August 2006 Archives

SIRIUS Satellite Radio will unleash classic unedited material from Howard Stern's last 20 years on radio starting this weekend.

Chosen from 23,000 hours of tape, these fan favorite moments will include unedited interviews with such memorable guests as Paul McCartney, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Donald Trump, Sen. Alfonse D'Amato, Sylvester Stallone and Sam Kinison.

In addition, bits featuring famed impersonator and past longtime Stern show regular Billy West will air throughout the weekend, as well as classic prank calls, song parodies, live musical performances and much more. The material will be played 100% unedited and censor-free... the way it was meant to be.

The all-request special begins Labor Day Weekend, airing Friday, September 1st at 3pm ET and will run through Monday, September 4th at 12 midnight ET on Howard 100. Simultaneous West Coast broadcasts will also be heard on Howard 101.

XM Canada has appointed Donald McKenzie as Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. McKenzie will be responsible for all sales and marketing functions of XM Canada, including retail, automotive distribution channels and listener care.

McKenzie began his career in advertising and product marketing where he worked with Ogilvy & Mather, Young & Rubicam, Faberge, Cadbury Beverages and CPAS Systems. He has also spent the past 10 years in Canada's wireless telecommunications arena where he played an instrumental role in the design and build of distribution channels for Clearnet, now TELUS Mobility.

[Broadcaster Magazine]

USA Today's Matt Krantz doesn't like SIRI or XMSR as stock picks. He never has. His reasons? Too speculative. Without any profits he feels they're too difficult to value.

He concludes with this statement:

"The fact that investors willingly put their heads in the guillotine with these kinds of stocks amazes me. When will they finally learn that over-hyped shares of small companies that are losing money are a sucker's bet?"

Dave Alvin, the Grammy-award winning roots rock legend, will join XM Satellite Radio as host of his own show "9 Volt".

"9 Volt" will premiere the week of September 18th on XM's Americana music channel X Country (ch 12). Named after his song dedicated to his transistor radio listening days "Plastic Silver 9 Volt Heart," the hour-long show will feature Alvin paying homage to all styles of music, from the Blues to R&B to Folk to Roots Rock to Rockabilly and more.

Dave Alvin’s "9 Volt" will air the third week of every month on X Country; Mondays at 11am, and replays on Thursday at 7pm and Saturday at 11am.

Yesterday we saw the Stiletto/Soloist photo which apparently was taken at a Directed Electronics independent retailer showing earlier this week.

Today, we get in-the-flesh photos of the SIRIUS Sportster4 and the upcoming SIRIUS Starmate4, Stratus, and the SIRIUS Universal Boombox (shown with Sportster4 docked). These photos were taken last week during a Radio Shack meeting at the MGM hotel in Vegas.

[via Sirius Backstage]
Thanks Tyler!

Oh sure we've seen the Sirius Stiletto, and we've seen the Sirius Soloist media dock... but we haven't seen them together, until now.

[UPDATE: Orbitcast has been told to remove the Stiletto/Soloist photo - so I have because I'm a nice guy. If you still want to see it though go ahead and check out Gizmodo and enjoy.]

This also appears to be the first "in the flesh" shot of the Stiletto. The menu system looks mighty slick.

The Soloist will come with three cradles: one for the Sportster 4, one of the iPod and as we suspected, one for the Stiletto. Hotness.

[via Sirius Backstage] 

In case you missed it, here's a video of Artie Lange's appearance on David Letterman last week.

The Pioneer Inno is in desperate need for a good case. The case that comes with it just doesn't cut it, and the Belkin leather case that came out at the same time - while nice looking - isn't really the best option for "active" users.

For someone who spends a lot of time working out, nothing beats a good armband. Yes, they're cheesy looking, but in terms of functionality they can't be beat. DLO released an armband a few weeks back that almost made me giddy - but as an Orbitcast reader pointed out - there's no access to the antenna port. Too bad, it could have been a contender.

Enter Speck Products. The same peeps known for creating incredible iPod cases, and who have set their sights on satellite radio having released cases for both the Sirius S50 and the MyFi. Now, they have cases for the Pioneer Inno and Samsung Helix.

So for the past two weeks I've had the privilege of fooling around with a couple of Speck's skins on the Inno. I'm not necessarily gentle on my Inno (or anything actually) - daily gym use, doing my ridiculous home improvements, and on my regular 10-block walk to/from work - I generally have a set of earbuds on at all times. So I put these things to the test.

Speck's Armband + Case includes both the armband and a Skin-Tight case. The Skin-Tight case has all the ports made available - headphones, USB, antenna port - all there. Big plus. All buttons are fully accessible through the skin as well - another plus. No more unsnapping of a strap to change channels/songs.

The band itself is made out of a soft neoprene-like material with velcro to attach it - it resists sweat 100% (nothing's worse than a sweaty armband) and I haven't had it fall off yet. It'll fit arms up to 16" so if you're a fat O&A listener you might be out of luck. The Skin-Tight case that comes with the Armband can still be used in the armband or out of it though, so stop crying.

Then there's Speck's Tough-Skin Case. This gives your Inno a raised paneling that looks straight off of a Hummer - definitely looks neat. S50 and iPod owners are probably quite familiar with the Tough-Skin case. It comes with a belt clip that detaches from the case itself - so a quick press of a button releases the Inno from your belt.

Gripes? For both the Armband and the Touch-Skin, you can't plug in the Inno into the home-dock (I don't have a car-dock... I listen to Sirius in the car). The Skin-Tight skin can almost make the connection, but I didn't force it. So in order to dock it, you need to peel off the skin each time you want to plug in. Sorta stinks, but I can't see a way around it since the backing of the home-dock has such little clearance to the connector plug. I also seem to avoid using the screen protector - just because I'm lazy.

The one thing that would make the Armband even better would be if it came with a belt holster. That way I could take it from the gym, pop it out of the armband and snap into the holster and head to work. Might be a good "deluxe pack" option for Speck to consider.

Aside from that, both cases are highly recommended. Best cases for the Inno yet in my opinion.

Banc of America Securities analyst Jonathan Jacoby said yesterday that the NPD-reported satellite radio unit sales grew an average 2% year-to-year in July.

Those numbers are better than June - which was pretty much flat - but XM’s growth was down year-to-year by 29%, likely due to the product shortages thanks to receivers that failed to pass the FCC emissions tests.

Sirius' growth, on the otherhand, was up 49% year-to-year. Jacoby said that "Sirius has taken share on account of product shortages for XM." He also warned that, "We do NOT believe that satellite radio is out of the woods yet regarding the fallout from the FCC issue." Ugh. Say it ain't so.

While SIRIUS' on-air hosts are interviewing celebrities as part of the MTV Video Music Awards, SIRIUS is also offering a Gift Suite Collection in their SIRIUS Suites at the W New York - Times Square hotel. Celebrities can choose from a prestigious assortment of luxury products and services - including a free SIRIUS Sportster 4 - produced by On 3 Productions, the leader in celebrity gifting.

Anticipated guests include Ne-Yo, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, OK Go, Vanessa Minnillo, Brandy, Method Man, Cobra Starship, Mario Vazquez, New Found Glory, The Roots, JoJo, Brooke Hogan, Angels & Airwaves, 10 Years, Jesse McCartney, Lil Jon, Amy Lee of Evanescence, Wyclef Jean, Chamillionaire, The Killers, Fall Out Boy, and many more...

The list of goodies is a bit long, and pretty ridiculous, so check it out after the jump:

In a duopoly, such as that in the satellite radio industry, it's a given that the media will do a "versus" comparison from time to time... many of which I ignore. They're usually the same crap and ultimately give you a wishy-washy conclusion ("if you like Howard Stern, go with Sirius - but if you like Oprah, go with XM!" yeah, great, thanks).

But this beauty on Associated Content caught my eye. First off, I should at least applaud the author for making a choice (Sirius won) - and the comparison is based on personal experience - but there's a few holes and I'm going to exploit here. So let's get to it shall we?

"XM has a bad habit of repeating songs. I may end up hearing one song five times in one day within a few hours period. With Sirius, that isn’t the case."

...has anyone experienced this? Maybe I'm listening to different channels than this author.

"Furthermore, I do not like the way XM names its stations."

...ok, I need to agree here. While cute, many of the channels are just too ambigious for the newbie to instantly know what kind of music is being played. But that's also what the neighborhoods are for - if you're in the Rock neighborhood, you kind of know what you're going to get (take a guess... Rock, good job). That said, Sirius isn't necessary innocent of this either. "Buzzsaw" and "Area 33" are really self-explainitory either. But aside from all that... is this really friggin big deal?

"Sirius satellite radio broadcasts a lot clearer than XM, especially in relation to the talk channels. People’s voices come across a lot smoother and can be easier understood than XM, which tends to be fuzzy."

...huh? Bandwidth - and subsequently sound quality - varies from channel to channel. I wonder if she's comparing a traffic channel to Howard 100. There's crappy sounding talk channels on both services. Sorry, that's the truth.

