such lofty dreams were crafted. Yet, a mere 700 stations have the ability to broadcast in HD Radio, and only 1,200 are expected by year's end. Just over 260 are even multicasting any HD2 channels. And with word that HD Radio's inventor, iBiquity, is halting all current and future projects... is the writing on the wall?

[Radio Rave April 14, 2005]
(For more giggles, read the Satellite Radio: Too Early For Cigars written by Cox Radio President/CEO Bob Neil. With quotable quotes like "I'd liken the satellite market more to a zygote than to an embryo" and "Satellite radio's impact on traditional radio is minimal," you'll be sure to be entertained.)

Last week, XM Satellite Radio was given the Digital Service Vendor of The Year 2005 award from CompUSA. The award was presented on April 10th at an awards ceremony in recognition of XM Satellite Radio’s commitment to CompUSA for merchandising, training and marketing of XM products.

Also, XM received the 2005 Merchandising Vendor Excellence Award from Circuit City in recognition of performance as one of the retail chain's top vendors. In its announcement of the award, Circuit City stated that XM had demonstrated "supply chain performance, product profitability, and year-over-year impact on Circuit City's revenue growth." The retail chain had previously awarded XM Satellite Radio the award in May 2003.

[Press Release]

Last night's XM channel update has apparently come with some consequences. DirecTV channel 879, the channel that Opie and Anthony was being broadcast on, is no longer available as you can see from the photo above.

High Voltage also isn't listed among the DirecTV XM Channels, or in the channel lineup on DirecTV's website.

Why? Very good question. I'm sure we'll find out today.

UPDATE: The removal of the channel, along with XM's MLB Home Plate, is due to DirecTV opting to include only music channels in their programming. Feel free to contact DirecTV should you disagree with this programming change.

MobileWhack is reporting that the Samsung Helix XM2go and the Nexus XMP3 player will officially launch at a Samsung event on April 25th at the Time Warner Center.

I haven't gotten an invite to the event (ahem! ) but I did get a chance to play with the Nexus last week at the XM press event. It's much smaller than the Helix/Inno, and with a $269 MSRP, it's easier on the wallet.

[MobileWhack] 

Well, SIRIUS has finally settled with the last of the Big Four over the Sirius S50's recording and 'disaggregation' capabilities.

Last month, SIRIUS settled with Unversal Music and Warner, an agreement that included a cap in production for the S50, with a settlement with Song BMG that followed a few days later. The last of the puzzle was with EMI Music Group, which according to Forbes has just recently been settled.

For those who don't know EMI, Song BMG, Warner and Univeral Music make up the Big Four of the RIAA cartel, and distribute over 95 percent of all music CDs sold worldwide.

The settlement with EMI follows suit with previous agreements which reportedly requires SIRIUS to pay a royalty for every Sirius S50 unit sold. While it doesn't necessarily sound like the best of all settlements, I'm sure it's better than the alternative.

Yet another reason to hate the RIAA.

[Forbes]

The boys over at GSI have put together a couple 'artist concepts' based on reports of what the new Sportster unit(s) will look like.

Word has it that a low-end SPTK3 will hit the shelves, along with a more advanced Sportster SPTK4. Looking at the Photochops, it looks like the new SIRIUS Sportster will be using a similar sleek, black form-factor as the Sirius S50.

[GSI] 

Baseline has a neat little feature called their 100 Smartest Companies. It's put together using a formulaic method applied to figure out the value of each employee at a company, to calculate what they call the Knowledge Value per Employee. That is, the value created by each worker, on average, from chief executive to middle manager to entry-level staffer.

And out of these 100 Smartest Companies, both SIRIUS and XM are in the top 20. SIRIUS Satellite Radio actually is on the Top 10, coming in at #8 - while XM Satellite Radio ranks at #12.

Baseline explains how the Knowledge Value per Employee is created... and it's flaws:

First, subtract the company's shareholder equity from its market capitalization. Then divide that amount by the number of employees at the company. The result is an intangible but vital asset: the value each employee generates.

Granted, relying on the stock market to judge a company's smartness has its problems. There will be cases when investors bid up the price of shares beyond any hopes of realizing good returns—say, during times of "irrational exuberance."

So, the formula isn't perfect.

