So Sirius had their investor conference call yesterday - you can listen to it here or if you're so inclined you can call 877-519-4471 (pin number 5564674) or 888-350-0137 (pin number 3202).
XM is having their conference call on February 10th. You can listen to it online, or listen to it live by calling 800-374-0551. If you happen to miss it, you can call 800-642-1687 (pin number 1040354) and listen to the replay.

Side note:
I'm a little unsure whether to actally bother blogging about this type of stuff, because it's pretty much.... boring. (If you're an interested investor, you already know about the conference calls anyway). But with the lack of super-exicting news lately, (ie, Engadget reporting on XM launching the XM-3 satellite next month - something many of us have known since... I dunno... a couple years), I almost feel like I'm being a dick by not mentioning these things. Feel free to let me know you agree or disagree. Any feedback will help me how to steer this baby so it's more interesting for everyone.

The New York Post is reporting that XM and Sirius are holding preliminary talks on a possible merger. No discussions about price yet, however, according to to the Post's sources they have discussed potential antitrust concerns.

XM and Sirius are hoping the Federal Communications Commission considers satellite radio as part of the broader industry of delivering music and other content through mobile devices, such as cellphones.

According to the Post, the fact that Mel got on board with Sirius gave a lift to discussions between the two merging.

The NY Post sources say the deal could be at least a year away.

CNN/Money also cover this story here.

UPDATE: According to the Billboard Radio Monitor, Mel is 'quashing' the Sirius-XM Merger.

Mel Karmazin characterized a New York Post report of a potential XM-Sirius merger as the ?third rumor? he has had to deal with in his first eight weeks as Sirius CEO.

He stated, ?I have not met with the [XM] chair or the CEO, so I have no idea where this [rumor] has come from.? Later adding, that he thought such a merger would be a ?difficult deal to get through,? when asked about potential antitrust restrictions for such a merger.

I'm not so sure if Mel's statement actually 'quashes' the merger rumors - he simply stated that he hasn't met with Hugh Panero. Whether or not talks have been initiated are still unknown for sure.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Chance Patterson, XM spokesperson, has made a statement about the merger rumors, "This is the same news organization that last fall reported on its cover Dick Gephardt was named John Kerry's running mate. So consider the source. We don't comment on rumors and speculation, which this clearly rates as."

(well said)

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael K. Powell plans to resign from the agency - the job he's held for four years, two agency officials said today.

Powell, apparently does not plan to step down immediately, the officials said. However, he will leave soon. While he might've done a whole lot of stuff during his tenure at the FCC, Powell is probably best known for overseeing a dramatic crackdown on broadcast "indecency".

Is this good news for terrestrial radio? Doubt it.

Since the damn Jackson's Super Bowl halftime incident last February, the FCC received over 1 million indecency complaints in 2004 (more than 540,000 were specifically for Ms. Jackson's shindig). But interestingly enough, nearly 99.9 percent of indecency complaints - aside from those concerning the ?wardrobe malfunction? ? were brought by the Parents Television Council (an activist group), according to the FCC analysis dated October 1, 2004. Nearly all indecency complaints ? a whopping 99.8 percent ? were filed by the Parents Television Council, in 2003.
[Link]

So will Mr. Powell resigning get the the PTC to stop sending complaints to the FCC? Probably not. But at least the spokesperson behind the ?a dramatic rise in public concern and outrage about what is being broadcast into their homes,? as Mr. Powell said will be gone.

Good riddance.

XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio both announced that they will broadcast "Tsunami Aid: A Concert of Hope," a live benefit special organized by the NBC Universal Television Group to help victims of the tsunami tragedy, tomorrow - Saturday, January 15, from 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm ET.

Tsunami Aid: A Concert Of Hope will feature scheduled performances by Madonna, Sheryl Crow, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Annie Lennox, Maroon 5, Norah Jones, Sarah McLachlan, Mary J. Blige, Lenny Kravitz, Eric Clapton, John Mayer, Kenny Chesney, Gloria Estefan, Nelly and many more. The musical program will be augmented by appearances by Halle Berry, Kevin Spacey, Usher, George Clooney, Uma Thurman, Matt Damon, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michael Douglas, Bruce Willis, Danny Devito and many other stars.

The commercial-free concert will be broadcast in stereo on XM's MSNBC
channel (XM Channel 130) and XM's CNBC channel (XM Channel 127), and on SIRIUS Hits 1, ( Sirius Channel 1) and on SIRIUS' CNBC channel (Sirius Channel 101).

This is only part of what both XM and Sirius are doing in terms of tsunami relief aid.

There's "XM Nation: Operation Helping Hand," which XM started in September 2004 to raise money for disaster relief following the hurricane devastation in the southeastern U.S. When you make an online contribution of $50 or more to the American Red Cross International Response Fund, XM will send you a special XM Nation: Operation Helping Hand wristband.

Sirius is rallying up their Faction stars and athletes to hold an auction featuring one-of-a-kind, autographed items and/or experiences. Items will be made available in an online auction starting Monday, January 17 at 6 pm ET, through www.eBay.com/sirius.