"It’s true that XM has 90+ music channels, 10+ sports channels, 20+ news and talk channels, along with a few traffic channels."

...90+ eh? Try 69.

"Along the same lines, if you will be doing a lot of listening to talk shows, Sirius has more of the popular shows such as “Discovery,” “Howard Stern,” and “Martha Stewart.” What celebrity talk show does XM have? The “Oprah Winfrey“ show. Sirius also has “Playboy Radio.” What does XM have that could compete with that? Nothing."

...she counts "Discovery" as a popular show? Nothing about HGTV or Food Network on XM? What about Dale Earnhart Jr? Jimmie Johnson? Ellen Degeneres? Cal Ripken Jr? Tyra Banks? Oprah's not even on yet!

If you're going to do a comparison, at least do a bit of research. Basing it on personal preference is fine - hell, that's the deciding factor for everyone - just try and give it a fair shake though. Want my bottom line? Fine, here it is: if you like Howard Stern, go with Sirius - but if you like Oprah, then go with XM.

[Associated Content] 

HotMovies.com is kicking off a multi-week promotional campaign with Sirius Satellite Radio and The Howard Stern Show, called the "Ho-Deo" starting on September 5th. The promotion asks listeners to ride the Sybian - a lovely machine that has been host to several of Howard Stern's female guests, including Jenna Jameson, Carmen Elektra, and Jenny McCarthy.

Howard will invite five to seven female listeners to ride the Sybian in the next few weeks. Of those chosen, the contestant who stays on the longest will win $5,000 courtesy of HotMovies.com.

In addition to running on live broadcasts and replays on Howard 100 & Howard 101, Sirius will work in conjunction with Playboy Radio to have Playboy Sexperts drive subscribers to the Sirius Playboy Radio webpage where they can register to win a $500 gift certificate from HotMovies.com.

HotMovies.com is a pay-per-minute adult website - with fees starting at 8 cents a minute - where visitors can watch more than 45,000 adult titles in streaming (or download).

[Press Release] 

The folks over at Sirius Backstage have learned that Sirius is planning on offering an online-only subscription which has reportedly been given the moniker, "Sirius Internet Radio Plus."

The new internet-only service will provide both music at "CD quality" and select talk channels (yes, including Howard) at a whoppin' 48kps. The current free Sirius Internet Radio service (which is included with a regular Sirius subscription) offers streaming audio at a mere 32kps.

According to SBS, Sirius Internet Radio Plus will run you $12.95 a month, with 3 additional SIR Plus subscriptions for $6.99. If you're an existing subscriber, you can upgrade to SIR Plus for an additional $2.99 a month.

No additional channels will be offered according to SBS, this is simply an upgrade in sound quality.

Compare this to XM's existing XM Radio Online (XMRO) service, and you have to wonder what Sirius is thinking (if in fact these numbers are true). XM Radio Online offers up to 64kps - for free - to current subscribers. And if you want an Internet-only subscription, XMRO will only run you $7.99 and month.

I really hope Sirius has something more up their sleeve for this one.

[Sirius Backstage]

UPDATED: Music will actually be provided in "CD quality" and talk in 48kps. 

Last week XM announced that they've received FCC approval for three key receivers. One concern (at least for me) is whether the signal now will be so weak that it becomes more or less useless. Many for instance have complained about the FM modulator strength on the Sirius Sportster 4.

But rather than reducing the signal, XM has setup a method to bring the signal closer to the antenna itself. XM's new FM modulator consists of an additional third wire that is installed in close proximity to the car's antenna (not attached to the car's antenna as previously reported). The wire simply can be attached to the glass or elsewhere inside the vehicle, and only needs to be near the car's antenna (say, 18" or so).

This fix protects the sound quality for a positive consumer experience, as well as satisfies the excessive emissions issue. The downside? It makes installation a lil' harder - especially for vehicles where the antenna is located in the rear.

Deadwood may have ended on HBO, but SIRIUS Outlaw Country still has Deadwood Radio.

Join host W. Earl Brown (who plays the knife-weilding, eye-gouging, Dan Dority) and his fellow cast members include: Ian McShane (Al Swearengen), John Hawkes (Sol Star), Keith Carradine (Wild Bill Hickok), Sean Bridgers (Johnny Burns), Robin Wiegert (Calamity Jane), Geri Jewell (Jewel... oddly enough), Jim Beaver (Ellsworth), Keone Young (Wu!), and Peter Jason (Con Stapelton). They'll all get together, regrettably without any whiskey, and revisit one-by-one all 12 episodes of this season's Deadwood and play hand-picked music throughout the day.

The Deadwood Radio Marathon runs all day, September 4th, on SIRIUS Outlaw Country (ch 63). Give it a listen... you Hoopleheads.

AOL Radio will start carrying Bob Dylan's weekly XM Satellite Radio show "Theme Time Radio Hour" this Wednesday, August 30th.

AOL Radio listeners will get to play catch-up and listen to 18 previous shows as part of XM's Theme Time Radio Hour marathon starting this Friday, September 1st at 6pm ET.

They'll also get the treat of listening the premiere of Bob Dylan's much anticipated Modern Times album, to air today and tomorrow, with on-demand streaming available throughout the week (all part of AOL Music's Full CD Listening Party).

[AOL Radio Info Page]

Satellite Standard Group got their hands on a criper image of the much anticipated Sirius Stiletto wearable. At least we get to see a different view other than the ugly blurry one. Compare the Stiletto to the prototype Zing (pictured below) and you can see where that "bump" on the top comes from.

Additionally, thanks to GSI we now get to see the reseller product sheet which features the Sirius Stiletto 100, the Stiletto 10, as well as the Starmate 4 and the Stratus (the latter two have already been officially announced by Sirius).

View a higher-resolution version of the product sheet. 

XM Satellite Radio has received new grants of authority by the FCC for three XM radios with FM transmitters indicating that the radios are now in  full compliance with FCC regulations.

These XM plug-and-play radios - the Audiovox Xpress, Delphi RoadyXT, and XM Sportscaster - are three of XM's primary products at retail.

Manufacturers can now resume production of these devices, just in time to ensure receivers can be available at retail for the holiday shopping season.

Check out the Sportscaster Grant and the Roady XT Grant [via Satellite Radio TechWorld].

This week's Orbitcast Podcast - and debut podcast - features a special interview with Eric Logan, Executive Vice President of Programming of XM Satellite Radio.

A week ago Los Angeles lost their only Country Music station, KZLA, which suddenly changed formats to a "Modern Pop" format. KZLA also was the presenting sponsor for the annual Country Bash country music festival, which XM has since taken over as the presenting sponsor.

Now KZLA didn't have a small audience either - about 600,000 weekly listeners - and Los Angeles accounts for approximately 3% of all Country Music CD sales.

So what gives? Why the sudden change from a format that there is obviously a large demand for? And what is XM doing to help satisfy the needs of these disenfrancised listeneres? Listen in.

Get the podcast.
[MP3] Download the episode (MP3).
[RSS] Add the Orbitcast Podcast to your RSS aggregator and download it automagically.

...or if you're feeling daring, you can just listen in through the embedded player below.

Interesting, there seems to be a growing interest in Internet Radio in the satellite radio industry. First Sirius registers for SIR: Sirius Internet Radio, and now XM has applied for Power Shift.

The trademark app simply give the description of Power Shift being "entertainment services, namely, an on-going radio program for broadcasting via satellite digital audio radio services and over the Internet."

So judging by the name and description, this sounds like a service that will switch between the XM  satellite signal (SDARS) and an Internet feed.

View the full trademark application at Satellite Radio TechWorld. 

Jessican Simpson is making the rounds with the satcasters - first she hosted a recent SIRIUS Hits 1 Weekend Countdown (on a Thursday, ironically) - and today she spent the day at XM Satellite Radio studios in DC to talk about her latest album "A Public Affair" (released August 29th).

Jessica sat down for an interview with XM’s Top 20 on 20 host Michelle and also visited XM's dance channel BPM to chat with DJ Alan Freed. All for the ride was her dog.... Daisy.

Of course, no mention of Jessica Simpson should be without a plethora of photos, so g'head and check them out after the jump...

Thomas Cipriano, better known as Captain Janks from The Howard Stern Show, got through to CNN's "The Situation Room" yesterday. Janks was posing as Wendy Hutchens, a California woman who claims that five years ago she had detailed chats about the death of JonBenet Ramsey with murder suspect John Mark Karr.

"Wendy Hutchens is joining us on the phone right now," Wolf Blitzer told viewers. "Wendy, thanks very much for doing this. Tell our viewers how you got involved with John Mark Karr." The fake Wendy, being impersonated by a man mind you, explained that she met Karr through a relative.

"So then what happened after that?" Blitzer pressed. "When did the E-mail, when did the talk of JonBenet Ramsey begin?"

The fake Wendy answered: "It started around September of 2001, when he told me that he knew more about the JonBenet Ramsey case than what anybody else had known - and that he was instructed to kill JonBenet by Howard Stern."

"All right. Well, that sounds like we've just been Howard Sterned, as they say," concluded Blitzer.

