SIRIUS Backstage

NEW YORK – August 13, 2008 – SIRIUS XM Radio will broadcast a special tribute on SIRIUS’ Totally ‘70s channel commemorating Isaac Hayes, who died Sunday, August 10 at age 65. A Final Visit from Isaac Hayes will be broadcast on SIRIUS channel 7 on August 14 starting at 7 am ET, and will be rebroadcast at 11 am ET and 7 pm ET. 

SIRIUS will air an encore broadcast hosted by “Magic” Matt Alan of a guest visit from Isaac Hayes in August 2006.  During his visit,  Hayes discussed how he originally passed on the lead role in the original Shaft film and the inspiration behind the film’s Academy Award®-winning theme song—making Hayes only the third African-American to take home the Oscar®.  The legendary singer-songwriter of several classic soul and funk favorites also told stories about his early life, dropping out of school and winning a talent contest that lead to being a singer and his later induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.  Hayes also discussed his expanding fan base as a result of his role as Chef in the South Park series.  SIRIUS listeners will also hear select classic hit songs by Isaac Hayes during the broadcast.

(more…)

Along with all the touted changes on the 24th, one that Sirius isn’t talking about also got made.

In this thread some members are speculating about the absence of NBA radio and the associated absence of any mention of the NBA on Sirius.  It is clear that the Sirius website has been cleaned of any mentions of the professional basketball league.  What is not clear (since Sirius hasn’t said anything) is what the future of that relationship will be.

BTW, before anyone gets upset, or rashly cancels…this has happened before. This thread from 2004 was about the NBA name and logo disappearing from the website at almost the same time of the year. Long timers may remember that right before the season started, Sirius and the NBA announced a renewal.

Anybody at Sirius want to comment about the future of the NBA and Sirius?

We wanted to remind everyone of the channel change that is occurring tomorrow (June 24th).  Here are some tips to ensure the update goes as smoothly as possible.

• When you turn your radio on the morning of June 24, it may need 2 - 5 minutes to receive the update from our satellites. During this time, the audio you hear may not match what is shown on your display and you may see messages such as “updating channels” on your radio’s display.
• While the changes are being updated to your radio, please do not change channels as this will delay the update from completing.
• This upgrade will affect some existing channel numbers, so you may need to update your presets on June 24.

More information can be found at Sirius.com or in our discussion thread.

Amy Clark with AMTC sent us this note yesterday.

Over the past couple of years, it seems that just about every car manufacturer has jumped at the opportunity to install satellite radio in the latest vehicle models. Those very same executives are noticing the effect such an inclusion has on buyers’ choices, not just during a test drive, but on the showroom floor as well.

Madza Motor of America, Inc. has announced an agreement with AMTC to install satellite radio receivers in its U.S. dealerships. The idea behind this is to have satellite radio playing in the showrooms and on the car lots in order to increase sales of vehicles with SIRIUS installed, as well as sales overall. Tests have been conducted suggesting the presence of music in a retail environment increases customers’ positive moods and the likelihood to purchase.

The press release can be viewed after the jump.

(more…)

We finally have some channel updates coming our way. Some are excited about the changes, you Bridge fans know who you are, and others are not.

On Tuesday morning when you turn on your radio, it is very important that you let it complete the process. Do not turn the channel or adjust any settings. Let it alone! If you interrupt the process, it could take much longer for it to complete the update.

Super Shuffle is going into “retirement.” It will only be available online for now.

The new Sports block will not work with the SL100 or SL10, this could change.

Here are the channels that will be moving to new places early that Tuesday morning:

SIR-2 The Bridge Moves to SIRIUS 12 Ch. 12
12 Super Shuffle Moves to SIR-2 (Internet Only)
33 Area 33 Moves to Area 38 Ch. 38
34 Boombox Moves to Ch. 39
70 SIRIUS Disorder Moves to Ch. 33
85 Met Opera Moves to Ch. 78
86 SIRIUS Pops Moves to Ch. 79
90 Universo Latino Moves to Ch. 82
92 Rumbon Moves to Ch. 83
97 Reggae Rhythms Moves to Ch. 84
95 Iceberg Moves to Ch. 85
94 CBC Radio 3 Moves to Ch. 86
93 bande a part Moves to Ch. 87
192 Rock Velours Moves to Ch. 88
193 Energie 2 Moves to Ch. 89
183 Korean Channel/JBC Moves to Ch. 90
181 ESPN Deportes Moves to Ch. 91
182 CNN En Espanol Moves to Ch. 92
138 Premiere Plus Moves to Ch. 94
188 RCI Plus Moves to Ch. 95
187 Sports Extra Moves to Ch. 96
186 Hardcore Sports Moves to Ch. 98
185 CDN Weather Moves to Ch. 138
122 Sports Play-by-Play 1 Moves to Ch. 119
125 Sports Play-by-Play 2 Moves to Ch. 122
126 Sports Play-by-Play 3 Moves to Ch. 125
119 Sports Play-by-Play 4 Moves to Ch. 126

Some channels that you might be aware of or not are relatively new. They are:

Channel 10, E-Street Radio
Channel 110, Indie Talk
Channel 114, Dr. Radio

Some more info is here, http://www.sirius.com/channelchange.