Some might argue that both XMSR and SIRI stock are driven by"irrational exuberance" but regardless, it's a neat metric to look at, and it's even more impressive to see both SIRIUS and XM coming in as high as they are.

[The Smart 100 Rankings]

Thanks Mike! 

Awareness of satellite radio is on the rise, and quite signficantly. Both XM and SIRIUS have reached equal awareness levels of 61% among people ages 12 and older. A joint study performed by Edison Media Research and Arbitron interviewed 1,925 Arbitron diarykeepers in January 2006 to give more color on digital radio mindshare.

Almost one in five non-subscribers say they are “very” or “somewhat” likely to subscribe to satellite radio in the next 12 months. For XM, awareness climbed from 41% in January 2004, to 50% in Jan 05, to 61% this January. Sirius awareness climbed 28% in Jan 04, 54% in Jan 05, 61% in Janauary 2006.

The fact that XM and SIRIUS now have equal metrics in awareness now may be an indication that their concentration needs to shift to differentiating themselves from each other, in additional to showing benefits over terrestrial radio.  

Satellite radio subscribers are twice as likely to live in $100K+ households. And while 77% of Americans expect to listen to AM/FM as much as they do now, satellite radio subscribers showed slightly less dedication to terrestrial, with 64% saying they plan to continue listening to the same amount of AM/FM radio.

Satellite radio also attracts a broad audience profile and the satellite radio audience more closely
mirrors the age and gender profile of the average American than audiences of other digital forms
of radio (podcasting, internet radio, etc). Fifty-three percent of satellite radio subscribers are male, and 18% are age 55 and older.

[Arbitron Radio Listening Report (PDF)]
Thanks Tim!

Talkers magazine has selected SIRIUS' Howard Stern to receive its 2006 Freedom of Speech Award. Stern will receive the award on June 10th during the annual New Media Seminar in New York.

[UPI] 

In reference to the anti-satellite radio legislation up for vote in the Senate:
"It is crystal clear, that both XM and Sirius - with nearly $1 billion in combined losses last year and having failed as a national programming service - are skirting the intent of their original FCC licenses. This bill holds satellite radio accountable to those licenses."
(Did you contact your Senator yet? - why not?)

When talking about slumping radio advertising revenue:
"Something that particularly drives me nuts is everybody says, 'Internet, Internet, Internet! Click-through rates!' I go on the Internet all the time. I click through it; I don't buy it. Where, if I listen to something on radio -

I just think it's a better experience and a better investment for advertisers. But we need to be sure that the advertisers and the agencies get reconnected with the power of radio. That's part of it; I think getting new people to advertise is part of it.

A lot of it is creating the tone and movement that radio is cool. People say, 'Well, you're a dinosaur.' Well, we're not a dinosaur. "
(No really, you're a dinosaur. It's called tracking your ROI.)


When asked about young people's perception about radio:
"Apart from HD, which I think will give us a lot of sizzle, I also think we need to make a more concerted effort to interact with technology and technology manufacturers. My watchword has been that every gadget should be able to get the signal."
(...no content?)

On how radio is going to survive:
"We're in a new competitive playing field. Satellite has lobbyists in DC now. Other technologies have lobbyists in DC and NAB has always been "the big dog." Now, we're going to be the big dog with other dogs around us and we're going to growl. And perhaps bite a whole lot more. Because we need to get the desired result; because the future of the industry is at stake. "

• BMW Adds New iPod Integration
  Using the same interface as the SIRIUS Satellite Radio and HD Radio integration
• Van ailin': Roth's morning radio show struggling
  "He's a dead man talking."
• Searching for Stern's lost listeners
  And NPR is making out well with the spillover.
• Anonymous Spitzer Letter Riles Up The Row
  "The country music business is being held hostage by three independent promotion firms and the radio stations they control." -- this getting nasty folks.
• Music Phones Triple Sony-Ericsson Earnings
  Driven largely by sales of its Walkman line of music phone, Sony-Ericsson beat analyst expectations by more than tripling its net profit for the quarter..
• Google Audio is Hiring
  Following Google's purchase of dMarc a number of help wanted pages have shown up at Google Jobs.

(phew! busy day today) 

Hip hop star Trick Daddy, who hosts a show on XM Raw, will be appearing at XM Hot Import Nights at the Dulles Expo Center in Washington DC from April 22nd, 5 pm to midnight. Trick Daddy will be at HIN alongside DJ Xclusive and DJ Lil' Mic from The City.