[NY Daily News via SSG]

The Wall Street Journal's Stacey Delo takes a look at the options available to people who are sick and tired of regular radio. She explores Internet Radio - highlighting AOL Radio (with 20 XM channels included) - as well as HD Radio, and of course Satellite Radio. She gives the Pros & Cons for each option, but gives a hearty endorsement for satellite - especially for in the car (where a majority of radio listening is done).

Check out the video (RealAudio) for yourself, I especially like the closing line about the iPod.

[MarketWatch]

A new study by Bridge Ratings found that the renewal rate of XM/SIRIUS subscribers, when broken down by OEM channel and Retail channel acquisitions, differs significantly.

The report found that of those subscribers who purchased a satellite radio at the retail level plan on renewing at a 78% rate. Meanwhile, subscribers who acquired their satellite radios from the OEM channel (new car purchase) plan on renewing at only a 54% rate.

This shouldn't be of much of a surprise to anyone as it's also the difference between push and pull. In the retail situation, the consumer actively is seeking out the radio (or is sold on the idea by a crafty salesman), whereas in the OEM situation the radio falls on their lap with a free trial.

Actually, what is a surprise is the 78% retail renewal rate. That means that, based on this report's findings, nearly 1/4 of retail purchasers are unhappy with something. Either they didn't get what they expected, the unit was too difficult to setup, or the customer service was poor. Improving in all areas would be great - but better customer service would help in both the retail and OEM side. Something to think about.

[Bridge Ratings] 

DirecTV is now offering the same experience in vehicles as is offered in homes: live local news, weather, traffic, sports and other programming. Mobile customers with vehicles that have been equipped with a TracVision A7 mobile satellite TV system (launched today by KVH) can now receive the same local programming they get at home (which varies by market).

DirecTV Total Choice Mobile, launched back in August of 2004, is still the only satellite TV package created for use in cars, and delivers over 185 channels of DirecTV programming - plus live satellite radio via DTV's partnership with XM Satellite Radio.

While a cool idea - the $2,995 pricetag (which doesn't include the $45/month subscription cost), plus the enormous size of that disc, will prevent this thing from landing on Joe Sixpack's roof anytime soon. 

[Press Release via TRN] 

SIRIUS Satellite Radio is running a promotion offering free Sirius radios (up to 2 per person) for current subscribers. All you need to do is login and order your radio by September 25th, and pre-pay for 6-months, and you're good to go.

Go to www.sirius.com/free for more details and to get your free radio.

[via Slickdeals]
Thanks Tresser!

Earlier this week I brought up yet another reason why regular radio sucks, the demise of Los Angeles' only country music station, KZLA-FM. Well now XM Satellite Radio is stepping up to the plate as the presenting sponsor of Country Bash 2006 - LA's largest country music festival.

KZLA abruptly dumped its country music format less than a week ago, leaving LA with absolutely no local country radio station of its own. Los Angeles often ranks in the top two cities for country music sales.

For the past eight years, KZLA has hosted Country Bash, which is an annual country festival spotlighting the top country music artists of the day. But with KZLA’s surprise shift from country to pop, this year’s event was put in jeopardy. So it's good news to hear that XM is taking hold of the reigns as a sponsor of Country Bash '06.

Tickets for Country Bash ’06 will be available beginning Saturday, August 26th at 10am. “Country Bash ’06,” is scheduled to feature such country music stars like Gretchen Wilson, Phil Vassar and SHeDAISY. The event will be held October 14 at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine, Calif.

SIRIUS Satellite Radio's celebrity on-air hosts will interview stars from the worlds of music, TV and film live from NYC for the MTV Video Music Awards. Hosts include Bam Margera, Jim Breuer, Jonny Moseley, Cipha Sounds and original MTV VJs Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter and Nina Blackwood.

The fun begins Tuesday, August 29 through Thursday, August 31.

The live celebrity interviews will broadcast from the SIRIUS SUITES at the W Hotel in Times Square, and will be covered on various SIRIUS channels, including: Sirius Hits 1, Big '80s, Octane, Sirius Faction, Shade 45, Maxim Radio, Cosmo Radio and Raw Dog Comedy.

Here's a new Bally Total Fitness nationwide commercial spot that's part of a co-marketing promotion with XM Satellite Radio. New members who join Bally's by 02/28/07 get a free XM Sportscaster with Car Kit, and the activation fee is waived.

The promotion is running on Bally's homepage, and XM has a page for it here.

XM Satellite Radio will be kicking off the 2006 college football season - the first year that XM will carry all the football teams in the Big East Conference - starting the week of August 28th. XM also is the official satellite network of the ACC, Big Ten, and PAC 10, and will carry the BCS bowl series on ESPN Radio.

Some of the college games to air on XM during the first week of regular season play are Notre Dame vs. Georgia Tech; Stanford vs. Oregon; Boston College vs. Central Michigan, and Indiana State vs. Purdue.

You can also tune into "College Football Coast-to-Coast," an XM original that will air live at 1pm ET (weekdays) and 12-8pm ET (Saturdays) on XM's new 24-hour sports channel XM Sports Nation (ch 143) also starting August 28th.

SIRIUS' Satellites won't be in operation as long as previously thought. Originally the satellites were to have a 15 year lifespan, but Sirius says they'll likely make it only 13 years. One of the factors for this is because Sirius is planning on modifying their satellite constellation.

Sirius says "our satellites have experienced circuit failures on their solar arrays" but so far they’re all still operational. Media Network Weblog associates the sunspot cycle for the failures on the solar arrays.

[Media Network Weblog & Inside Radio]

Well this is interesting. Not long after Polk Audio began shipping their XM-capable I-Sonic entertainment system, Directed Electronics announced that they've gone into a definitive agreement to acquire Polk Audio. Directed is a key distributor for SIRIUS Satellite Radio. So here lies a curious conumdrum. Will Polk now drop it's XM support? Or will Directed take on a dual-service approach?

We won't have to wait to long to find out - there's an investor conference call on it today.

[Press Release]

 
The Polk Audio I-Sonic is a ridiculously nice radio that has just started shipping. I originally didn't buy into the whole "all-in-one" concept, just because most all-in-one devices generally aren't very good at doing anything well at all. But I think the I-Sonic just might be the exception, and after watching this video, the drool-factor definitely has been set on high.

The I-Sonic brings AM/FM/CD/DVD together - which is ok - but it also throws together two dueling digital personalities: namely HD Radio and XM Satellite Radio (which, incidently, is the first device to accomplish this). It's also one of the first (if not, the first) home entertainment system that utilizes the XM Mini-Tuner.

Wrap that all together into a compact system with supposedly mind-blowing speakers and it might be a winner. Not convinced? Neither was I. I didn't really "get it" until I watched that video... and now I think it just may be worth the $599 pricetag.

[Polk I-Sonic Microsite via TRN]
[Tweeter Video]

MSNBC and XM Satellite Radio will be parting ways next month.

There's no word as to who dumped who or why the two are no longer together, only that MSNBC will no longer be on channel 130, effective September 4th.

Thanks Matt! 

Last week, Los Angeles lost its last Country music station - KZLA-FM - which was replaced with a Pop music format... the wacky "Movin' 93.9."

I could go on and on about this, but there's no need when this video says it all (via Hear 2.0):

Introducing the Sirius Conductor, a SIRIUS Satellite Radio that will integrate into your home entertainment system. The Sirius Conductor is deceivingly simple, consisting only of a SIRIUS tuner, an indoor/outdoor antenna, and a universal remote with an integrated 3-line LCD display. And it's in the remote that all the power is hidden.

The 6-in-1 remote can be programmed to control your home-theater system, as well as the SIRIUS base station (up to 150 feet away). All the PAD data is displayed right on the remote: channel, artist and song. So if you're the type with speakers distributed throughout your home (multiple rooms, patio, kitchen, etc), all you need is the remote in your hand and you can control tunes anywhere in your house. Great idea.

The Conductor supports up to two audio zones [via Gizmodo]. So with an additional SiriusConnect Home Kit, you can listen to two different channels in two different rooms. (Yes, you'll need an additional subscription to pull that off.)

The Sirius Conductor will be available in November, and MSRP for only $150.

[CNET Alpha Blog via Remote Shoppe]
Thanks Jim!

SIRIUS Satellite Radio held a private showing of their upcoming 2006 holiday-season products yesterday in NYC. Well, the folks at Dealerscope have published details of what I assumed was embargoed details - but maybe it was just a "no photo" event as they say in the article.

Whatever the background, I didn't attend - or sign anything - so I'll gladly post all the deets right here.

First off, as suspected there's two units coming out - the Stiletto 100 and the Stiletto 10 - shipping in September and October, respectively.

The Stiletto 100 offers 100 hours of total storage capacity, as well as storing MP3/WMA files. It also features WiFi capability and a unique antenna headphone (included) that is supposed to supplement reception.

