SIRIUS Backstage

According to Lasar’s Letter, an FCC-oriented blog at http://www.lasarletter.net/drupal/ XM has filed a letter with the FCC, in support of a recent Sirius petitiion that requests rules be promulgated to insure that WCS technologies do not interfere with SDARS repeaters. XM appears to be fully backing the Sirius proposal which includes the following points:

• Emission limits be established for DARS repeaters and WCS transmitters. Sirius contends that the firm’s research indicates that interference from WCS transmitters higher than -44 dBM (milliwatt decibels) will block service to satellite radio subscribers.
• DARS and WCS licensees must give advance notice of their equipment rollouts. “Such notice will ensure all licensees have ample opportunity to investigate whether their operations will be affected by the new deployment and request adjustments, in advance, to avoid interference,” Sirius writes.
• Firms be permitted to establish perimeters of an agreed upon size where extra transmitters can be deployed to compensate for interference.

A couple of takeaways from this news…First, remember that at one point XM was trying to buy into WCS, to use that bandwidth to augment their own. Now that the deal has fallen through, they are free to work with Sirius to limit the damage WCS services can do to SDARS broadcasts. Next, this demonstates that even in the absence of a merger, these two companies have plenty to gain by working against common enemies, rather than beating each other up. Finally, it shows that not ALL FCC regulation is bad for SDARS; some of it might even help!

Direct link here

 

Comment Here

Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday shopping chaos. With the season comes lots of new television and print ads.

XM Canada launched its first Canadian TV campaign, urging Canadians to get on the road with XM. And it’s a hit. “Panties” shows a man rocking out to a great guilty pleasure song, “Cherry Pie” by Warrant. He is singing out loud, as we all do in our cars–I know I’m not the only one–until the inevitable happens. While waiting in traffic, he’s caught in the act by three women. The man looks away, embarrassed, dejected, until three sets of panties hit him in the face. He tucks the undies in his pocket and drives off a happy man. Watch the ad here.

The campaign’s tagline is: “There’s no place like it.” “Panties” is running across Canada, except for in Québec.

Ironically, SIRIUS used “Cherry Pie” in an early advert with Pam Anderson.

Here’s a few funny SIRIUS ads on YouTube here and here. No word if these have aired anywhere. If you have info on these spots, let us know.

Via MediaPost

Comment here.

According to Mediaweek, Air America Radio is talking to several parties about a possible sale and is hopeful of reaching a deal before Thanksgiving.

A lawyer for the liberal talk radio network told a U.S. bankruptcy court on Tuesday that the privately-held company was in discussions with seven different parties about a sale and was “very hopeful” of reaching a deal by Nov. 22, saying there was a “significant amount of interest.”

Air America is continuing to operate with financing from an investor group led by RealNetworks CEO Robert Glaser, who owns 36.7 percent of the company, and two other former board members.

The Young Turks, a popular liberal talk show on SIRIUS since the service launched, jumped to Air America in September. Fans are still reeling from that move. You can view the reaction here.

Rumor is that SIRIUS was supposed to be a founding partner in Air America back in 2004, earning the satellite network the opportunity to offer the progressive programming exclusively.

SIRIUS offered to front startup costs, studio space and even the chance to sydicate content in select cities. Instead, Air America decided to go it alone, and ended up bringing XM into the loop. SIRIUS did not carry Air America at launch; and for months, refused to give Air America it’s own channel as a punishment for that move.

While it makes sense for XM to buy Air America, SIRIUS may be hungry enough to firm up their liberal talk lineup on the cheap.

Comment here.

Source: Washington Post

SIRIUS and XM already pay the highest music industry royalty fees in the industry (to the RIAA, BMI, ASCAP and SESAC), equal to about 8% of revenue. Regular radio does not have to pay these performance fees.

Now SoundExchange, another evil music industry organization, is seeking royalty payments from SIRIUS and XM starting at 10% of revenue and gradually increasing over the next six years to 23%.

In a joint statement Wednesday, XM and Sirius said the music industry’s proposal “unfortunately makes no sense.” The companies have proposed to pay royalties equaling 0.88% of gross subscription revenues.

Unlike traditional radio, both Sirius and XM, currently pay a set fee to SoundExchange for the right to play music. That six-year arrangement expires at the end of this year and the parties are currently in arbitration before the Copyright Royalty Board, a part of the Library of Congress, to determine the new rate. The companies haven’t disclosed what the current rate is though industry analysts have estimated it at between 4% to 7% of revenues.

“Together we have paid, and under our fair proposal, will continue to pay, significant compensation to artists and their record companies,” the companies said in their statement Wednesday.

Comment here.