Not only will you see hot items like the full carbon fiber chassis C West S2000 and the chameleon color-changing HKS-powered IS300, not to mention booth babes sprawled out everywhere, but the XM booth will include hands-on displays of the Pioneer Inno.

Thanks Bernice! 

SIRIUS Satellite Radio will broadcast live radio coverage of a wedding at Graceland’s Chapel in the Woods. The betrothed are Elvis Radio fans - Christina Ptak of Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin and Richard Pawlaczyk of Chicago, Illinois - with the wedding taking place next door to Elvis Presley’s Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee.

Check out the live broadcast on Elvis Radio (SIRIUS channel 13), beginning at 4pm ET on Wednesday, April 19, 2006.

Can't wait. 

XM Canada will be making some changes to their channel lineup on April 17th, including the same changes that XM will be implementing in the US.

But hidden in the midsts of the changes is something important: XM Canada is dropping their Clear Channel content. Nashville, Kiss, Mix and Sunny - which if you remember will soon be featuring Clear Channel mandated commercial spots - have all gotten the kabosh in Canada.

Youch.

[XM Canada]

WOW. This is awesome news. SIRIUS Satellite Radio and Kia Motors America inked a deal to offer SIRIUS as factory standard equipment in all Kia vehicles.

The long-term agreement runs through 2014 and makes SIRIUS Satellite Radio a standard feature in all 2009 model year Kia vehicles, beginning in 2008.

Kia customers will receive three months of complimentary service, and all radios will be factory activated for dealer and customer convenience.

"We are very excited to add Kia to our list of exclusive automotive partners," said Mel Karmazin, CEO of SIRIUS. "Kia is an exciting company that is producing appealing cars to a growing number of consumers in the U.S., and we look forward to closely working with them to make the Kia in-vehicle experience even more rewarding."

This poses a curious conundrum as Kia is actually a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Corp. Hyundai and XM Satellite Radio inked a similar factory standard equipment deal around the same time last year. It'll be interesting to learn more about this deal as it comes to light.

XM NavTraffic, XM's nationwide satellite traffic information service for GPS navigation systems, today debuted newly equipped vehicles at the 2006 New York International Automobile Show. XM NavTraffic will be available in the Acura RDX, the Infiniti G35 sedan (interior pictured above), and the Lexus LS sedans beginning with the 2007 model year vehicles.

XM NavTraffic is already a factory-installed feature on all Acura RL vehicles and every Cadillac CTS model equipped with on-board navigation.

Check out Autoblog for the latest happenings at the New York Auto Show.

Remember last week's Don't Miss List of guests appearing on SIRIUS Satellite Radio? Well, here we are again with another full week full of goodness.

XM Satellite Radio wants to replace higher interest rate debt with new lower interest rate debt, and establish a revolving credit facility with a group of banks and other financial institutions. These refinancing transactions are expected to lower XM's ongoing interest expense and extend the maturity dates of the company's debt portfolio, as well as provide lower cost standby liquidity through the bank revolver.

Read more about this here. 

In a wonderfully bold statement, SIRIUS Satellite Radio CEO Mel Karmazin at the Morgan Stanley Global Automotive Conference this morning in New York (audio), threw down a challenge to the music industry. During the Q&A session, someone brought up the RIAA and the aleged rate hikes that they have been threatening.

Karmazin actually said he would be willing to pay significantly higher fees to the recording industry... but they would need to remove music from terrestrial radio stations and make it only available on satellite radio. 

"We have done great things for the music industry. We are absolutely are playing more new music than they have ever experienced in terrestrial radio. And we are also paying them, which is something that terrestrial radio is not," said Karmazin.

"If they really would like to get a big increase in what they are getting from us. What they should do for us, is take music off every place else in radio... so the only place you would be able to hear music is to listen to satellite radio, then I think we could pay them a signficant increase over what they're making."

Wow. 

[Morgan Stanley Global Automotive Conference Webcast (audio)]

SIRIUS Satellite Radio will treat visitors to broadcasts and signings from their favorite stars and on-air SIRIUS hosts for visitors of the 2006 New York Auto Show at the Jacob Javits Convention Center starting this Friday, April 14th.