Also provided are two lithium-ion batteries - one full-size version with 4 hours of live satellite radio listening and up to 20 hours of pre-stored-content listening and one slim version that has half the power of its full-size counterpart. Other included accessories are an AC charger, earbuds, and a PC cable.

The Stiletto 100 will MSRP for $349. 

Meanwhile, the Stiletto 10 - which is also black and features the same touch-sensitive iPodish wheel - will only provide 10 hours worth of storage. This lower-end device does not support WiFi. The Stiletto 10 will MSRP of $249.

Also on display was the Stiletto Vehicle Kit which will be available in September for $69.99. A Stiletto Home Kit is also being made available in September for $69.99. This raised an eyebrow or two for me - no home kit, and no vehicle kit? Something tells me there's more to this Sirius Internet Radio than previously thought.

Docking stations with speakers will come in several versions: the Sirius Executive System (SLEX1) with an MSRP of $149.99 and available in October; and two models through Directed: the SLBB1 Boombox also will MSRP at $149.99 and also available in October, and the Soloist which we've seen already.

[Dealerscope] 

More hot photos from yesterday's announcement... this time, the sleek next-generation Starmate.

Beautiful. The Starmate 4 is the higher-end of the next-generation of SIRIUS Starmate (with the Starmate 3 being... the lower-end version). Maintaining the same wide-screen style of the Starmate Replay - great for long song names, and including a 5-line display - the new Starmate has a much slimmer profile than the previous gen. I love it.

Available in October, the Starmate 4 will MRSP for $119.99 it too will include all the vehicle ammenities required. 

Finally got a decent photo of the upcoming SIRIUS Sportster 3 that was part of yesterday's announcement.

As a reminder, the Sportster 3 uses the same architecture as the SIRIUS Sportster 4, but without the replay functionality. A nice entry-level option for those who are cost conscious. Expected to be available next month and MSRP for $119.99, all the needed accessories to hook into your car are included.

Personally, the cool-blue display plus the Replay functionality (which you have to wonder how you lived without), is more than enough reason to upgrade to the higher-endSportster4.

A page up on Oprah's website gives us a the first hard date (that I've seen at least) of Oprah's debut on XM Satellite Radio - September 25 - on XM ch 156 (already in "preview mode").

The site also encourages readers to submit their questions to Oprah's best friends with the possibility of having it featured on the air:

• Gayle King: TV personality, Editor-at-Large for O, The Oprah Magazine and O at Home (and Oprah's closest friend)
• Dr. Robin Smith: Licensed psychologist, author and a regular contributor to The Oprah Winfrey Show
• Dr. Mehmet Oz: Noted heart surgeon, co-author of the best-selling book YOU: The Owner's Manual and a regular contributor to The Oprah Winfrey Show
• Bob Greene: Exercise physiologist and certified personal trainer, best-selling author and a regular contributor to The Oprah Winfrey Show
• Nate Berkus: Featured design expert for The Oprah Winfrey Show and a regular contributor to O at Home
• Marianne Williamson: Best-selling author and lecturer on personal and spiritual issues

I'm curious to see exactly how much influence Oprah has in the days up to, and following, the launch of her new channel. With 49 million viewers every week, how many will convert? Time will only tell.

[Oprah.com] 

Thanks cb! 

SIRIUS Satellite Radio unveiled the Starmate4, Starmate3, Sportster3 and SIRIUS Stratus. Each radio can fit into a universal home dock, car dock and boombox - all using the same connector configuration as the SIRIUS Sportster4.

The new Sportster3 features a slim design and the same easy-to-use rotary tuning knob and large buttons known for the Sporster series. Essentially the Sportster3 is a stripped down version of the Sportster4, but without the Replay functionality. The package includes a vehicle power adapter, remote, vehicle antenna, vehicle dock and suction cup mount. The Sportster3 is expected to be available in September, and MSRP at $119.99.

The Starmate4 has been designed with an ultra-slim form-factor while maintaining a large wide-screen display that provides the ability to view longer artist names and song titles with up to five lines of text. The Starmate4, like the Sportster4, also replays up to 44 minutes of content and can pause, rewind and fast-forward. The Starmate4 package includes the receiver, vehicle power adapter, remote, vehicle antenna, vehicle dock, and vehicle mounts. The Starmate4 will be available in October at an MSRP of $119.99.

The Starmate3 provides a less expensive way to experience the Starmate. Expected to hit retail in October, the Starmate3 has all of the features of the Starmate4 except for the 44 minute replay capability. The radio, at an MSRP of $99.99, will be available at select stores, and includes the receiver, vehicle power adapter, remote, vehicle antenna, vehicle dock and vehicle mounts.

All three units will feature SIRIUS' GameZone, GameAlert, One-touch Jump, S-Seek, and other features we're used to from newer SIRIUS plug-and-play receivers.

The SIRIUS Stratus, expected to be available in October at an MSRP of $59.99, is the affordable receiver option that still features the new SIRIUS universal docking capability. Features include: 10 button presets, direct entry tuning, a three line display and large buttons - as well as push button controls, One-touch Jump, 10 presets, direct channel access, parental controls, a 100 channel built-in wireless FM transmitter, FM frequency shortcut button, and a real time clock. The package includes the receiver, vehicle power adapter, magnetic antenna, and dash and vent mounts.

PHOTOS COMING AS SOON AS I CAN GET THEM. 

PC Magazine's Jim Louderback spilled the beans today that a super-secret unveiling of SIRIUS's holiday plans is going down tonight.

Sure it's got something to do with the Sirius Stiletto, but what other goodies are going to be shown? Too bad Jim probably won't be able to talk about it anytime soon. All in due time I suppose.

[What's New Now] (Near bottom of page.)

Rumor has it that Honda Motor Co. Ltd., is about to take a major stake (+25%) in XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc., and has received government approval for it.

Below is the government form that terminates some type of limitation that has previously existed.

That's all the details known as this time. More to follow. At this time this should be taken as a strong rumor only but the early termination definitely indicates something is happening.

[FTC Early Terminations, 08-15-06] (PDF) 

That's what this New York Daily News article would lead us to believe. According to Rush & Molloy, Howard Stern fans are in such an outrage - after he skipped out on the funeral of Gary Dell'Abate's father - that they're threatening to drop their SIRIUS subscriptions.

Allegedly, fourteen-thousand people have express their distaste on Stern Fan Network and Chaunce Hayden has declared Stern "A-hole of the Week." (Note to the Media: The mere mention of Chaunce Hayden instantly reduces the validity of your news piece.)

SFN is quick to bring up that the numbers are bit skewed in this report. At the time of posting this the thread in question was viewed 19,214 times.

Now don't misunderstand me. I personally would never miss the wake, or the funeral, of a close co-worker/friend... but I figure the numbers should be somewhat accurate if it's to be reported on.

[New York Daily News via Gawker]

While SIRIUS has publically stated that the FCC has granted a re-certification of their receivers, after being under scrutiny for excess FM modulator emissions, it appears that we may not be out of the clear yet.

Thanks to Satellite Radio TechWorld's research, we find out that Sirius Sportster 3's certification (FCC ID P3HSP3) has since disappeared from the OET EAS web-database, after being certified on August 9, 2006. This is eerily similar to XM's situation when they had their certifications dismissed.

Following that, the FCC is asking one of SIRIUS' manufacturers, Wistron NeWeb, to provide further documentation for the SIRIUS Starmate, indicating that there is further processing to come. WNC has until September 6th to comply or may face a dismissal pursuant to Section 2.917(c).

[Satellite Radio TechWorld]

It may not have been hard to find an XM logo at this past weekend's HIN Nightshift show in Shea Stadium (what with XM being the lead sponsor), but below is a nice shot of the XM Civic, in front of an XM tent, with an XM banner close by.

Nice brand exposure considering that for the show’s first time in NYC after a nine-year tour, HIN drew more than 20,000 attendees. 

(Spot SIRIUS/XM at an event and have picture of it? Email me and let me know!)

SIRIUS Satellite Radio's Hard Attack (ch 27) will be paying tribute to the legendary Dimebag Darrell with the 2nd annual March of Dimeday this Sunday, August 20th.

Dimebag Darrell was born on August 20, 1966, and tragically was murdered on-stage on December 8th, 2004. Hard Attack will feature 24 hours of all things Dimebag, celebrating the life and music of Pantera/Damageplan guitar legend Darrell "Dimebag" Abbott, on what would be his 40th birthday.

March of Dimeday will not only feature Damageplan, Pantera and Rebel Meets Rebel, but you'll hear bands like Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Black Label Society, Kiss, Shadows Fall, Van Halen, Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax and much more "Dime-approved" music.

See the special March of Dimeday DJ lineup after the jump... 

XM Satellite Radio has narrowed down the selection for the creative of their $50 million ad account to four finalists. XM has been seeking a replacement for handling their creative duties (previously done by Mullen, who is still handling the media buying and planning for the account) for just under a month.

The four finalists are: The Richards Group in Dallas, Wieden + Kennedy, Interpublic Group's Lowe, and Omnicom Group's DDB. The latter three are all in New York, where it is rumored that XM would prefer the agency to be based out of.

