The launch of the Oprah & Friends channel, accompanied by frenzied blogging by your's truly, was also billed as the most successful channel launch in XM's five-year history in terms of ad sales, according to a report by AdAge.

Normally fellow listeners are accustomed to hearing ad spots by the likes of StubHub and BoDog.net - all fine establishments mind you - but not necessarily "A-List" in the world of advertising. So when big names avertisers like Acuvue, Dove, GE, Iams, JC Penney, SlimFast, Splenda, Target, Warners TrueFit, AirTran, Honda and Rinnai all buy into Oprah's XM radio show, one has to be impressed.

While XM is mum over the terms and length of the advertisers' contracts, they have categorized many of the deals as investments worth millions of dollars. Harpo and XM split the ad revenue between each other.

[AdAge]

UPDATE: The photo is of Oprah and Friends all pressing the on-air light together at a breakfast at the Rainbow Room in NYC.

The highly anticipated "Oprah & Friends" channel (ch 156) launched today at 11:00am ET on XM Satellite Radio, with a special appearance from Oprah herself as she sat in with Gayle King for the debut broadcast.

"Oprah & Friends" will feature a mix of celebrities and everyday people in conversation with the shows' hosts, as well as caller-driven programming. Names such as Donald Trump, Julia Louis- Dreyfus, Annette Bening, Jon Bon Jovi, Nora Ephron, Carnie Wilson, Norman Lear, The New York Times' columnist Thomas Friedman, former presidential candidate Sen. Dennis Kucinich, and others are scheduled to appear on the channel during the first few weeks of broadcast.

Check out the original shows in the lineup for the "Oprah & Friends" channel on XM after the jump...

Larry King will be welcoming Oprah and the stars of the upcoming Oprah & Friends channel on XM Satellite Radio (ch 156), next Monday, September 25th at 9pm ET. The episode of Larry King Live coincides, oddly, with the debut of Oprah & Friends on XM.

Larry King apparently took out a full page ad in People magazine this week and they are heavily promoting the episode on CNN as well.

[Larry King Live]
Thanks William!

Renowned poet, author, actress and activist Dr. Maya Angelou has signed on to host a weekly show for XM's "Oprah & Friends" channel.

According to The Mercury News, Angelou will host an hourlong show that she hopes will be called "Maya Angelou's America," although the title hasn't been decided. She plans to interview ordinary people, along with the "famous and infamous," asking them what they think it means to be an American.

Dr. Maya Angelou's works include her autobiography," I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," and a collection of poetry, "Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'Fore I Diiie" which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

She also received an Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actress in the movie "Roots" in 1977.

"Oprah & Friends" debuts on XM channel 156 in less than 2 weeks.

Well the official word is out from XM Satellite Radio just as we suspected - "National Lampoon Comedy Radio" a 24-hour comedy channel debuting on XM’s programming lineup in October.

With a stable of "comedy jocks" hosting the channel, National Lampoon Comedy Radio (ch 154) will include original programming spanning from stand-up and satirical news and sports segments to parody songs and prank phone calls. The channel also will include character sketches and regular interview features with comedians and celebrities.

According to a blog post on National Lampoon Radio's MySpace page, October 1st will be the launch date.  

A page up on GM's website (found by the sleuths over at XMFan) has provided the world with a preemptive glimpse into a new comedy channel coming this fall to XM Satellite Radio - National Lampoon Radio.

Way back in May of 2005 National Lampoon announced their 24/7 radio network, and their plans to partner with a satellite radio service - and while no specific service was announced, I took a wild guess that it would be XM - simply based off of the previous relationship between the two.

Well, on the GM mini-site they have an updated channel guide (not sure how long this will stay alive) listing National Lampoon Radio (ch 154) as "coming Fall 2006." There's also a channel description guide (again, link may die soon) which is far less interesting.

So what can we expect from the channel? It's supposed to be a "comedic hot talk" format - targeting men 21-34 - with morning drive programming, a politically flavored midday show, and an evening drive "guy talk" program.

[GM Minisite via XMFan]
Thanks Matt!

UPDATE: National Lampoon Radio's MySpace page confirms that they're on XM too. Thanks Paul!

Noted financial expert Jean Chatzky will host a new show daily on XM Satellite Radio's "Oprah & Friends" channel (which is debuting September 25th).

Chatzky, featured in last season's popular "debt diet" series on Oprah's show, is an award-winning journalist, bestselling author, and motivational speaker. She's the financial editor for NBC's "Today" show, a contributing editor for Money and Travel + Leisure, and a columnist for The New York Daily News.

If that's not keeping her busy enough, Chatzky is also the author of four books, which include bestsellers You Don't Have to Be Rich and Pay it Down! From Debt to Wealth on $10 a Day. Her latest book, Make Money Not Excuses, will be released on September 26th.