All events will take place at SIRIUS' Crystal Palace Booth CP9, where visitors can also check out the newest SIRIUS radios for vehicles and sample SIRIUS Satellite Radio channels. SIRIUS will also be featured in the Camp Jeep display and various partner booths.

Check out the full schedule after the jump... 

Lexus, which today unveiled their new LS 600h L luxury hybrid sedan at the NYIAS press event, also announced they will offer XM Satellite Radio as standard, factory-installed equipment on the 2007 LS 460 L and the 2008 LS 600h L luxury hybrid sedan. XM will also be available as a factory-installed feature on the 2007 LS 460 model as part of the navigation option.

The all-new fourth generation LS series will be the first Lexus models to offer factory-installed XM Satellite Radio. In addition to offering XM Satellite Radio, both the LS 460 L and the LS 600h L hybrid will be the only vehicles in the prestige luxury segment to offer XM’s real-time traffic service, XM NavTraffic.

“This launch is just the beginning for XM and Toyota as XM will be further integrated into Toyota Motor Sales vehicles,” said Hugh Panero, President and CEO of XM Satellite Radio.

[Press Release]

An article by Scott Moritz on TheStreet.com yesterday about the possibility of raising subscription rates coming for SIRIUS got me thinking. With word that SIRIUS will be adding a "significant number" of repeaters this year - with the intention to provide satellite radio services like video and data delivery - thoughts of not reaching CFBE anytime soon are again swimming in investor's heads. One option? Raise prices. This isn't a new thought, as Mel brought it up in February saying that there's a "signficant opportunity" to do so, and rumors of it have been floated since before that.

Bear Stearns analyst Bob Peck brought up another scenario in his report last week to create a multi-tiered system - a premium service and a regular service - to help balance out the costs. Others feel (myself included) that a multi-tiered pricing structure would simply confuse the consumer and be yet another mental barrier to entry to try to overcome. People have a hard enough time grasping the concept of "paying for radio" to begin with, multiple pricing options just set to confuse the market.

That in itself is also the argument against raising prices in general. The higher you go, the more you stifle new subscriber growth. You may slightly increase churn, but current subscribers are already hooked. It's new subscribers that would have a problem with it.

XM isn't immune to this discussion mind you. The resignation of Jack Roberts was a clear signal about the concern of spending vs growth (a concern every business has). They're expanding their services as well, and with "The Content Wars" coming to an end, both satellite radio services need to continue progress while balancing costs. Smaller devices, newer services, improved technologies - and let's not forget about launching new satellites (XM-4 is due on the launch pad later this year). All this costs money.

But how much is too much when it comes to price? Should these new services like mobile/portable video be an added value to satellite radio? Or do they belong as a separate subscription service altogether like the weather services? I can see the value of both XM and SIRIUS disassociating themselves from "just radio" and moving more towards a satellite radio service. But The costs involved to create these new services are incurred to the company across the board - how should the profits then be distributed? Food for thought.

[The Street] 

I'm hearing some very interesting rumors about iBiquity, the company behind terrestrial radio's savior technology HD Radio (just a little refresher, the "HD" doesn't actually stand for "high definition" - funny huh?). Word has it that iBiquity is experiencing so much financial mayhem that they've stopped all projects, both current and future, and are regrouping or possibily worse.

Look, I'm all for competition and all, but with a phenominal tag line like "are you deaf yet?" (listen to campaign spots here and here) who wouldn't bet all their chips on this technology?
Thanks Hurricane Ben!

According to Phonescoop Cingular CTO, Kris Rinne, yesterday revealed that the carrier is looking at other options to deliver video to its subscribers. With MediaFLO or Modeo possibily in play to deliver video over Cingular's terrestrial network, Rinne said they're looking to a new satellite video provider - who explicitely is not DISH or DirecTV. Curious. We know to expect XM Video and SIRIUS Video sometime soon, but will Cingular's cell network be the delivery method?

Now, combine that with the recent Lucent patent of delivering satellite radio over cell networks, and you've got yourself a plausible story. Remember that Lucent won a contract with Cingular back in Q405 to provide IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) services across Cingular's entire network.

The question is, which satellite radio/video provider could be in play? With SIRIUS already in bed with Sprint, it seems that makes XM winner by default, but that's just speculation folks. 

[Phonescoop]
Thanks cb!

