Sea Launch had a bad day trying to launch a NSS-8 satellite. No this is not satrad related, but it shows you what happens when launches go wrong....

[via SSG]

XM Satellite Radio's comedy channel XM Comedy (ch 150) is now airing the popular Brian Scolaro's "A Complete Waste of Time," podcast.

Launched only four months ago, "A Complete Waste of Time," is a short-form program that trys to take on serious issues of the day... but never gets it done. "Brian Scolaro and his sidekicks are breaking new ground with 'A Complete Waste of Time.' It's 'The Kids in the Hall' meets 'The Aristocrats' on radio," said Sonny Fox, program director of XM Comedy.

"A Complete Waste of Time" will air throughout the day on XM Comedy.

As far as I'm aware of, this is the first podcast that has made the transition to XM (am I wrong? correct me if I am). Sirius on the otherhand partnered with Adam Curry to broadcast select podcasts back in 2005. I like the idea of podcasts getting air time on satellite radio... as long as their hand-selected.

[Press Release]

There's a perceptive piece making the rounds in the AP, Satellite Radio Draws Stars, that spotlights the celebrity talent that frequents the airwaves of satellite radio.

While there's a quick mention of XM, the piece really revolves around Sirius and buzzing celebrity society within their walls. From Jamie Foxx, to Martha Stewart, to Tiki Barber, to Cardinal Edward Egan, to - yes - Howard Stern; the article perfectly illustrates how Sirius' celebrity strategy is spurring the growth of the satellite radio medium.

Celebrity talent is most likely one of the reasons why Sirius is doing so well at retail. People are looking for familiarity when they make a decision. The term "satellite radio" is ambiguous to someone who hasn't heard it. So when they're staring at a display in Circuit City, they're going to choose the service that contains the most familiar names (unfamiliarity is intimidating to most).

Whether or not they spend much time on the air doesn't actually matter, celebrities have a wide reach that connects with the consumer at a personal level. And as soon as you make that connection, you're one step closer to a sale.

Thanks sternfan73! 

 
XM Satellite Radio and Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. have extended their partnership together through 2017. Toyota's expects their annual factory production of XM-equipped vehicles to exceed one million vehicles by 2010.

Funny, because following the Honda announcement yesterday, my first thought was "great, but what's up with Toyota?" Well, here's our answer. The main thing that this does is lift some concerns that Toyota wasn't really dedicated to the XM partnership. In fact, this debunks that completely. One million units by 2010? Nice.

In 2006, Lexus introduced XM as a factory-installed standard feature on the new 2007 Lexus LS 460 L. XM Radio is also available in the 2007 LS 460, which includes the service in its navigation packages. Later this year, Lexus will provide factory-installed XM as standard equipment on the upcoming luxury hybrid, LS 600h L. 

According to a post by Fred Richards on the New York Radio Message Board, Sirius is reportedly cutting costs by eliminating DJs on Sirius Gold (ch 5) "and two other feeds."

"If this is how Sirius is managing the cost of doing business, they estentially become a satellite-based iPod/MP3 player. And I don't get to choose the songs I listen to," added Phil Seely "I hope that this doesn't start happening across the street at XM, or the real bonus of satellite starts to lose it's value."

This appears to be a continuing sign that Sirius is cutting costs in personnel, following the recent letting go of Penny Crone of Howard 100 News. Whether or not this is a strategy to "go Jockless" as claimed is unknown... I'd hope not. But comparing this to the hiring of celebrity talent isn't really a valid argument.

Celebrity names get the subscribers through the door; on-air talent keeps them there.

[NY Radio Message Board via SeekingAlpha] 

XM Satellite Radio's Washington DC headquarters is under attack by pests (not O&A kind).

"We're talking rodents," writes XM senior vp Dan Turner in an internal memo. "Those of you familiar with DC rodents know that we're looking at the size of small house cats."

Apparently the second floor of The Eck, which is on a raised floor to allow the running of fiber cable underfoot, is where the invasion appears to be centralized. That same raised floor "represents an eight-lane superhighway to anywhere the rats want to go," according to the memo.

Turner continues: "Currently we have lost the functionality of Production Room 8 as the rodents have discovered that the cover on our fiber optics cables makes good nesting material. A couple of weeks ago it was one of the multi-function studios that was taken out of commission. Tomorrow it could be a cable to a satellite uplink. It is that serious."

The Orkin Man was called in to provide some firepower. "They put out the appropriate 'boxes' in the right places to address the problem," says Chance Patterson, vice president of corporate affairs at XM. "And hopefully the memo will encourage people to do their part to mitigate the issue."

[Washington City Paper and Washington Post]
Thanks Matt & Karl!

XM Satellite Radio will be airing special programming dedicated to Black History Month this February.

A few highlights include special Soul Edition episodes of XM's "Artist Confidential;" speeches and interviews with prominent African American authors, historians and leaders; the Negro League Baseball Museum's 7th Annual Legacy Awards; and more.

Infiniti will be the presenting sponsor for XM’s Black History Month programming. Check out more programming highlights after the jump...

I'm introducing a new section to this site entitled "Orbitcast Jobs" where job seekers and companies alike can meet and share jobs specific to the satellite radio industry.

Companies looking to recruit highly-qualified and technical candidates can currently advertise a position on Orbitcast Jobs for only $99/month. This provides you ability to appeal to a very targeted audience of professionals who otherwise might not notice your position.

Here's some key takeaways about this new job board:

• This site attracts a very targeted and premium audience that follows the satellite radio industry at an obsessive level.
  
• Orbitcast receives an average of 11,000 - 14,000 page views a day, and growing.
• Our partnership with Simply Hired allows your job posting to get additional visibility across their entire network, which includes MySpace and LinkedIn.
• $99 per listing is a damn good deal.

So if you're in seek of savvy talent, give it a try. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

[Orbitcast Jobs]