XM Canada announced that Nissan Canada Inc. will offer new car buyers XM Satellite Radio as a factory-installed option on the entire 2008 vehicle line up. Nissan’s powerful Armada SUV and iconic 350Z sports coupe will feature XM Satellite Radio as standard equipment.

“With the growing popularity of this feature amongst purchasers of Infiniti vehicles, the expansion to the Nissan platform was a natural progression,” said Ian Forsyth, Director, Corporate & Product Planning of Nissan Canada. “Offering XM’s industry leading audio service to our customers will further enhance Nissan’s exceptional brand experience.” “XM Canada is thrilled to add Nissan owners to the growing ranks of satisfied and passionate XM customers,” said Stewart Lyons, Executive Vice President for XM Canada.

XM is also a standard factory-installed feature on all 2008 Infiniti models.

Category:  XM  |   September 5th, 2007  |   No Comments »

According to a disclosure form, Sirius and XM have spent a total of $810,000 in the first half of 2007 to lobby the federal government. XM spent $580,000 in a form posted online Aug. 14 by the Senate’s public records office, while Sirius spent a total of $230,000 through separate filings. The Amani Group, another Sirius lobbyist, has yet to file a lobbying report.

The companies and their firms lobbied mostly on Sirius’ proposed acquisition of XM Satellite in a deal that was $4.57 billion in February when it was announced. The proposal faces stiff opposition from federal lawmakers, who have disputed the companies’ claim that the combination would not eliminate competition or lead to higher prices.

Antitrust regulators and the Federal Communications Commission must approve the combination. Both companies filed an application with the FCC to transfer radio licenses to a new combined company.

The National Association of Broadcasters, which represents roughly 7,000 radio stations and more than 1,000 local television stations, has said the XM-Sirius combination would create a monopoly. The NAB has spent $4.3 million in the first half of 2007 to lobby on several issues, including the proposed combination.

Under a federal law enacted in 1995, lobbyists are required to disclose activities that could influence members of the executive and legislative branches. They must register with Congress within 45 days of being hired or engaging in lobbying.

AP

Category:  Merger, Satellite Radio, XM, Sirius  |   August 31st, 2007  |   No Comments »

 

Martha takes in a little US Open.

Sirius Martha

Category:  Sirius  |   August 30th, 2007  |   No Comments »

A director with XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. purchased 270,000 shares of common stock, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Friday. In a Form 4 filed with the SEC, Jeffrey Zients reported he bought the shares (last) Wednesday for $11.05 to $11.20 apiece.

Insiders file Form 4s with the SEC to report transactions in their companies’ shares. Open market purchases and sales must be reported within two business days of the transaction.

I’ll ask, “What’s the difference between being early and being wrong?”

It is nice to see some insider buying. After years of decline, it is nice to see anything the can be viewed as positive!

Category:  Merger, Satellite Radio, XM, Sirius  |   August 29th, 2007  |   No Comments »

 

I will surely endorse anything that can actually make a sweating girl in a dress look sexy!

The US Open, the world’s most spectacular tennis and entertainment extravaganza, takes place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center August 27 to September 9. XM Satellite Radiois broadcasting live coverage as well as daily highlight packages of the US OPEN action. Play by play coverage and an hour-long show from the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on XM Sports Nation (ch 144) and XM Live (The US. Open Tennis XM - ch 120) at 9 a.m. daily throughout the tournament.

XM US Open

Category:  XM  |   August 29th, 2007  |   No Comments »

Mel Karmazin taught Farid Suleman, Citadel Communications’ CEO, the radio business and now he is looking to pull one straight from Karmazin’s book and sign Don Imus.

Now that Imus is free from CBS Radio, radio industry insiders and Wall Street analysts have installed Suleman as the front-runner to land the radio raconteur. Such a hiring would not only give Suleman’s ABC Radio Network, which he acquired from Disney last year for $2.7 billion, a financial lift, but also be in line with Karmazin’s lesson plan of making big bets on controversial talent that can produce big returns.

“Mel always understood the plusses and minuses of working with people like Howard Stern and Imus, and Farid does as well,” said one radio industry analyst.

Suleman worked under Karmazin for 16 years at Infinity Broadcasting and in an interview with The Post, Suleman said only that he thinks Imus’ availability represents an opportunity and that he would consider hiring him only if he could make the numbers work.

Such modesty belies the “can’t lose” proposition that bringing Imus back is for Suleman. If the shock jock flames out in his return, Suleman can point to Imus’ comments about the Rutgers University women’s basketball team as having tarnished him forever. If the public embraces Imus’ second act, Suleman will earn kudos for giving him another chance.

Suleman, who has never had a formal employment contract, dismissed the publicity that would come with an Imus hiring as a fleeting distraction that matters little to the bottom line.

“There will be a little publicity for a couple of days, but after that all that will matter is if I made money for my shareholders,” Suleman said.

Sources said that both Suleman and Imus would love to have a deal in place in time to make a big splash at the National Association of Broadcasters’ Radio Show in Charlotte, N.C., on Sept. 26.

New York Post

Category:  Sirius  |   August 28th, 2007  |   No Comments »

 

Being a great actor, comedian, and singer doesn’t mean you’re well informed. I think Mongo just boycotted the Foxxhole Show.