Steve Kingston, XM Satellite Radio's Sr. Director/Label Relations and famed radio veteran, has been named the Program Director for XM's modern rock channel, Ethel. Kingston will remain in his current position as well as assuming his PD responsibilities immediately.

[FMQB and Radio & Records]

The Satellite Standard Group (a nice new satellite radio blog on the scene) stumbled upon a promotional page on eMusic's website that points towards who SIRIUS' digital music partner is. While no guarantee, it's an interesting discovery.

Remember that last week we caught another separate hint that SIRIUS will be partnering with Yahoo to fulfill digital music. While it's possible that SIRIUS could partner with multiple digital music providers, the logistics involved don't make it very likely.

eMusic, based out of New York City like SIRIUS, would be an interesting choice since the digital music downloads they provide are actually MP3s - therefore free of any DRM. With over 1,000,000 music files available, their library is deep enough, albeit very indie-centric, to fulfill many of the purchase requests that SIRIUS would drive. eMusic also offers a very generous trial (25 downloads for free) which is an added value to subscribers.

[Satellite Standard Group]

Imagine walking into your hotel room after a long flight, throwing down your luggage, turning on the TV and after a few deft thumb moves across the remote - you're watching the Sybian in action. That scenario could be happening starting this month when Howard TV begins arriving in Hotels across the country.

iN DEMAND (the VOD service that runs Howard TV) and On Command Video Corporation (a company that provides in-room interactive entertainment for the hotel industry) have inked a multi-year agreement to offer Howard TV to On Command users. Hotel visitors will be able to select from several of the most popular recent shows filmed during Howard Stern's popular morning satellite radio program. On Command will constantly refresh the content as it becomes available.

[Press Release] 

After appearing naked on The Howard Stern Show, Alison Cushman, a 31 year old child abuse investigator, is facing possible disciplinary action.

The photos where Stern and crew assessed her body are still up online (not really work-safe) and are what may cause "appropriate action" to be taken according to a spokeswoman for the Palm Beach County office of the Department of Children and Families. "State employees are held to a higher standard, and as such, unbecoming behavior will not be tolerated," she added.

GRAMMY-nominated blues singer Shemekia Copeland will launch her own radio show on SIRIUS Satellite Radio.

Copeland, described as “one of the best singers in modern blues” by the Chicago Tribune, will host Shemekia Copeland’s Blues Show, starting on Saturday, April 22nd, from 1pm - 7pm ET on SIRIUS Blues channel 74.

Shemekia Copeland will draw upon her life in the blues to share with SIRIUS listeners. The daughter of late Texas blues guitar legend Johnny Clyde Copeland, Shemekia first performed onstage with him as a child, and then joined him on tour as a singer at age 16.

Returning to the air, this time on XM Satellite Radio for one time only will be The Lazlow Show, this Saturdee, April 8th (that's today) from 8pm-11pm ET on XM 202.

If you're familiar with The Technofile tech news program, or perhaps are a fan of the Grand Theft Auto radio stations (GTA3, Vice City, and San Andreas were all done by Lazlow) you'll be sure to enjoy this show. Wayne, Reed and Lazlow will be in studio to discuss everything that has happened since the last show (which aired on Krock), how the show broke up a relationship, doing snuff with the Swedish national female tug-of-war team and more.

Listen to the promo here
[The Lazlow Show] 

Thanks OneWithDog!

Jimmy Buffett fans can enjoy every concert on his upcoming “Party at the End of the World” tour starting on April 18th, because SIRIUS Satellite Radio will broadcast each show live on SIRIUS' Radio Margaritaville channel.

SIRIUS will include a special 30-minute pre-show broadcast from backstage, featuring pre-show music and interviews with Buffett or members of his Coral Reefer Band.

Check out all 19 scheduled shows taking place between April 18th - August 12 after the jump.

Earlier today DCRTV reported that a source informed them the Washington DC based XM Satellite Radio would be undergoing possible layoff to due a "reorganization of their programming department."

XM denied the claim they're making any personnel cuts, and added with the addition of new channels coming this month, "We're actually hiring," the spokesperson told DCRTV.

[DCRTV] 

Thanks Barry! 

