There has been lots of chatter all across the internets since Monday’s DoJ approval announcement.  One of the more interesting takes came from Bay Area DJ, “Big” Rick Stuart.  Mr. Stuart writes as a radio professional, a former employee of Mel’s at CBS Radio, and as a Sirius subscriber.  I thought his insights were interesting (as well as pretty much in line with mine).

As he writes here,  

1) big names stay and to listen to some of them you’ll pay more than “basic”
2) little weird stations might not stay or if they do will with staffing cuts
3) I don’t think there will be any programming duplication and Mel can be a loyal guy so if there is a choice XM staff gets cut
3) new hardware is coming soon, very very soon
4) the NAB will fight it all the way (and lose)
5) the very under the radar Sirius Backseat TV service will expand quickly

Now, I think he’s underplaying the pricing changes that will be favorable to many consumers, like the “Mostly Music” choice, but I encourage you to check out his post.

Vinnie Politan, a former Court TV Anchor takes on all issues in daily discussion and debate.

On Indie Talk, listeners encouraged to speak up, speak out, and speak for themselves on new kind of political talk radio.

SIRIUS today announced that it will launch an exclusive daily morning call-in show with Vinnie Politan on its new Indie Talk channel.

Indie Talk is a new kind of political talk radio; an uncensored, non-partisan forum for independent thought and opinion targeting the blogger generation. The channel has no agenda: Indie Talk gives equal voice to individuals from any affiliation or background.

Politan’s show will launch March 24 and air live Monday – Friday from 6:00 – 9:00 am ET exclusively on Indie Talk channel 110. Every morning Politan will take the country’s pulse as he takes calls from men and women of all ages and backgrounds, shining a spotlight on their reactions to breaking news, issues and buzz. Topics on the show will be caller and headline-driven and span the worlds of politics, entertainment, and beyond.

A former prosecutor and Court TV reporter and anchor for many years, Politan brings an informative and entertaining journalistic insight to Indie Talk. Vinnie Politan recently hosted SIRIUS’ Court TV Morning Radio and co-anchored Court TV’s Bloom & Politan. Politan was a prosecuting attorney in Bergen County, New Jersey. Politan was also an AP Award-winning reporter and anchor for Central Florida News 13 in Orlando, FL, where he covered the 2000 presidential election.

SIRIUS today announced that Comedy Central funnyman Stephen Colbert sat down for a rare radio interview with SIRIUS host Pete Dominick. The interview will air on Pete’s Big Mouth on March 13 at 4:00 pm ET, exclusively on SIRIUS’ new Indie Talk channel 110.

Indie Talk serves as an uncensored forum for non-partisan independent thought and opinion. Indie Talk has no agenda: the channel gives an equal voice to individuals from any affiliation or background, targets the blogger generation, and is a platform for listeners across the country to react to breaking news, issues and buzz.

Pete’s Big Mouth airs Monday-Friday from 2:00 to 5:00 pm ET on Indie Talk, SIRIUS channel 110. On Pete’s Big Mouth, stand-up comedian Pete Dominick challenges listeners to speak for themselves, engage in debate, and have fun at the same time. Dominick can also be heard on SIRIUS’ Raw Dog Comedy Uncensored.

Stephen Colbert on SIRIUS’ Indie Talk channel:

PETE DOMINICK: The channel is Indie Talk. The idea is politics…without politics…

STEPHEN COLBERT: …I like it, I love it.

PETE DOMINICK: It’s a new channel; it’s a new idea…

STEPHEN COLBERT: …It’s a new hope is what it is. You are the Barack Obama of radio…

To celebrate the release of the Black Crowes’ new album, Warpaint, the band’s frontman Chris Robinson will take over SIRIUS’ Jam_ON channel for an entire day. Robinson will play tracks off of the band’s new album as well as some personal favorites.

Chris, a noted Grateful Dead fan, will also guest DJ on SIRIUS’ Grateful Dead Channel later in the week. He will share his personal Grateful Dead memories and play his favorite Dead songs.

Check Chris on SIRIUS channel 17, Jam_On and on SIRIUS channel 32, The Grateful Dead Channel

Jam_ON: Tuesday, March 4 – 6 am through 12 am ET

Grateful Dead Channel: Thursday, March 6 – 5 pm ET, with encores: March 7 at 9 am ET, March 8 at 8 pm ET and March 9 at 10 am ET

Exclusive radio special will debut February 29 and run through March 4

To celebrate the release of his 17th album, Good Time, superstar Alan Jackson will take over SIRIUS Satellite Radio’s Prime Country channel for five days. The exclusive channel will be hosted by Jackson and feature a preview of the 17 songs on his new album.

In addition, Jackson will share songs and stories from his illustrious career. Alan Jackson Good Time Radio will premiere on SIRIUS channel 61, this Friday, February 29th at 5 pm ET and run through Tuesday, March 4th.

A GRAMMY®-winning, three-time CMA Entertainer of the Year, Jackson has built a remarkable career, generating an amazing string of hit records since the 1990 release of his debut album, Here in the Real World. Over 18 years, Jackson has amassed an astonishing 31 number one singles, with an additional 15 top five hits, including his current smash, “Small Town Southern Man.” Good Time, due out in stores on March 4th, marks the first album written entirely by Jackson. For additional information on Good Time and Alan Jackson, please visit www.alanjackson.com.

Prime Country is SIRIUS’ home for country music from the ’80s and ’90s. Artists that can be heard on the channel include Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Clint Black, Alabama, George Strait and many more.