Jamie Foxx spoke with Access Hollywood’s Shaun Robinson and had this to say about Michael Vick and dog fighting.

“It’s a cultural thing, I think,” Jamie said. “Most brothers didn’t know that, you know. I used to see dogs fighting in the neighborhood all the time. I didn’t know that was Fed time. So, mike probably just didn’t read his handbook on what not to do as a black star.”

He enlightens us some more.

“I know that cruelty to animals is bad, but sometimes people shoot people and kill people and don’t get time,” Jamie continued. “I think in this situation, he really didn’t know the extent of it, so I always give him the benefit of the doubt.”

He did not know the extent of it? That is why he held the fights during the night, in barns painted pitch black with no windows or outdoor lights, behind black fences in the woods.

Foxx, Stick to the performing arts you idiot.

Access Hollywood

Category:  Sirius  |   August 26th, 2007  |   No Comments »

Playboy announced the official launch of its social networking site, PlayboyU.com. The non-nude, free online community exclusively for college students offers members a unique and engaging way to enhance the social side of their college experience and to interact with the Playboy brand. Playboy Radio will also be launching a companion program to add a multimedia dimension to the Company’s social networking efforts.

A non-nude Playboy site. You better check this site out quickly because I don’t know how long it will last.

Playboy U is open to college students 18 years of age and older with a valid .edu address. The community encourages user-generated content and dialogue about relationships, student life, social responsibility, and pop culture, and the site will showcase members’ writing, photography, and videos. Playboy U also features school pages moderated by an official Playboy U student rep where members can show off their school pride and exchange news, event information, and messages. Additionally, the site offers uniquely Playboy content such as party photos, videos, contributions from Playboy personalities, and online and real world events.

Sirius Playboy Radio details.

Playboy U will have a unique multimedia format in conjunction with Playboy Radio. “The Playboy U Radio Show” will air its first show Wednesday, September 5 at 9:00 p.m. Pacific Time on Playboy Radio, exclusively on Sirius Satellite Radio. The weekly program will bring the site to life by profiling members and campus content. It will also feature advice segments, campus news, and student callers discussing college life.

Playboy Enterprises

Category:  Sirius  |   August 24th, 2007  |   1 Comment »

 

New flashy autos might become more important than new portable retail units when it comes to subscribers. 

Watch out this fall for the 2008 Ford Expedition Funkmaster Flex Edition turns the hot Expedition concept vehicle created by hip hop DJ Funkmaster Flex into a limited-production, short wheelbase SUV.

The Expedition FMF will sport a two-tone Colorado Red-and-Black paint scheme with orange pinstriping and special chrome badging, a custom front fascia with integrated fog lamps, side skirts, rear fascia and 20-inch chrome-clad aluminum wheels.

Inside, a matching Colorado Red instrument panel, console bezel, shifter and switch bezels blend with four leather captains chairs with red stitching, FMF red logo headrests and a red-stitched steering wheel. Also in the package is Sirius Satellite Radio and an exclusive numbered dash plaque signed by Funkmaster Flex.

The SUV also has a 340-watt Audiophile Sound System, MP3 player audio jack, Powerfold third-row seating, heated and cooled front seats and an optional navigation system, power liftgate and rear-seat DVD entertainment system.

LeftLaneNews.com

Category:  Sirius  |   August 24th, 2007  |   No Comments »

XM Satellite Radio is launching its biggest package of college football ever with games for the six power conferences including the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10, and SEC, starting August 30.

The SEC and Big 12 are joining the XM college football schedule for the first time, making XM the official satellite radio network for all six Bowl Championship Series (BCS) conferences. XM is also the official satellite radio network of the BCS National Championship Game and other BCS bowl games under an agreement with FOX Sports.

XM is dedicating 15 radio channels to live play-by-play coverage of college football games for listeners. A channel guide is available online at http://www.xmradio.com/collegesports .

“XM is your college sports connection, wherever you are,” said Eric Logan, XM’s executive vice president of programming. “If you’re a Texas fan, you can tune into your favorite team on XM, whether you’re in Austin or you’re two thousand miles away in Seattle. You can be a Wisconsin fan vacationing in Florida, a Virginia Tech alum who lives in Phoenix, or a Cal fan headed to New England, and you can hear your teams on XM. This year, we’ve got the most college football games, the most teams, and the most conferences we’ve ever had.”

In addition to the games on XM, the sports talk radio channel XM Sports Nation (ch 144) will broadcast gameday reports each week from the host city of a major game. XM Sports Nation will be in Starkville, Miss., on August 29 and 30 for the first
SEC game of 2007 as LSU takes on Mississippi State. The broadcast team will air gameday news and analysis, on-site interviews, and call-in shows from the MSU campus to listeners nationwide. Fans can hear the Mississippi State game feed on SEC channel 199 and the LSU feed on SEC channel 200 on August 30, starting with the pre-game shows at 6:00 pm ET.

“When you consider that XM has games for the six power conferences and the BCS, and you look at the expanded coverage on the XM Sports Nation channel, it’s clear that XM is now the ultimate home for college football,” said XM’s Logan.

Category:  XM  |   August 23rd, 2007  |   No Comments »

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