This according to a report by Bear Stearns analyst Bob Peck after meeting with Jim Meyer, SIRIUS President of Operations and Sales. SIRIUS' new live wearable satellite radio receiver, which has been under close wraps for sometime, is quietly driving some hypoe. It's been given several nicknames, like the Sirius S100 or as others have referred to it as the "Bellagio" (named after the hotel it supposedly had a private showing at during CES 2006).

According to the Forbes article,

In the meeting, Meyer reiterated that Sirius would have a wearable product capable of receiving live radio available during the summer. The radio is expected to include MP3 playing functionality in addition to offering consumers the ability to purchase songs. Sirius believes that availability of memory on the receivers has the potential to transform the industry, just like DVRs.

This further supports what I heard about an increase in storage capacity for this unit. The only way the "Bellagio" (that's what I'm going to call it until we know for sure the recording capacity) can be DVR-like is by allowing for absolute control over timeshifting and managing capabilities.

"We think Sirius’ recent R&D spending has been directed towards developing new products and services that could help it wrest the initiative from XM," said Peck.

Of importance here, in my opinion, is who SIRIUS partners with to get this done. We've already heard strong "hints" that Yahoo! is the music store partner for fulfilling purchased digital music Combine that with rumors that GSI reported of a partnership with Toshiba (check out Tosh's Gigabeat S-Serius 30/60Gb DAP player for drool inducing speculation) and you could have one killer combo.

The next generation of Portable Satellite Radio units are of crucial importance for both SIRIUS and XM. Moving satellite radio out of the car and into the pockets (and hearts) of customers is what will bring satrad truly to the masses.

[Forbes]

This is ironic. A satellite that carries a good amount of terrestrial radio programming used by Clear Channel, Westwood One and other major radio networks, is having some problems up there. These carriers were notified that failures of three power circuits on the AMC-8 satellite will require SES Americom to relocate the satellites services.

Currently power circuit failure has brought the satellite's power down by 25%, and if fourth power circuit fails, SES Americom will shut down an unused transponder to conserve power. If a fifth circuit fails, some of the satellite users will need to turn off some of their transponders.

I just can't help but to chuckle over this. 

[Radio Magazine via FMQB] 

Are you sitting around trying to figure out what guests will be appearing on your SIRIUS and really really need a place to find a schedule of upcoming interviews and performances?

Of course you are.

So check out the full Don't Miss List of guests appearing on SIRIUS Satellite Radio for next week after the jump.

Mel Karmazin, SIRIUS Satellite Radio's superstar CEO, will give the keynote speech at the Morgan Stanley Global Automotive Conference in New York City, next Wednesday, April 12th at 8:00am EDT.

Tune into the live audio webcast of the speech online here.

That's what The Globe and Mail is reporting at least. The FCC included an interoperability requirement when granting the SDARS licenses to SIRIUS and XM Satellite Radio, but legally they are only required to create the design of this receiver, not actually market and sell one. In SIRIUS' recent Form 10-K filing, interoperability was brought up and SIRIUS considers the FCC requirement to be satisfied.

The U.S. Media Access Project, a group of lawyers that represent consumers at FCC hearings, however disagree.

"The idea of interoperability is to encourage competition between the pay services," Harold Feld, a SVP of the Media Access Project said. "Without it, nobody's ever going to switch, which is of course why the companies don't want to bring it to market because there's not that much in it for them."

A source close to the situation said the FCC originally didn't think the companies would react as they have. In Canada, regulators did not make dual-service receivers a requirement of the licences issued last year.

Jim Collins, spokeman for SIRIUS Satellite Radio told The Globe and Mail and the costs necessary to produce an interoperable unit would be too much for consumers to even consider it:

"We basically worked on this as a result of the FCC asking us to do so. Would it have been something to approach had the FCC not required it? Most likely not. There wouldn't have been any real impetus for it. If these things do in fact get built, there still is a question as to what the cost will be, which at this point we can't speculate. There was no timeline set [by the FCC to develop the radios] other than the fact they wanted both companies to make a concerted effort."

[The Globe and Mail]
Thanks Tim!

SIRIUS Satellite Radio's GLBT channel, Sirius OutQ, will be debuting Erasure's new album - Union Street - exclusively at 10am ET, today April 6th (yes, that's a few minutes from now).

If you miss it, wipe away those tears, because encore broadcasts will be on Saturday, April 8th and Sunday, April 9th at 11:00 am ET, only on Sirius OutQ channel 106.