Sources told AdWeek that the agency work sessions are to take place August 24-25, followed by final presentations September 5-8 and a decision shortly thereafter. Time is of the essence, and it sounds like XM is moving quickly.

[AdWeek] 

SIRIUS is running some incredible programming to help supplement your Labor Day Weekend. Featuring specials like the "End of Summer Celebrity Showdown" where you choose the "best guest host" for SIRIUS HITS 1, or "Workingman's Dead Labor Day Weekend" which celebrates the Grateful Dead's classic album Workingman's Dead - there's sure to be something for everyone to enjoy at this year's BBQ.

So kick back a cold tallboy, fire up a steak, and enjoy the tunes. The full schedule of SIRIUS' Labor Day Weekend Specials are available after the jump...

General Motors has announced that they are dropping the option price of factory-installed XM Satellite Radio by 39 percent. Starting with most 2007 model year vehicles, the price of XM is going from $325 to $199.

More than 60 percent of current GM customers with XM-equipped vehicles say they will prefer their next vehicle be equipped with XM Radio and 80 percent say they will recommend it to friends and family.

To date, over 4 million XM-equipped vehicles have been sold by GM. 

SIRIUS is running a new promotion discount in celebration of the 2006 NFL Season. To qualify, you need to purchase any eligible SIRIUS Receiver between 8/13/2006 and 9/30/2006, and activate the radio by 10/14/2006.

The Sirius S50 gets a whopping $100 off, while the Sirius Alpine (SIR-ALP10T) gets $50 off. Other eligible receivers include the Sirius Starmate Replay, Streamer Replay and for the first time the Sirius Sportster 4 gets a discount - all coming in at $30 off. View all eligible hardware here.

[SIRIUS Rebate via GSI]
Thanks Frank!

New Opie & Anthony television commercial:

[via FBA]
Thanks Uncle Inky!

When XM Satellite Radio had a class-action lawsuit filed against them, there were 5 groups all vieing to be the lead plantiff.

1. The first was the "Union Pension Group" whose losses total $551,872
2. Next up was a group of individuals calling themselves "the Zarif Group" - total losses: $471,671
   
3. On third base, we have Victor Ventimiglia, whose losses total $46,390
4. Ron Price, who seeked to be named lead plaintiff of the sub-class of options purchasers, whose losses total $13,616
5. And finally Adam Barber, whose losses total $252,000
   

About 17 days after the parties filed their motion, Adam Barber and Victor Ventimiglia joined forces with "the Zarif Group" and formed the much cooler sounding "XM Shareholder Group" with a total claimed loss of $730,304.81.

The reason for this manuever? The XM Shareholder Group claimed that  the Union Pension Group (which had the highest loss claim, and is an institutional investor - favored by courts in these cases) had "any meaningful litigation plan or organizational structure."

The Judge on the otherhand wasn't very persuaded, and had some very poignent things to say about the group's course of action. He called these concerns "hollow," "unsubstantiated" and "disingenuousness."

As a result, Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle has granted the Union Pension Groups' motion for lead plaintiff and denied all the other pending motions.

[Read the Judge's Order] (PDF)
Thanks Jonathan!

Filling in for Scott Ferrall, who is currently on vacation, Crazy Cabbie makes his return to the airwaves tonight at 8pm on SIRIUS' Howard 101. Cabbie - who was released from prison on July 27th - will be Ferrall's substitute on both today's show and tomorrow's show.

Crazy Cabbie will be joined with former K-Rock dj Brad Maybe. When asked whether he would have Cane in to recreate the Cane & Cabbie Show (from K-Rock), Cabbie said that Cane just signed with XM and they won't be able to do that.

Tune in tonight @ 8pm and tomorrow, August 16th, @ 8pm to hear Crazy Cabbie on Howard 101 (ch 101).

Howard Stern was the #2 highest-earning celebrity in 2005 - second only to Steven Spielberg - according to a report released in yesterday's Forbes magazine. Stern pulled in a total income of $308 million last year, compared with Spielberg’s $340 million.

Howard's income of $308 million comes to a meager $588 per minute. Compare that with XM's Oprah Winfrey who had a total income of $230 million in 2005, or $454 per-minute.

[Forbes via Radio Ink]

XM’s uncensored hip-hop channel Raw (ch 66) will broadcast live from Los Angeles this Saturday, August 19th, at the XM Hot Import Nights (HIN) custom car show.

Raw's Leo G. and Miz Kitti will broadcast from the show floor at the Los Angeles Convention Center, which is expected to draw the biggest crowd of any HIN show this year.

XM HIN Los Angeles will take place from 4pm to 12-midnight PT.

Last Saturday, more than 20,000 people attended the XM Nightshift show (the outdoor version of HIN) at Shea Stadium for the show’s first time in NYC after a nine-year tour. Leo G and Mz Kitti kept music pumping through the stadium, with an appearance from Def Jam recording artist Black Butterfly.

[XM HIN Los Angeles Event Details] 

Alchemy Properties is the first real estate developer in New York to install SIRIUS satellite radios into a multifamily complex. Residents of the 47-unit Lookout Hill Condominium located in Brooklyn, New York, get the first-year of SIRIUS absolutely free.

"Most of our residents will be between 30 and 40 years old, so they’re somewhat contemporary and like gadgets," said Kenneth Horn, president of Alchemy Properties. Due to the level of positive feedback, the company is considering installing satellite radios in apartments that they develop in the future.

The one, two, and three bedroom units are priced from $470,000 to $995,000 and are between 677 and 1,653 sqft.

[Multi-Housing News via Hear 2.0] 

XM Satellite Radio will premiere Bob Dylan's first studio album in five years, Modern Times, on Monday August 28th.

XM subscribers will be the first to hear the world premiere of Modern Times the day before it’s released to the public, at 12 midnight ET on XM’s Deep Tracks (ch 40), The Village (ch 15) and Hear Music (ch 75), with encores also airing on these channels throughout the day at 6am, 12-noon and 7pm. 

XM will also simulcast the world premiere of Modern Times to partners that feature XM channels - including AOL, DirecTV, AirTran Airways and JetBlue.

And with the record’s release on Tuesday August 29th, purchasers of Modern Times (and any other Bob Dylan CD) will receive a bonus disc featuring the popular "baseball" episode of Bob Dylan's "Theme Time Radio Hour" on XM at select retailers, including Circuit City stores. Click to view the Marketing Bulletin (PDF) detailing this.

In addition to baseball-themed songs, the one-hour episode also contains Dylan singing an a cappella rendition of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” Back in June, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum added the "Theme Time Radio Hour" baseball episode to its archives. 

After the world premiere and CD release, XM Satellite Radio will air a "Theme Time Radio Hour" marathon, broadcasting every episode of Dylan’s "Theme Time Radio Hour" back-to-back, starting September 1st at 6pm ET on The Village (ch 15) until 12 Midnight ET on September 4th. 

View the full track listing of Bob Dylan's Modern Times after the jump...

The Sirius Stiletto 100 has been found. What you're seeing here is an enhanced picture taken from Crutchfield's catalog.

This is the first time that we get an actual look into what Sirius' first fully-portable satellite radio receiver form-factor will be (as well as debunk some of the rumors out there). I dig that they're sticking with the black/sleek look, similar to the S50. The "click-wheel" is just begging to have this device compared with the iPod, and the screen just looks HUGE (a big plus).

So, without further delay, here's a rundown of the Stiletto's features:

• True Portability. The Sirius Stiletto will have a built-in antenna that allows reception of Sirius' signal without the need for an external car-dock or home-dock.
• Antenna/headphones included. For supplemental reception, you get a Sirius antenna strapped to your noggin - included with the Stiletto.
• 100 hours of Storage. The Sirius Stiletto handles MP3/WMA, and allows you to intermingle Sirius content with your own digital music collection. The Stiletto supports Microsoft's PlaysForSure protocol.
• WiFi Capability. The interface (pictured to your right) looks very similar to the Zing interface as SBS points out. I'd it's not too far of a guess to say that the Stiletto is using the Zing's WiFi technology - allowing you to stream Sirius online when you're in a hotspot.
• Battery Life. Two batteries are included with the packaging. One standard, and one extended life, which offers 4 hours of live SIRIUS reception, 14 hours of WiFi reception, and 22 hours of stored playback time. (The wording is a little fuzzy here - are these numbers from the standard battery? extended battery? or both?)
• Cost. The Sirius Stiletto will MSRP for $399.99.

[via Sirius Backstage] 

UPDATE: Crutchfield has confirmed that the Stiletto will be on their website on September 1st and will be in stock in late September. Rumor has it that Circuit City and Best Buy are getting some units this month. 

XM Canada has signed the controversial jock, "Le Pirate" Jeff Fillion, to a five-year exclusive agreement. Fillion will host a new morning show, "The Pirate of the Airwaves" on XM Satellite Radio's French channel, SportsPlus (ch 172), starting on September 4th, 2006.