Add SIRIUS Satellite Radio to the list of luxury features including Viking kitchens and custom bathrooms, that a Brooklyn, New York condo developer plans to add to their new Lookout Hill Condominium project.

According to Multi-Housing News, Alchemy Properties would become the first real estate developer to offer satellite radio in a multifamily complex.

The service would be free for the first year; the developer is targeting 30- to 40-year-old buyers.

The 11-story building, which has been under construction since last year, will be completed in December. It has one- two- and three-bedroom units that are priced from $470,000 to $995,000 and are between 677 and 1,653 square feet.

In addition to the satellite radios, The Lookout Condominium will also have video intercom systems and pre-wiring for high-speed Internet access. The units, which feature nearly 10-ft. ceilings, have white oak flooring along with Maytag washers, Viking appliances and Kohler Purist bathroom fixtures. Residents will also have access to a backyard, live-in superintendent, 24-hour lobby attendant and recreation room on the ground floor.

Comment here.

The first known use of the SIRIUS Emergency Alert System occured this morning.

Satellite Standard Group reports:

On my drive this morning I was enjoying the Jay Thomas Show on Sirius Stars when an “Emergency Bulletin” came out regarding the terror plot that was foiled in London. The message stated the basic facts, gave an update as to the status of the alert code color, and referred people to Fox News, CNN News, CNN Headline News, or BBC World News. The message also gave out the appropriate Sirius channel numbers.

Comment here.

Just as SIRIUS prepares to launch the Stiletto portable satellite radio this August, Verizon Wireless is countering with a hybrid Cell Phone and digital music player called “Chocolate”.

Verizon partnered with Korean consumer electronics giant LG to import the Chocolate to the American market.

LG has sold more than 1 million devices worldwide since May. Verizon has felt the competitive muscle of Apple’s iPod, as the Chocolate has has comparable storage to Apple’s 1GB Shuffle or 2GB Nano iPod designs.

Instead of trying to convert iPod devotees, Verizon will compete for customers by focusing on people who don’t yet have a portable digital music player, said John Harrobin, vice president of digital media for Verizon Wireless, during a conference call with reporters.

“Radio is heavily programmed and can be formulaic. But this mobile platform is an excellent device for music discovery,” he said.

SIRIUS is looking to break out of the confines of their structured channel lineup with the Zing, which is said to feature community music discovery features and dynamic playlist capabilities.

“Our personal live satellite radio product, Stiletto, is great,” Mel Karamazin, chief executive officer of Sirius, said on a conference call. “We have been beta testing it for a few weeks and we will have it available to consumers by the end of the summer.”

Verizon will sell the Chocolate phone for $149.99, with a two-year subscription and after a $50 rebate. V CAST songs cost 99 cents if purchased from a PC or $1.99 if purchased and downloaded over the air.

In comparison, SIRIUS Stiletto will likely retail for $350-$450, in line with comparable devices from XM such as the Inno and Helix.

Nonetheless, SIRIUS has the continued challenge of balancing retail hardware costs with a monthly subscription service. Compelling content is the enabler, however new devices such as Verizon’s Chocolate, Apple’s iPod and Microsoft’s upcoming Zune player will make the back-to-school and holiday seasons competitive for the Stiletto.

Comment here.

NAB To FCC: Recall Satellite Receivers
Continuing its attack on satellite radio, the NAB, through Pres./CEO DAVID REHR, sent a letter to FCC Chairman KEVIN MARTIN on FRIDAY urging that all sales and distribution of satellite radio receivers and other FM transmission devices that do not comply with Part 15 emissions standards be halted and receivers already in consumers’ hands be recalled.

“Action is necessary to prevent even more disruption to listeners’ use and enjoyment of free over-the-air radio services,” REHR writes, “including new digital services, and the Commission has clear authority to vigorously enforce its rules regarding noncompliant devices.” The letter does not address disruption of subscribers’ use of satellite radio if a recall is ordered.

From: AllAccess.com

Comment Here

“Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll!”

Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter and Nina Blackwood, along with Martha Quinn and the late J.J. Jackson, were the five original faces and voices of MTV when it debuted on August 1, 1981. 25 years later, Goodman, Hunter, Blackwood and Quinn are together again spinning their favorite decades hits and sharing pop culture history on SIRIUS.

The Big 80s crew will recall how MTV made the VJ and the music video into a pop culture phenomenon, in a two hour special will air Tuesday August 1st at 10am ET on the Big 80s.

The four will share their memories of MTV’s launch and play songs from the videos the then-new cable channel aired during its first few hours of existence. Said Mark Goodman, “We all knew we were part of something really cool, really fun. I never imagined that we were part of something that would change pop culture forever.”