For more information on Alan Jackson Good Time Radio, please visit www.sirius.com/primecountry.

SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO HONORS JOEL AND ETHAN COEN’S MULTIPLE ACADEMY AWARDS® BY DEDICATING CHANNEL TO BROTHERS’ ORIGINAL SOUND PLAYS

Airing now through Friday on SIRIUS 119, “Theater of the New Ear” produced by Coen Brothers.

“Sawbones” written and directed by the Coen brothers, “Hope Leaves the Theater,” written and directed by Charlie Kaufman.

Performances feature Steve Buscemi, John Goodman, Marcia Gay Harden, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Peter Dinklage, and Hope Davis and others.

Award-winning, critically acclaimed writers and directors Joel and Ethan Coen, along with Charlie Kaufman, reinvent radio drama with Theater of the New Ear, a recording of two original sound plays initially performed in New York at the St. Ann’s Warehouse and in London at the Royal Festival Hall.

The Coen brothers’ Sawbones stars Steve Buscemi, John Goodman, Marcia Gay Harden, Philip Seymour Hoffman, John Slattery, and Brooke Smith. Sawbones was conducted by longtime Coen collaborator Carter Burwell, who also composed the score.

Hope Leaves the Theater was written and directed by Charlie Kaufman and stars Meryl Streep, Hope Davis, and Peter Dinklage.

Airing now through Friday, February 29, Exclusively on SIRIUS channel 119.

The special broadcast debuts today in conjunction with the release of “Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert” movie in digital 3-D

Miley Cyrus, star of Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana, and pop sensation The Jonas Brothers, are taking over SIRIUS Satellite Radio’s Hits 1 music channel to celebrate the release of Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert movie in digital 3-D.

The special weekend broadcast event, which kicks-off today, will feature Miley Cyrus and The Jonas Brothers sharing behind-the-scenes stories from her wildly successful tour as well as personal stories about their families. In addition, Kevin, Joe and Nick Jonas will host a special edition of Hit-Bound, SIRIUS Hits 1’s series showcasing the best unsigned, indie, international and homemade music and The SIRIUS Hits 1 Weekend Countdown!, a countdown of the 45 biggest songs in North America. Miley Cyrus will also spin her personal favorite music throughout the weekend.

Miley Cyrus, daughter of country music singer Billy Ray Cyrus, became an overnight sensation as the breakout star of Disney Channel’s hit series Hannah Montana. In 2007, Miley embarked on the “Best of Both Worlds” tour performing as both herself and Hannah Montana. The Jonas Brothers joined the tour as the opening act in October of 2007. The band’s second, self-titled, album was released in August of 2007 and reached numb

For the Tony Stewart fan that enjoyed listening or calling into Tony’s SIRIUS radio program, you can rejoice. The critically acclaimed talk show, Tony Stewart Live is returning for a 2nd season starting Monday, February 4th, 2008.

The show, hosted by Tony Stewart with co-host Matt Yokum, has a new time slot / night moving from Tuesday nights last year to Monday nights from 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm ET. Be sure to mark your calendars, phones, digital assistants, email and other nefarious calendar methods so you don’t miss it as it hits the satellite waves on SIRIUS NASCAR Radio, Channel 128.

“It’s hard to believe we’re already starting our second year on SIRIUS,” Stewart said. “I felt more and more comfortable with each show last year, as Matt and I learned something new every time we hung up the headphones. Our second year on the air will be even better. Our rookie ‘stripe’ is officially off. The show is a great way for us to connect with NASCAR fans, and really, fans of any type of racing. It’s two of the best spent hours of my week.”

Stewart is a two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion (2002, 2005), one of only 15 drivers in the history of NASCAR to win multiple Cup Series titles. In addition to his achievements on the NASCAR circuit, Stewart is the first and only driver to have won championships in stock cars, Indy cars and in USAC’s Midget, Sprint and Silver Crown divisions.

Check out SIRIUS’s web page, Tony Stewart Live.

Jenna Jameson, Bill Romanowski, Playboy Radio Morning Show team live from Playboy’s Desert Oasis and Resort Party

Live remotes from The Beach Bowl, Lingerie Bowl and EA Madden Bowl

Playboy Radio will be front and center on the red carpet for Playboy’s retro-themed “Playboy’s Desert Oasis and Resort” party the night before the big game. Jenna Jameson, NFL great Bill Romanoswki, morning show hosts Kevin Klein and Andrea Lowell to talk with Playmates, athletes, and celebrities.

Playboy Radio will also broadcast live from The Beach Bowl, the celebrity touch football game led by Arizona Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart. Hef’s girlfriend Kendra will act as referee and Playboy Radio hosts will provide play-by-play commentary and interview celebrity participants on the sidelines. Playboy Radio will also broadcast live remotes from the Lingerie Bowl and the EA Madden Bowl.

Live coverage of The Beach Bowl kicks off January 31 at 5:00 pm ET; coverage of the Playboy party starts February 2 at 11:00 pm ET on SIRIUS channel 198.

The band to preview songs from their much anticipated kids’ album “Here Come The 123s”

Rock duo They Might Be Giants will stop by SIRIUS’ Kids Stuff channel to preview songs from their much-anticipated new children’s album Here Come The 123s. The album is the follow-up to 2005’s hugely successful Here Come The ABCs. The Band will also spend some time playing kid-friendly favorites from their previous albums.

Listen in on Monday, February 4 at 8 am ET with encores all week long on Kids Stuff, SIRIUS channel 116.