Jeff Fillion at his peak had twice as many listeners as his nearest competitor, but due to his politically incorrect comments - the CRTC refused to renew his station's license in 2004, and he was subsequently fired in 2005. 

[Press Release]
Thanks Nelson!

"IT." That thing that makesa a pop-song more than just popular. That song that just has something as indescribable as "it." That makes you lose your voice from singing in the car. That you'll see a pack of girls dancing and singing to while stuck in a freeway traffic jam.

XM Satellite Radio is celebrating all the songs that have "it" starting on Friday, August 18th, with a special rolling countdown of every hit song, decade by decade, spanning multiple music channels.

From the 40s on 4, to the 50s on 5, 60s on 6, 70s on 7, 80s on 8 and... yep, the 90s on 9. Starting off with music from the Roarin' 20s, all the way until through end of the millenium, and finally concluded with a countdown of the hit songs from 2005.

IT: History of Pop on XM Satellite Radio will be a musical event you won't want to miss. Check here for the full schedule and details.

Hertz is bringing the Ford Mustang Convertible to five of their NYC-metro area locations. The 210-horsepower Ford Mustang Convertible is available for rent at Hertz's three metro-New York airport locations: LaGuardia and JFK, and Liberty International Airport in Newark, NJ; as well as its East Hampton, NY Airport and Watermill, NY locations.

Mustang Convertible V-6s equipped with SIRIUS Satellite Radio can be requested at the time of reservation at all five locations.

[Press Release] 

XM Satellite Radio's 50s on 5 is commemorating the 29th anniversary of the passing of Elvis Presley with an all-day tribute.

Elvis was born on January 8, 1935 and died on August 16, 1977 - so 50s on 5 host Ken Smith is paying tribute to The King of Rock 'n Roll all day long on Wednesday, August 16th, 2006.

Every hour, you’ll hear a vintage interview with either Elvis himself or someone close to him, as well as stories and more about the legend throughout the day.

SIRIUS Satellite Radio will be featuring a special performance and interview from the one and only Ziggy Marley. The appearance by Ziggy is scheduled to air on Tuesday, August 15th at 10am ET on on SIRIUS' Reggae Rhythms (ch 32).

Learn about the story behind his second solo CD LOVE IS MY RELIGION, plus hear a few tracks off of the new album when he performs in the SIRIUS Studios.

Born "David" - he's the oldest son of revolutionary music-icon Bob Marley and Rita Marley. At 11 years old along with his brother and sisters (The Melody Makers) Ziggy made his recording debut.

The replay of this initimate appearance will air on Sunday, August 20th @ 11pm ET.

XM Satellite Radio has received, on August 7th 2006, yet another request for additional information from the Federal Communications Commission. This time the inquiry involves the Sportscaster, Roady XT, MyFi, Airware, Tao and the Roady 2 XM receivers.

XM has stated in their 8-k filing that they are working to respond to the FCC and have implemented a series of actions to bring the devices into full compliance.

[XM Form 8-k] (PDF)
Thanks Ken! 

UPDATE: Inside Radio adds:

"BofA analyst Jonathan Jacoby says "the FCC also seems to want to know 'whodunit'" - it's curious about the "chronology and circumstances leading to the non-compliance." Jacoby thinks it's likely the FCC made the same request of Sirius."

The CEA (Consumer Electronics Association) and the HRRC (Home Recording Rights Coalition) have both provided some very vocal support for XM Satellite Radio in their fight against the RIAA's lawsuit. Well, here's the CEA and HRRC's brief (PDF) in support of XM's motion to dismiss for your reading pleasure (it's 25 pages).

The main argument revolves around the AHRA - legislation that specially protects devices like the Pioneer Inno & Samsung Helix - but that the RIAA is incidently completely ignoring in their suit.

[CEA/HRRC Brief] (PDF) 

The Sirius S50 Satellite Radio Receiver is on eBay's Top 10 Most Wanted Gadgets, and is in the top 5 even.

The S50 was only beat out by the likes of the T-Mobile Sidekick II, the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT, the Garmin GPS Forerunner and, of course, the Nintendo DS Lite.

Those are some heavy lifters, so ranking #5 (beating the iPod thankyouverymuch) is a pretty impressive accomplishment.

[via Sirius Fan Network]
Thanks Joshua!

Nelly Furtado is taking over XM Satellite Radio’s interactive hit music channel, 20on20, to play her favorite picks.

XM's 20on20 typically lets subscribers take control of the playlist, but this time one of the hottest ladies on the planet will take control of the DJ seat to play her top 20 favorite songs.

Tune in next Saturday, August 19th at 1pm ET to hear this special Nelly Furtado broadcast.

SIRIUS Satellite Radio's uncensored hip-hop channel, Shade 45, will be featuring the latest installment of their Personal Preview Special series spotlighting Shady Records own Obie Trice.

Hear his much anticipated (and delayed) second album Second Round's on Me before it officially hits the streets on August 15th.

Hosted by Shade 45's Lil Shawn and featuring a special appearance by Eminem himself, you'll get to hear the entire Second Rounds On Me album with track-by-track commentary from both Obie and Eminem.

Tune in tonight, 12am ET, to hear the album first on Shade 45. If you fall asleep, don't worry about it, because you can catch the replays everyday from now until the album releases (schedule times and album tracklisting available after the jump).

XM Satellite Radio and Starbucks Hear Music are releasing a new CD of performances by top artists recorded during XM's "Artist Confidential" original music series on August 29th.

Produced by XM Satellite Radio exclusively for Starbucks Hear Music, XM Artist Confidential, Vol. 1 features live renditions of songs by Coldplay, Willie Nelson, Tori Amos, Robert Plant and many others recorded in the intimate XM Performance Theater.

Check out the complete track listings of XM Artist Confidential, Vol. 1 after the jump...

Kenworth Truck Company will be including SIRIUS Satellite Radio on select Kenworth Class 8 truck models with the VIT sleeper interior.

Kenworth will use SIRIUS' DEA300 SIRIUS/AM/FM/CD radio - the first all-in-one integrated radio available as factory installed in the commercial vehicle market.

SIRIUS is also available as a regular factory-installed option on all Kenworth Class 8 models in non-VIT sleeper and day cab configurations.

As a special incentive Kenworth customers will receive three months of free service through May 31, 2007.

One of SIRIUS Satellite Radio's radio manufacturers - Kiryung Electronics - has resumed manufacturing and distribution of SIRIUS branded radios with FM transmitters.  Kiryung Electronics received new grants of authority from the FCC for the Xact Visor, SIRIUS One and Sportster Replay radios.

The grants were issued after the FCC's laboratory confirmed that the devices were compliant with applicable FCC rules. Kiryung also continues to manufacture the SIRIUS Sportster 4.

XM Satellite Radio has inked a deal with Alltel Wireless that will give Alltel customers access to a wide range of XM Satellite Radio programming via their wireless phones.

The XM Radio Mobile service will be offered to Alltel Wireless customers for $7.99 per month. The application was developed by MobiTV, a company specializing in television and digital radio services for cellular, Wi-Fi and broadband enabled devices.

Audio streams of 20 popular XM music channels will be available including: The 70s, 80s and 90s decades channels, XM's Top 20 on 20 (Hits), Ethel (New Alt Rock), The City (Hip-Hop/R&B Hits), XMU (Indie Rock), Bluesville (Blues), Highway 16 (New Country Hits), and Viva (Latin Pop Hits).

Customers will be able to select these channels by genre. XM will deliver data to make it possible to view the song title, artist and album while listening on a variety of compatible handsets.

XM's announcement of the deal was very clear to state that this is first U.S. carrier to carry XM Satellite Radio - strongly indicating that there will be more deals like this to follow.

UPDATE: The application will available on all radio-capable handsets including the Motorola RAZR, the Motorola V710 & E815, Nokia 6255i, and the Kyocera KX5. More XM-capable handsets will be available.

Along with the Sirius Internet Radio trademark, SIRIUS has filed for trademarks on "Stratus" and "Speedster" - both seeming to be receiver equipment.

Check out the filings after jump... 

SIRIUS Satellite Radio has filed for a series of trademarks all revolving around the accronym "SIR" for Sirius Internet Radio. All three applications provide the following decription...

Radio broadcasting services; webcasting services; streaming of audio, visual and data information via a global computer network, mobile telephone or other electronic or digital communications network or digital communications device; electronic and digital transmission and delivery of voice, data, text, images, graphics, signals and messages via a global computer network, mobile telephone or other electronic or digital communications network or device; providing audio, visual and data information available for download via a global computer network, mobile telephone or other electronic or digital communications network or digital communications device

I assume this can only be related to the rumored WiFi service support on the upcoming Sirius Stiletto SL100 and the Zing-powered device (whatever it'll be called).

[via Satellite Radio TechWorld]
Thanks Rubicon!

Paul van Dyk,a world famous and Grammy-nominated DJ, will launch his own weekly show on SIRIUS Satellite Radio, called Paul van Dyk’s Vonyc Sessions, starting on August 31st. Paul van Dyk’s Vonyc Sessions, will be heard every Thursday from 6pm to 8pm ET on SIRIUS’ trance and progressive house music channel, Area 33 (ch 33). Replays are on Saturdays from 8 to 10pm ET, and Tuesdays from 12 midnight to 2am ET.

