XM Satellite Radio will be airing Tony Kornheiser's new radio show originating from Washington Post Radio (WTWP), weekdays from 9am-11am ET on XM Sports Nation (ch 144).

The sportswriter, columnist, ESPN commentator, humorist, and author will also host special shows exclusively for XM's audience on a regular basis.

"Tony is a superstar with a huge following across the country," said XM's E-Lo, "XM puts Tony's new radio show on a national platform."

Kornheiser is a columnist for The Washington Post, the co-host of ESPN's "Pardon the Interruption," and an analyst for ESPN's "Monday Night Football." He previously was part of the XM lineup before.

"The Tony Kornheiser Show" is the latest addition to what appears to be a rapidly growing XM Sports Nation channel.

Legendary NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. will have a very special guest for his first XM show of 2007: The defending Nextel champ Jimmie Johnson.

Earnhardt and Johnson will chit-chat about the upcoming season which opens this weekend in Daytona (think of it like the AFRO show of racing). Dale's show airs Thursday night at 7:30pm ET on XM Sports Nation (ch 144). And Jimmie, of course, has his own XM show which airs the same night at 7pm ET as part of XMSN's Engine Block.

Jimmie’s guest for the season opener will be fellow NASCAR driver Casey Mears, who recently joined Jimmie as a member of the Hendrick Motorsports team.

Oh sure, Sirius owned XM by luring NASCAR away, but XM is letting us all know that they still have NASCAR coverage. And it's revving up soon.

First up is Jimmie Johnson's "Not What You Expected" who makes his second-season debut on February 15th at 7pm ET, with encores airing at 10pm ET, on XM Sports Nation (ch 144). Every week, the defending Nextel Cup champ gives his personal perspective on the sport with co-host Marty Smith.

Then there's "Dale Jr.'s Unrestricted" which kicks off its second season the same night at 7:30pm ET (replays: 10:30 pm ET) also on XM Sports Nation. Earnhardt and best buddies Josh Snider and Steve Cris offer a candid look at what's happening on and off the track each week.

Fan favorite Claire B. Lang has her three-hour racing show "Dialed In" weekdays on XM Sports Nation from 4-7pm ET. Next week, Claire will be live in Daytona, to report on the official start of the season. Following Claire's show is "Power Shift" with Joe Castello airs weeknights 8-10pm ET (together, along with other motorsports coverage, is known as the "Engine Block" on XMSN).

But wait, there's more.

XM Sports Nation has added the popular Performance Racing Network (PRN) show "Sunday Drive" to its lineup, along with returning PRN favorites "Fast Talk" and "Alltel Pit Reporters." (Interesting side note: PRN is also partnered with Sirius for their NASCAR content.)

"Sunday Drive" airs Sunday nights at 8-9pm ET on XMSN. The one-hour call-in show is straight from Lowe's Motor Speedway and features host Stephanie Durner who is joined by driver analysts including John Andretti, Geoff Bodine, Mike Wallace and Buddy Baker.

"Fast Talk," is a one-hour NASCAR-themed motorsports call-in show, returns to XM Monday nights, 7-8pm ET. The show is co-hosted by Doug Rice along with some of the biggest honchos in racing.

"The ALLTEL Pit Reporters" with veteran broadcaster Brett McMillan features some of the nation's top racing media in an hour-long roundtable discussion of the issues facing the sport. McMillan's show airs Wednesdays at 7pm ET through March 21st, and then makes the move to Fridays at 7pm ET.

It's a road trip! XM Satellite Radio is headed down to Durham, North Carolina, to broadcast live coverage of the Duke-UNC men’s basketball game from the Duke University campus on February 7th. Wednesday’s game will mark the latest chapter in one of the fiercest rivalries in sports.

Starting Wednesday at 6am ET, XM Sports Nation (ch 144) will broadcast live from an XM booth in front of the Duke's athletic center, next to the tent city “K-ville” where students camp out for game tickets. XM’s T.J. Rives will tip off the broadcast in the morning, and Ed Forcey will take over the booth for the afternoon and the post-game show. This 'round-the-clock programming is dubbed "XM Sports Nation Total Access."  

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski (Coach K) will host a special edition of his weekly XMSN show at 2pm. His guests include ESPN analysts Hubert Davis, who played for UNC, and Jay Bilas, who played for Duke.

But this isn't just about sports coverage. XM's indie-rock channel XMU (ch 43) will also be broadcasting live from the athletic center starting at 4pm ET. XMU on-air host Tobi will interview students and take requests on the air. I dig the cross-channel programming concept (more please?).

The two teams’ local broadcasts of the game will air on separate radio channels at 9pm ET. The Duke broadcast will air on XM 191, and the UNC broadcast will be on XM 192.

As part of XM’s coverage of Duke/UNC on Wednesday, XM is also running two blogs - one by a UNC junior, the other by a Duke senior - providing a student's perspective on the rivalry and the week’s game.

[View Schedule] 

Of course we're talking about the FBR Open (sorry Lee), dubbed "The Greatest Show on Grass," it's also the best-attended PGA Tour event of the year. And it opens today in Scottsdale, Arizona where spectators can pick up free XM radios for use each day through the weekend.
 
Pulling in over 500,000 spectators, the annual FBR Open takes place at TPC Scottsdale today through Sunday (though the on-site partying actually began on Monday). Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh and Chris DiMarco are among the golfers set to compete.
 
XM is carrying the tournament live on the PGA Tour Network (ch 146). Each morning, XM is offering 1,000 radios for spectators to use throughout the day, and fans can also opt to buy XM receivers on site. This marketing effort at PGA Tour events is known as the "Fan Enhancement Program," and it’s the first one of 2007.
 
If you are one of the half-million people who happen to partake in the enjoyment, look for the very lovely (and talented) XM product "specialists" stationed at the XM booths, one located west of the Hayden Road bridge and another adjacent to the practice putting green.