And now finally the Orbitcast Review of the Pioneer Inno. My hopes are to answer everyone's questions with this article, and to give some insight into the philosophy behind the new XM2go units. I also want this to be the single place you need to go to find out everything about this unit - so I'll be updating this post with everything we learn along the way with answers to any questions people have.

I truly feel this is a revolutionary device. Comparing it to the iPod doesn't do it justice. The iPod is only as good as the content stored on it, and while I have respect for the iPod, it doesn't compare. The level of simplicity merged with the incredible amount of control, truly makes the Pioneer Inno a disruptive piece of technology. 

But enough of this palaver, onto the features:

• Record and store up to 50 hours of music and XM programming when 100% of memory is allocated to XM content. I'll explain more on this shortly.
  
• Store and Mix individual XM Tracks with your own MP3s & WMA digital music files
  
• Create instant playlists (no PC required)
• Browse, purchase, get recommendations, and manage playlists with XM + Napster
• Includes home kit & earbuds
  

SIRIUS Satellite Radio now has marine weather data service with on-demand access to detailed weather information available for the boating community. SIRIUS' Marine Weather Service will first be available over the E-Series high performance multifunction navigation displays from Raymarine.

The SIRIUS Marine Weather Service coverage includes the 48 contiguous states and waters extending hundreds of miles into the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean.

Using the new Raymarine SR 100 satellite weather receiver module, boaters will now have a wide range of advanced forecast information available to them, including the WSI NOWRad(R) weather radar, featuring storm tracks, sea surface temperature, wind, surface pressure, wave heights, lightning and much more. The E-Series navigation interface will enable boat captains to view the SIRIUS weather data alongside radar, chartplotter and fishfinder functions.

[Press Release] 

Want to see the Pioneer Inno in action? Of course you do. Here's a quick 5 minute video that takes you through the basics of the interface and highlights some of its features.

Those familiar with the 1st-Generation XM2go (MyFi/AirWare/Tao) units will appreciate the advances made in these new XM2go devices. Others who may not even be familiar with satellite radio will appreciate the simplicity and ease of use. It really has a 360-degree level of appeal. But enough about that, check out the video below:

Ok, I finally got a chance to upload some pics of the new Pioneer Inno XM2go. Here's the initial photos, more to come soon...

More photos after the jump... 

Just a quick note.

I have, in my hands, a brand new Pioneer Inno XM2go. Sat down with the guys from XM today and had a very insightful conversation about the new XM2go devices. If I can give one word that can describe these units... it would be "Earth-shattering."

This is a truly disruptive technology. More to come soon.

Wanna get your hands on the upcoming Pioneer Inno XM2go portable XM satellite radio? Sure you do, and XM knows it - so they've setup a pre-order page so you can plunk down your cash. Easy enough right?

Well, not so fast. As Telepixels points out, it's not necessarily the most intuitive thing in the world to pre-order one of these bad boys. In fact, if you read through all the terms and conditions you'll probably get a little more than confused (if you purchased from XM around the Holidays, you should remember them).

When you do the math, it's really just comes out to $412.85 total if you go with Ground shipping, but I think it could've been conveyed a little easier for most folks.

[Telepixels]

In an effort to entice pilots to upgrade their aircraft panels, Avidyne is running a promotion from April 1st to June 30th that offers the first 12-months of a XMWX subscription for free.

Oh sure you get NEXRAD, METARS and TFRs, not to mention other alphabet soup services, but considering an XMWX subscription runs about $30/month, that isn't a bad deal at all. What you see here is the EX500 with a 5.5" diagonal, high-res moving map display that can show flight plan info plus the datalink weather service. It's got other options, but I really don't understand them. Any pilots in the house?

[Aero News] 

Just as the NCAA Basketball season is winding down, SIRIUS ramps up coverage of NCAA Baseball. SIRIUS Satellite Radio began its college baseball coverage with games from both the SEC and the Big 12 last weekend.

Check out SIRIUS' College Sports for more info or grab the schedule for upcoming college baseball broadcasts.

[WV Gazette] 

Thanks Todd! 

Yes, the (semi)daily links have resumed.

