Earlier this year SiriusXM announced the minority oriented broadcasters who would receive full-time audio channels as a result of deal made with the FCC in order to get its 2008 merger approved. One of the broadcasters, Howard University, is ready to go on the air beginning Dec. 1. Howard owns and operates one of the […]
Archive | Satellite Radio
Can you picture that? Week-long Muppets Radio comes to SiriusXM for the Thanksgiving weekend
OK, I know this is just a shameless marketing blitz for the new Muppet Movie. But as a child of the 70s and 80s, the Muppets are a treasured memory. I’m certain that I wore out my LP of the original Muppet Movie soundtrack, and the Muppet Show first exposed me to the likes of […]
Rock radio’s war against disco
Sirius XM has announced a new music channel: Studio 54 Radio, described as a 24/7 commercial free tribute to the legendary club of the disco era. "The channel will air music that comes from the vaults and special record collections of insiders, much of which has never been heard since the club’s doors shut," the […]
Howard University, Mormons get Sirius XM channels
At long last Sirius XM has allocated four percent of its full-time audio channels to various “qualified entity” minority oriented broadcasters. Howard University is among the winners, something I’d hoped would happen. Howard runs WHUR-FM (see YouTube clip to the right). The four percent allocation was part of the deal that Sirius XM made with […]
Wireless broadband coalition: lift satellite radio price caps if Sirius gets off our back
The great war between Sirius satellite radio (SIRI) and the Wireless Communications System Coalition has taken another interesting turn as the Federal Communications Commission ponders whether to lift the price caps the FCC imposed on Sirius as a condition for its merger with XM in 2008. The WCS Coalition—backed by Comcast (CMCSA), Nextwave (WAVE), and […]
Sirius XM to FCC: let us raise subscription prices after July 28
A Sirius XM (NASDAQ:SIRI) subscription price hike after July? It’s looking more likely, judging from recent correspondence with the Federal Communications Commission. When the FCC agreed to let Sirius XM satellite radio merge, one of the voluntary conditions to which the new entity agreed was to hold off on raising their “current or proposed prices” […]
Is it wise for Sirius/XM to keep betting big on broadcast refugees?
It appears that Sirius/XM satellite radio continues to bet its fortunes on big names, to the extent to which its willing to cut the salaries of its less well-known names. As we covered here, the big drama at the end of 2010 was whether or not the self-proclaimed King of All Media, Howard Stern, would […]
Radio at CES: Not much new under the sun
Every day I watched the news reports and press releases from the just-ended 2011 Consumer Electronics Show hoping for some interesting radio news. Instead, what we got was mostly more of the same. You might call it CES 2010 2.0. Aside from the Android-powered car radio that Matthew covered the other day, there was nothing […]
What’s in store for radio at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show
The annual Consumer Electronics Show kicks off this Thursday in Las Vegas. While all the biggest buzz around the show is in anticipation of new tablet competitors for Apple’s iPad, we can still expect to hear announcements of new radio gadgets across the spectrum, from analog broadcast and HD Radio to satellite and internet radio. […]
Howard Stern is History, Part IV
Sirius XM satellite radio is celebrating the renewal of its contract with Howard Stern with yet another installment of its “History of Howard Stern” series. This would be the “highly anticipated fourth chapter in the award-winning series that offers an unprecedented celebration and rare behind-the-scenes look at the life, career and achievements of Howard Stern,” […]