On August 25th, SIRIUS will also broadcast Paul van Dik's concerts taking place August 18th and 19th in Central Park, New York City, as part of a special ten-hour broadcast on Area 33 - curiously entitled Paul van Dyk Live at Central Park NYC.

In differentiating Zune from the iPod, here's what Associated Content had to say:

XM Radio: The WiFi antenna also will help Microsoft to support XM radio on the Zune, something they've been looking into.  If Zune is to kill the iPod, they need something big that the iPod doesn't have; this may or may not be it, but they'll need all the firepower they can get. With the iPod lacking even an FM radio, this could be a big advantage.

Interesting.

Thanks StackPointer! 

UPDATE: As Gizmodo points out, since this would be streaming the XM feed over WiFi, it would be a dedicated application and not a WiFi-based browser (which would essentially allow for streaming of... pretty much anything). I would if this would also include XM+Napster functionality, allowing you to purchase songs you hear over the XM stream?

...and thank Orbitcast's sponsors.

There have been a lot of things going on behind the scenes lately (this site is like an iceberg, most of the action is stuff you can't see), and none of what has been accomplished could have been done without the support that each and every sponsor has provided.

Please take the chance and check out what they offer if you haven't already, I'd much appreciate it:

• JJI Electronics
• The Radio Place
• SIRIUS Satellite Radio Superstore
• XM Satellite Radio Superstore
  

Wistron NeWeb (a key Sirius radio manufacturer) saw its revenues decline to a two-year low of US$25.4 million in July due to delayed shipment of its satellite radio products to Sirius Satellite Radio, according to analysts at local securities houses.

Wistron was unable to ship a batch of their next-gen of satellite radio products to Sirius on time in July as the products failed to meet FCC requirements. Wistron, together with Sirius, says they are expecting to fix related problems in two weeks and begin shipments to Sirius soon.

[DigiTimes] 

There's muthaf*ckin' SNAKES coming to muthaf*ckin' SIRIUS Satellite Radio's Raw Dog (ch 104).

Samuel L. Jackson and Keenan Thompson - stars of the upcoming movie and Internet phenomenom - Snakes on a Plane, will be on Jim Breuer Unleashed to chat and interview.

Tune in tomorrow, August 9th at 4pm ET, and find out what the f*ck these muthaf*ckin' snakes are going to be doing on this muthaf*ckin plane.

XM Satellite Radio is launching XM Sports Nation (XMSN) a dedicated 24-hour sports news and talk channel. The lineup for XMSN (ch 143) will include current XM programs like the shows hosted by Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Cal Ripken, Jr., Coach Mike Krzyzewski, James Carville and Luke Russert.  

But to complement this original sports programming, XM Sports Nation will feature popular content from Sporting News Radio, including shows from Tim Brando, Tony Bruno and Troy Aikman, among others.

XM will add several new shows to the lineup, including "XMSN This Morning," a daily show featuring the latest in sports news, highlights, interviews and scores from the world of professional and collegiate sports.  The weekday program will be hosted by XM personality T.J. Rives, current host of the original XM program "College Football Coast-to-Coast." XMSN also will feature original XM shows dedicated to collegiate sports, motorsports, fantasy sports and more.

The XM Sports Nation channel is set to debut on XM's programming lineup August 28th.

Check out the complete programming schedule for XMSN, including show descriptions and times, here.

• Volvo S40
• Volvo V50
• Volvo C70
• All-New Volvo S80

This letter speaks for itself.

Sirius Satellite Radio’s Starlite (ch 2) will feature Tarzan composer Phil Collins as the guest host today (August 8th) at 5pm ET. If you miss it, don't cry because you can catch it again on Friday, August 11th at 12pm ET and Sunday, August 13th at 10pm EST.

Collins will play his favorite pop songs, including songs from the Tarzan cast recording.

[Broadway World] 

• 2006 marks the 39th anniversary of the band.
• Chicago has sold more than 120 million records and an astonishing 50 hits in the U.S. alone.
• Chicago has 18 gold albums, 13 platinum, and 12 in the top 10, and 5 have hit # 1.
• Chicago has 20 Top 10 hit singles, 5 #1 records and 5 gold singles.

Starting on Wednesday, August 9th, SIRIUS Satellite Radio will be changing the format for their conservative talk channel - SIRIUS Patriot (ch 144) - including the debut of The Andrew Wilkow Show.

SIRIUS Patriot features well-known conservative voices including G. Gordon Liddy, Bill Bennett, Michael Reagan, Mike Church, and the NRA. SIRIUS Patriot also delivers U.S. military news from the Pentagon Channel. 

Check out the new lineup after the jump... 

Are you a user of SiriuCE and getting an error saying that it can't find the frmCaptcha? Well, have no fear because there's a new version out.

Version 1.16 of SiriuCE is now up and available for download on their page. Enjoy.

The initial announcement of the Soloist media dock for SIRIUS wetted my appetite and left me wanting more. This device sure is sexy, but the iPod connection was something I didn't really get. Is it just a marketing ploy by using an AUX IN connector to put "plays your iPod!" on the box? Or can I actually charge the iPod while using this thing? Well folks, our questions have been answered.

First off, the iPod integration. There is, in fact, a 30-pin iPod connector embedded in the unit that charges the iPod (the dock meets the "Made for Ipod" program requirements).

When you remove the cradle for the SIRIUS connection (remember, SIRIUS is now using a common connector - like that on the Sportster 4 - for all their future receivers) you'll find the iPod connector in front of the Sirius connector. A cradle with an adjustable backrest for all iPod 30-pin models then fits into the unit. See the photo below for the cradle.

iPod Cradle:

SIRIUS Sportster 4 Cradle:

There's also a third cradle supplied with the Soloist, but I have no details on it because it's still a secret (Stiletto dock maybe? who knows).
 
As for the USB connector in the back of the Soloist. This lets you connect to your PC so you can transfer files to your iPod as well.

For older SIRIUS plug-and-play receivers, or say for the Sirius S50, the AUX IN jack lets non-dockable units get some action out of the Soloist.

The AUX OUT jack is configured for Audio/Video output, so if you use a stereo + composite video adapter cable (3.5mm 4-contact to L/R/V RCA) you can pipe video or images from a Video iPod out to a monitor, TV, or your PC or your laptop.

The remote control will control any of the docked Sirius radios, or the iPod as well.

The sleek SurfaceSound flat-panel speaker provides a bipolar-type sound field which is dispersed to the rear and wraps around quite a bit - so even standing at a 90 degree angle to the front of the unit you get good sound – not necessarily stereo at that location, but still very listenable compared to being 90 degrees off-axis to a conventional speaker system.

And there it is. Look for a hands-on review of the Soloist soon. 

As part of SIRIUS Satellite Radio's NFL Training Camp Tour 2006, this weekend stops at Canton, Ohio for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Tune in to hear SIRIUS' coverage of the 2006 induction ceremonies for Troy Aikman, Harry Carson, John Madden, Warren Moon, Reggie White and Rayfield Wright.

Then check out the pre-season action on Sunday when the Raiders take on the Eagles in the Hall of Fame Game, all broadcast on SIRIUS NFL Radio (ch 124).

XM ParkingLink was originally unveiled late last year and was showcased at CES 2006 on the XM Advanced Services vehicle. Well, now XM Satellite Radio and their partners in the service (parking-lot giant, Standard Parking and electronic-sensor specialist, Quixote Transportation Technologies) are set to roll out the new service later this year.

Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles and Washington DC will be the first cities to see the initial beta tests of XM ParkingLink, which builds upon XM NavTraffic (currently available in 44 markets). The partners are hoping to offer the service during the second half of 2007.

The system works through Quixote's electronic sensors, embedded in many of Standard Parking's 1,900 nationwide parking facilities (which have a total of a million parking spaces in them) and include major airports, office buildings, malls and arenas. Eventually XM ParkingLink will hookup with parking lots and garages owned by other companies.

If you look at the photo above, the nav screen shows four garages marked by a "P" icon. The red "P" indicates a garage that’s completely full, while the three green "Ps" have a number underneath the icon that tells the driver how many parking spaces are left. Amazing.

[via AutoBlog]
Thanks Dave!

Nightshift will also feature live performances from G-Unit's Lloyd Banks and N.O.R.E. (formerly Noreaga) on center stage. Also at the event is the XM Satellite Radio Stage, where you'll see top talent from Hot Import Nights as well as appearances from XM on-air hosts and special celebrity guests.

[View Event Details] 

Eleven XM Satellite Radio music channels will report airplay to Radio & Records and affect the R&R charts starting with the publication’s August 11th issue.