Let’s hope that they take some time to update the logos for the Stiletto users.

Merger now requires approval of 2 of the remaining 4 commissioners to pass.

“As early as this week, Martin is expected to issue an order that the commission vote to approve the merger, which at least two of the remaining four commissioners must also agree to, the aides said.” […]

“As I have indicated before, this is an unusual situation,” Martin said in a statement. “I am recommending that with the voluntary commitments [Sirius and XM] have offered, on balance, this transaction would be in the public interest.” […]

Martin came to the decision after the companies agreed last week to several commitments intended to prevent the monopoly from raising programming prices and from stifling competition among radio makers, aides to the chairman said in an interview yesterday.

According to the Washington Post, Sirius/XM have conceded on many of the expected hot merger issues:

• A-la-carte capable radios for sale within 3 months of merger
• Interoperable XM/Sirius radios sold within a year
• 12 channels for “educational and public safety programming”
• 12 channels for minority groups

[via Washington Post]

SIRIUS’ Grateful Dead channel to launch a new feature celebrating music that inspired The Grateful Dead as well as the songs that were influenced by the iconic band. Each day this special feature, Roots & Branches of the Grateful Dead, will feature the artists who inspired the band and artists they influenced with exclusive commentary by The Grateful Dead channel’s resident experts David Gans and Gary Lambert.

To launch the new feature, The Grateful Dead channel will devote an entire weekend to Roots and Branches. SIRIUS listeners will hear music from artists the Dead influenced, including Jimmy Buffett, Patti Smith, Burning Spear and the Persuasions. Listeners will also hear music from bands that inspired The Grateful Dead, including Chuck Berry, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and many others.

Tune in to The Grateful Dead channel 32 on Friday, June 13 at 6:00 pm ET through Sunday, June 15 at midnight ET.

Major Nelson, part of the Xbox Team and the Maxim Radio show Level-Up, blogged about his car install and his presets yesterday. He tells of a unique mounting location for his antenna.

I decided to do something a little more interesting: I mounted the antenna INSIDE the rear fin of the Prius. Since the fin is fiberglass and hollow I was able to mount it inside which, in addition to protecting it from the elements or theft, also relieves me from having am unsightly wart on the top of my car.

Thanks to jon01 for this tip.

The new iPhone 3G has been a hot topic recently; this is somewhat related. Millard Software announced yesterday uSIRIUS - iPhone Edition. It’s still in BETA and the author is aware of some current bugs:

This version is a beta release. It has several bugs and may even cause your iPhone/iPod Touch to reboot. It is just to show that Sirius Satellite Radio is possible on the iPhone.

I’m hoping one of our members with an iPhone or iPod Touch with at least v1.1.4 firmware can give this a try and post a review.

SIRIUS will commemorate the legacy of Frank Sinatra, one of the most iconic entertainers of the 20th century, with a day-long broadcast celebration of his life and musical career.

The broadcast will air on Siriusly Sinatra channel 75 on Wednesday, May 14th starting at 9 am ET.

The day-long tribute to Frank Sinatra on the 10th anniversary of his passing will feature a special edition of Nancy for Frank, hosted by Nancy Sinatra and her daughter, A.J. Lambert, which will start at 1 pm ET. Frank Sinatra, Jr. will host As I Remember It, a personal retrospective on his father starting at 4 pm ET.

SIRIUS will start the broadcast event at 9 am ET with the premiere of a new “Live in Vegas” edition of The Chairman’s Hour, Siriusly Sinatra’s unique and innovative weekly show hosted by Frank Sinatra himself through the use of archival materials.

SIRIUS will broadcast the classic 1966 “Sinatra at the Sands” performance accompanied by the Count Basie Orchestra at 8 pm ET. Other exclusive programming includes Playing Favorites, with guest hosts Linda Ronstadt and Michael Feinstein, each playing their favorite Sinatra songs and sharing stories respectively at 10 am and 10 pm ET.

SIRIUS will also broadcast a 90-minute program featuring interviews and commentary on Nothing but the Best, a new collection of essential tracks from the Frank Sinatra songbook, including remastered favorites like “Strangers in the Night,” “Summer Wind,” “The Way You Look Tonight,” “My Kind Of Town,” plus many more songs. Sirius will feature the only coast-to-coast broadcast of this special edition program at 11 am and rebroadcast at 6 pm ET. Nothing but the Best will be available for sale on May 13th. For encore and up-to-date programming information, please visit www.sirius.com/siriuslysinatra.

The United States Postal Service will immortalize Sinatra with a commemorative stamp on May 13, 2008. In a career studded with accolades, Sinatra won an Academy Award®, several Grammy® awards, received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1971, and was recognized at the Kennedy Center Honors in 1983. Sinatra also gave generously to many charities. He was born in Hoboken, NJ, on December 12, 1915 and died on May 14, 1998.

Siriusly Sinatra, is the only 24-hour, seven-day-a-week, commercial-free channel to broadcast the entire spectrum of Sinatra’s career as well as artists and songs from the standards era. Produced by SIRIUS and the Sinatra family, the channel features regular blocks of Sinatra’s music, archival performances and is the home of Nancy for Frank, a weekly show hosted by his daughter, Nancy Sinatra.