They said that Satellite Radio would never take off. Then they dismissed it as barely even a threat. But now, it looks like terrestrial radio is starting to feel the heat. With more and more satellite radios being sold by Sirius and XM, and the marketing departments of both companies creating more exposure than ever before, suddenly Terrestrial is taking notice and is launching a counterstrike.

Big Radio companies such as Clear Channel, Entercom Communications, Infinity Broadcasting, Greater Media and Cumulus Media, put their wallets together to scare up $28 million in advertising time over the next few weeks to air a series of 30-second radio ads. Radio will be the primary media vehicle in the campaign, but other media, including Print and the Internet-based will also be used.

A WSJ.com article (subscription req'd) points out:

The campaign combats "the urban legend out there about radio not being an innovative medium," says David Field, chief executive of radio company Entercom, based in Bala Cynwyd, Pa. He points to breaking artists and emerging formats such as "Hispanic hip-hop" to make his point.

But satellite-radio operators counter that they are more cutting-edge, and that their diversity of stations allows them to give more airplay to new artists. "We are not far from the day when XM breaks a [mass appeal] artist," says Eric Logan, XM's program director.

New York-based DeVito/Verdi was tapped to create the campaign. The first round of radio spots goes after the 19 to 29 year-old featuring Nelly, Ludacris, Avril Lavigne, Alicia Keys, Ashanti and Hoobastank in an attempt to prove terrestrial's leading role in launching new artists.

Prove it? Please.
After years of listening to "Traffic and weather together.." "The number one home of Rock and Roll.." and "Be the 9th caller to win.." by all the same wacky-DJs - now they're surprised that terrestrial radio is being viewed as (gasp) not innovative?! That's gonna be a little hard to fix with just a few commercials.

So there were a bunch of rumors flying around this morning that a new Satellite Radio service might be emerging, supposedly DirecTV, owned by media mogel Rupert Murdoch. News of a new big player in town sent investors running for the hills as both XM and Sirius aren't necessarily money-makers just yet. Shares of both XMSR and SIRI took a nose dive as a result.

Thankfully it's not true.

At a Smith Barney Entertainment, Media & Telecommunications Conference today, DirecTV CEO Chase Carey said the company was "happy to leave satellite radio" to Sirius and XM (listen to the Webcast replay).

You can breathe now. :)

Want to hear what XM and Sirius had to say at the conference?
[Listen the XM Presentation Webcast here]
[Listen the Sirius Presentation Webcast here]

Yesterday we heard that Time Trax Technologies will announce support for recording/time-shifting Sirius satellite radio at CES today, but with no other details on it, we didn't want to make a big deal out of it.

Well, now we know more.

First, TimeTrax will be unveiling two new Sirius supported products - TimeTrax Connect Sirius and TimeTrax Complete Sirius (pictured). While the XM version of TimeTrax connects to the XM Direct unit (and previously the XM PCR if you got one before they were discontinued), the Sirius version connects to the Kenwood KTC-SR903.

For $169.99 the TimeTrax Complete Sirius unit isn't a 'cheap' option, but considering that you get everything you need to time-shift Sirius satellite radio broadcasts, it's not a bad deal.

See a bigger photo of TimeTrax Complete Sirius.
See a bigger photo of the TimeTrax Connect Sirius (err.. it actually looks the same as the XM version).

Time Trax Technologies will unveil at the CES 2005 Show a docking station that will enable PC users to schedule the recording of broadcasts and to save tracks, including the artist and title information, directly to Apple Computer's iPod.

Currently a Mac version is not in development.

To discourage recorded songs from being posted on peer-to-peer networks, the TimeTrax software embeds the serial number of the receiver into the track information, making it easy to trace the source.

Version 4.0 of the TimeTrax software, which will be available at the end of January, will enable listeners to scan satellite radio channels and record only songs by specific artists.

[Click to see a bigger picture.]

The frenzy before this year's CES Show is starting to build up with both terrestrial and satellite broadcasters vying for headlines and attendee attention.

Terrestrial Radio's big gun is supposed to be high-definition radio with a press conference being held on Wednesday to reveal a nationwide HD Radio conversion plan. Championed by iBiquity, big boys like Bonneville, Clear Channel, Cox, Entercom and Radio One are all supposed to be on board.

Our opinion? Who cares. I'm not looking to pay for a new HD Radio receiver just so I can hear 20 minutes of crystal-clear commercials. The commercialization of terrestrial radio has turned it into a useless medium - no matter how clear the signal is.

Now both XM and Sirius are going to be revealing their own slew of new devices, bigger partners, more content, and plans for the future. Wish we knew more about what's to come, but both Sirius and XM have kept their lips tightly sealed.

Media International Concepts announced today that it has changed its direction to specialize in creating and developing content for radio talk show segments for the growing satellite radio industry which includes such operators as XM and Sirius Satellite Radio.

This change shows there is a realization that the radio talk show market is rapidly growing and Media Concepts (MEIC) believes this presents a giant opportunity. Radio Talk shows combine many areas such as sports, news, reality talk shows, and many others to make up this growing market.

Media Concepts realizes this new market should be an excellent area because there are currently two major competitors in the entertainment industry relating to radio. By working with Sirius and XM Satellite Radio and not competing against them, Media Concepts should realize shareholder growth by cornering a sizable piece of this huge and growing market by supplying satellite radio stations with content to meet the needs of the industry.