• Audiographics takes offense to "Big Dog" PR stunt
  The Sinus Buster press release (if you can call it that) obviously struck a nerve here. Note: The Sinus Buster pr is not sanctioned by SIRIUS, it's entirely the brainchild of SiCap.
• Spitzer is a hardass
  And he sure doesn't like the FCC making deals with Radio Labels. Good for him.
  
• Pioneer Inno debuting at $400
  And as Engadget points out, not a peep about the Samsung Helix. Samsung Nexus 50 is going for $270 as well.
• Apple iPhone rumors continue
  It's inevitable. Pocketshare is just as important as Marketshare.
• The quality of content. Ponder it.
  The positioning of HD Radio vs Satellite Radio, and how terrestrial has got it all wrong.
  

You know, I have to say that Sarah McBride from the Wall Street Journal really does a great job with her interview with Mel Karmazin and is one of my favorite journalists covering satellite radio. The article is truly insightful, and the questions she throws as him are not nearly the softballs that you've come to expect from most media outlets.

One key statement by Karmazin is this one pointing towards another marketing push in the coming months:

"We have a very aggressive campaign to mobilize all of the people who are Howard fans to get a Sirius satellite radio as a graduation, as a Father's Day, a holiday gift."

Interesting. Can't wait to see what it is.

Another interesting snippet is about the upcoming "Buy Button" and the new "S100" (or whatever it's called) that is coming this summer. On the topic of a digital music download service, Mel says:

"...buying music is something that we're open to. If you, the consumer, hear a song on Sirius and you want to buy that song on our device, we're going to enable you do it. But you can go to Yahoo and do it, or you can go to some other third party to do it."

Considering the previous relationship between SIRIUS and Yahoo, and pretty much confirmed by Mel's "slip" in this interview - I'd be willing to bet that the 3rd party digital music provider will be the Yahoo! Music Unlimited.

[Wall Street Journal] 

XM Satellite Radio has added a new Pioneer Inno online demo to their website. Very nice. Check it out here.

XM Satellite Radio just announced that they added over 568,000 net new subscribers during the first quarter of 2006 for a total of more than 6.5 million subscribers. That brings the rate of new subscribers for Q106 to be 6,311.1 additions a day, that's compared to SIRIUS' 8,860.76 subscribers a day.

XM said they are still on track to reach nine million subscribers by the end of 2006.

A recent Radio and Records article gives a bit more color on the regional channels recently announced by XM Satellite Radio. Currently WLW - a Cincinnati AM station owned by Clear Channel - is the first  of these regional offerings, with more to be announced in the months ahead. In total, seven regional news and talk channels, each provided by Clear Channel, will be made available to XM subscribers.

It's important to note that these regional channels will be broadcast on a national level - there's no geo-targeting going on here. It's also important to note that XM Radio and Clear Channel will be splitting the revenue earned from the advertising sold on these regional channels.

I strikes me that XM's regional content can't possibly make terrestrial broadcasters very happy. This might also be an indication that Clear Channel is looking to diversify it's content, perhaps they aren't very confident about the successes of HD Radio. I'm really curious as to kinds of stations will be picked up (maybe it's a way of grabbing content that otherwise wouldn't sign with satellite radio exclusively?).

The Church of Scientology has officially condemned both SIRIUS Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio and their operations; claiming that the SDARS signal interferes with an invisible force field, and more specifically the eternal battery powering it, that currently imprisons Xenu in his mountain prison.

The Evil Ex-Ruler of the Galactic Confederacy, Xenu (or Xemu), was imprisoned over 75 million years ago within a mountain - some believe on the planet of Teegeeack (Earth) - after he stacked hundreds of billions of frozen victims around Earth's volcanoes before blowing them up with hydrogen bombs and brainwashing them with a "three-D, super colossal motion picture" for 36 days.

Of dispute specifically is the recent acquisition by XM Satellite Radio of the WCS Spectrum.

"We believe that the recent acquisition of the WCS spectrum has only one intent, and that is to release Xenu from his imprisonment and encourage his revolt against The Royal Officers!" a Scientology spokesman told Orbitcast.

"Hab SoSlI' Quch!" said a Klingon Officer in an official statement, "Sujatlh 'e' yImev!"

It is widely rumored that the condeming of both satcasters is actually a counteractive move by Scientology in cooperation with the NAB to prevent the localization of satellite radio content, but that is simply speculation and should not be taken as fact.

Thanks Isaac!