The following channels will report to R&R (with the associated R&R chart in parentheses):

• 20 on 20 (Top 40 Mainstream)
• Flight 26 (Hot AC)
• Ethel (Alternative Rock)
• Squizz (Active Rock)
• The City (Urban)
• Suite 62 (Urban AC)
• Watercolors (Smooth Jazz)
• BPM (Dance)
• The Message (Christian AC)
• Raw (Indicator...Urban)
• XM Cafe (Indicator...AAA)

Introducing the new Soloist Universal Media Dock for the latest generation of SIRIUS Satellite Radio plug-and-play receivers. This beautiful "media dock" uses the patented SurfaceSound flat-panel speaker technology from NXT, powered by a 10-watt-per-channel Tripath amp.

The Soloist, by Directed Electronics, employs SIRIUS' new universal connector which shares the same configuration with the SIRIUS Sportster 4 (pictured) and future SIRIUS receivers. Plus, it's compatable with the Apple iPod. Awesome.

Soloist comes with a SIRIUS home antenna, remote control, AC power adapter, as well as a front panel AUX IN and headphone jack, rear panel AUX IN and OUT, rear panel USB port, and a built-in alarm clock, which will wake you up to the SIRIUS channel or iPod song of your choice. (Suggestion: Hard Attack. Perfect for mornings.)

MSRP? Only $149. Available in September.

Thanks tim! 

SIRIUS Satellite Radio is featuring one of the biggest dance parties of the year - BBC Radio 1's Week in Ibiza - from August 6th at 1am ET through August 13th.

Broadcast live from the Balearic island - a hot spot for internationally-renowned dance music nightclubs and events - the event will include special radio shows and live mixes.

DJs and popular BBC Radio 1 personalities including Pete Tong, Judge Jules, and Zane Lowe; as well as top DJ-producers like Paul Oakenfold, Carl Cox & John Digweed, and Fergie; will all be at the event.

Check out the full schedule on BBC Radio 1's website. 

Robert Neil, Cox Radio's CEO had a bit of a holier-than-thou moment during yesterday's conference call with investors. When Mark Wienkes of Goldman Sachs posed the question about satellite radio's slowing momentum, Mr. Neil had some very bold things to say.

Things like, "I said those guys were going to get theirs in due course, and they have..." and "I don't think enough people are willing to pay for it, to make it a large generator of cash."

Keep gloating Robert, you won't be singing the same song in a few years.

Read the full transcript (via Seeking Alpha) after the jump...

SIRIUS Satellite Radio will host and broadcast live concert performances and other programs from the 66th annual Sturgis Bike Week's inaugural Rock 'n the Rally Festival, in Sturgis, South Dakota from August 6th through August 10th.

Some of the SIRIUS crew will be onstage performing hosting duties and backstage getting interviews at the event - including Mojo Nixon and Hillbilly Jim from Outlaw Country (ch 63), Long Paul of Buzzsaw (ch 19), and hosts from Playboy Radio (ch 198).

Oh sure, music events have occurred during Sturgis Bike Week in the past, but the Rock 'n the Rally Music Festival is a new, stand-alone festival at a brand-new, 34-acre amphitheatre, all taking place alongside the famed annual Sturgis Bike Week.

Artists scheduled to perform include Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Joe Cocker, Nickelback, Black Crowes, Keith Urban, Steve Miller Band, Cheap Trick, Gin Blossoms, Fabulous Thunderbirds, Shooter Jennings, Foghat, Big & Rich, Sammy Hagar, REO Speedwagon and many others.

SIRIUS will also produce a special three-day weekend of live concert performances and artist interviews from the event, which will air during Labor Day weekend. Attendees will also be able to sample SIRIUS on-site.

Learn more at SIRIUS' Rock 'n the Rally page or check out show schedules and more infomation at the official Rock'N The Rally site.

The duo played a clip of Stern saying that Letterman's "people" called his agent to see if it was okay to book Opie and Anthony, and that he could have said no but didn't. O&A in turn challenged Stern to "do it!"

On his SIRIUS Satellite Radio show, Howard Stern told his audience that Letterman "asked me how I felt" about the booking, and that the booking came after "a lot of pressure from a certain person" at CBS. Stern claimed that Letterman's staff "weren't into it. They were feeling a lot of pressure."

"Howard says a lot of things that can't be confirmed. We are telling Howard, do it ... go ahead, get us off of Letterman, you lying sack... he thinks he has power over CBS and David Letterman," Anthony Cumia said.

Opie added "his listeners need to know that he's full of shit... We’re begging him to do it because we know it’s just a bunch of crap.”

[via AllAccess] 

UPDATE: Listen to audio of this here (MP3)

Google has announced that they have inked a deal with XM Satellite Radio to provide commercial advertising inventory to XM's non-music channels through Google's dMarc service.

After months of trials, the new platform is now in full production for dMarc advertisers. Google AdWords' customers will soon be able to buy satellite radio spots when the dMarc platform is integrated into AdWords targeted in the fourth quarter of this year.

Back in March, it was speculated that this might happen - and I'm glad it has - this is very exciting news. I can see this combined with XM's upcoming Push-to-Purchase technology, and the next level of radio advertising being right around the corner. Targeted ads, combined with an immediate call-to-action and measurable conversion. Beautiful.

[Press Release] 

A little while ago I suggested that looking at gross subscribers is a more accurate way of gauging market penetration, because looking soley at net subscribers can be misleading. Why? Because  even though the percentage of churn is relatively the same (both had roughly 1.8% churn), the base is different - so the final numbers don't show trending for the quarter. Follow me so far?

Anyway, so here's the gross subscriber numbers for the 3 months ending June 2006:

SIRIUS Gross Subscribers: 830,571
XM Gross Subscribers: 926,281

SIRIUS Net Subscribers: 600,460
XM Net Subscribers: 398,012

So, from a market penetration standpoint, you can see that XM actually did beat out SIRIUS for the quarter.

Now, before you get all in a huff - net subscribers is where the money is at - don't get me wrong. And the margin in which Sirius beat out XM in net subscribers is far greater than XM did in gross subscribers. But when the inevitable pissing match ensues, I figure both sides should have a lil' ammunition. :)

Howard Stern will be available to SIRIUS Satellite Radio without any contractual restrictions for an aggressive fourth quarter marketing campaign, and Mel Karmazin intends on using him.

"Howard Stern is mobilized for an aggressive campaign in the fourth quarter for Howard to bring on some of the fans that he had, that have not yet made the conversion to satellite radio. So unlike last year in the fourth quarter, we did not have Howard Stern officially selling for us. This year we will have Howard selling for us."

While he didn't specify exactly what Howard will be doing, Mel did turn up the hype-machine with:

"This will be the first holiday season... where the best salesman on radio is going to be selling subscribers for us."

While Howard hardly sat idly by in promoting his move to satellite radio in 2005, there's little doubt that Stern will be an integral part of SIRIUS' holiday season promotions.

[via Billboard Radio Monitor]
[Transcript by Seeking Alpha]

XM Satellite Radio's XM NavTraffic satellite traffic information/GPS navigation service, will launch in 13 additional markets during the third-quarter of 2006. This expansion will bring the total number of markets that NavTraffic covers to 44 U.S. major metro areas.

The 13 new XM NavTraffic markets include:

• Austin, TX
• Buffalo - Niagara Falls, NY
• Charlotte, NC; Columbus, OH
• Hartford - New Britain - Middletown, CT
  
• Indianapolis, IN
• Kansas City, KS
• Las Vegas, NV
• Memphis, TN
• Nashville, TN
• Norfolk - Virginia Beach/Newport News, VA
• Sarasota - Bradenton, FL
• West Palm Beach - Boca Raton, FL. 
  

XM NavTraffic is expected to be available in 200,000 NavTraffic-capable vehicles within the next two years and is already available as a factory-installed feature on the 2006 Acura RL and Cadillac CTS. Several automakers will offer additional models with XM NavTraffic capability later this year, including the 2007 Acura RDX, Lexus LS and Infiniti G35.

In today's conference call, SIRIUS Satellite Radio CEO Mel Karmazin provided some color on the much discussed mobile video initiative. SIRIUS has talked about providing video to automobiles for quite some time now, as far back as Jan 2004 where they promised video by mid-2005.

"We are close to signing deals to offer the best video programming for kids as part of our OEM offering in the second half of the year," said Mel Karmazin at the conference call.

This is a more aggressive timeline than previously indicated back in April 2006, when SIRIUS' Senior VP Bob Law stated that SIRIUS will unveil the satellite video technology at January's CES and launch shortly afterwards.

SIRIUS Satellite Radio is expected to debut the new "personal live satellite radio product" (aka the Sirius Stiletto) later this summer.

"Our personal live satellite radio product, Stiletto, is great," Mel Karamazin, chief executive officer of Sirius, said on a conference call. "We have been beta testing it for a few weeks and we will have it available to consumers by the end of the summer."

In the meteorological sense, "summer" ends at the end of August. In the astronomical sense, "summer" ends in late September (I think September 21st or the 22nd). Which one was Mel referring to? Hard to say, but the astronomical definition is usually the one referred to the most.

UPDATE: Ignore all that. It was clearly stated at the conference call that the Sirius Stiletto will be available "later this month." 

[Reuters]