Sirius Satellite Radio News

Sirius has been called cable for your radio, and is one of two satellite radio services in North America, the other being XM. However, satellite radio is about to change thanks to the merger between the two largest satellite radio companies in the business. This historic merger also happens the same year that we find out the fate of analog television—canceled after 2009. Digital entertainment is not really the future of entertainment, more like the postponed present. With the emergence of digital television mere months away, one has to wonder if satellite radio will soon eclipse the legend of terrestrial radio, even as we prepare to bid farewell to the final Super Bowl and final American broadcast on analogue TV. There’s no argument that the time is far from imminent. Terrestrial radio’s audience is still into the hundreds of millions of Americans, whereas Sirius and XM’s combined audience numbers into the 13 million.

However, terrestrial radio’s numbers have declined significantly since the peak years of the 1960s, or even as recently as the mid-1990s. Indeed, it may be hard to remember that at one time for Americans got their news information from traditional radio than from any other source. More Americans listened to station radio for their music “fix”, to sample the latest craze of the month. (Who Let The Dogs Out, anyone?) As the mid-1990s peaked and settled into the new millennium, and terrestrial radio’s giants soared in the stock market, two new paths were shown: the Internet boomed, already having a successful introduction to mainstream America in the mid-1990’s, and satellite radio, a far fetched concept when first introduced, but identified as the basic outline for terrestrial radio’s future competition. The problem may well have been that while terrestrial radio was aggressively maintaining its dominance, it failed to introduce any new formats to the radio market. This was the difference that satellite radio offered and their technology and vision grew as the decade matured. This evolved market was expanding the entertainment and news business, introducing altogether new concepts to radio entertainment.

When it comes to technical sophistication, satellite radio has a clear advantage over terrestrial radio. A satellite network can offer a much larger selection of channels than any U.S. radio market. This makes satellite radio ideal for capturing niche-program audiences, even while traditional radio struggles to hold onto its large general audience. (Not to mention fire talent that is costing too much money or causing too much controversy) This strategy of catering to a niche audience is clearly in the same vein as other successful mediums such as satellite television, cable television and of course, a little invention called the World Wide Web.

Sirius currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of sports, news and entertainment to its highly dedicated base of listeners. Streams can carry a wide range of genres, even while broadcasting 24 hours a day, commercial-free. While Sirius, XM and satellite radio may still in its sophomoric year, in a world that is undergoing a digital revolution, listeners are waiting intently for the sound of victory.

SIRIUS Rocks the Classics

Currently on Classic Vinyl: Channel 14

Classic Vinyl on channel 14 plays all the classics from Janis Joplin and Mick Jagger all the way to David Bowie and Elton John. If you had the vinyl and have the dog star then you need to be tuning into channel 14. This channel even has Dusty Street broadcasting from Wednesday to Sunday live at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland Ohio. Don’t worry, if you cant get enough classic rock on SIRIUS, just store some CCR or The Doors on your Stiletto 2 and rock out all day long!

Current playlist data brought to you by http://dogstarradio.com/

Sirius was once known as the Dog Star, the brightest star throughout an expansive night sky. Sirius still earns its distinctive name from that star; however, the company Sirius has earned fame in its own right, shining brightly even in a world of twinkling digital content. To narrow done the music, entertainment, news and sports shows of Sirius would be like listing every single terrestrial radio show or network TV show currently being broadcast. It is an infinite universe of talent that keeps expanding as digital technology continues to increase.

First, consider Sirius’ approach to music. This satellite radio network offers an extensive variety of music programming on multiple channels, covering multiple genres. You start navigating through a Sirius radio receiver by selecting one of the big four categories, such as music, talk (or news), sports and entertainment. Within each category are various channels offering sub-genres. A music lover could search for streams such as Rock songs, Pop songs, Country music or R&B. Within these streams, there are also other sub-sections of musical styles.

However, most of Sirius’ fame and even infamy in the mainstream world stems from the edgy entertainment the satellite radio provider offers its avid listeners. One of Sirius’ strategies has been to pursue far-reaching deals with established entertainers in traditional radio and network TV. Sirius has already penned some much-publicized deals with major stars like Martha Stewart, Jimmy Buffett and Eminem—not merely an association or partnership, but has allowed these talents to produce their own streams of their own line of Sirius channels. Van Zandt went down in Sirius record books as the first musician to create two distinct stations: Underground Garage and Outlaw Country.

However, what many Americans think about when they hear the words Sirius Radio is Howard Stern. Sirius and Stern both made radio history, Stern by leaving CBS radio, and Sirius by signing a major radio personality for an exclusively digital network. Stern was signed to a five-year, at a hefty salary of $100 million dollars per year to perform his radio show on Sirius, along with the right to build three full-time programming channels. Howard 100 and 101 were thus born. Sirius shrewdly capitalized on the controversy network television suffered after the infamous Super Bowl XXXVIII, not by censoring offensive content but by filtering it and offering it for premium sale to its niche audience. Stern’s influence was later instrumental in hiring Bubba the Love Sponge, another radio talk show host dismissed by his station due to FCC fines.

Sirius is not known for carrying syndicated shows, though it does air syndicated programs from traditional radio and even television networks. Sirius real claim to fame is that its creators boldly sought out top-rated talent to be exclusively affiliated with Sirius. This type of strategy puts Sirius alongside other trailblazers such as HBO, which not only broadcast original programming, but also helped to change the face of television with some of the most original content in television series and movies. Sirius is combining the best of the cable industry as well as digital technology. It’s no coincidence that former COO of Viacom Entertainment, Mel Karmazin, was named the CEO of Sirius in 2004. Sirius is proving itself not just a profitable business venture, but also a giant in the making, ready to join the rest of the digital world as this century’s dominant form of personalized, interactive entertainment.

Currently on Sirius Indie Talk: Channel 110

It’s 2008, an election year that is shaping up to be one of the most important Presidential Elections in history and SIRIUS knows that you are pumped. In a country that is completely segregated by the Democratic and Republican parties the focus of the election is once again falling on the highly influential opinions of today’s youth and independents. Therefore, SIRIUS Radio has introduced a new channel called Indie Talk geared towards people interested in having their voices heard.

The most interesting aspect of this channel is that its is structured in a blogcast form, delivering constant updates and listener opinions to the airwaves. Sirius launched this channel the day after Super Tuesday with host Ron Silver in the political driver’s seat. Silver is known for his middle of the conservative-liberal spectrum views and has adopted the idea of uniting Americans by celebrating and appreciating everyone’s political opinions. Silver said, “Indie Talk will give voice to all individuals for an amazing national debate.” Indie Talk will act more like a forum for political thought than a typical talk radio show where the “correct” views are decided upon upfront. News updates will come every 20 minutes in a blogcast format.

Check out Indie Talk on Channel 110 if you are interested in hearing what your fellow Americans have to say. Take a chance and voice your opinions and see the difference it could make in this years election.

Similar posts:
http://brandnoise.typepad.com/brand_noise/2008/02/sirius-indie-ta.html
http://www.orbitcast.com/archives/sirius-launching-new-channel-indie-talk.html
http://siriusbuzz.com/sirius-launches-indie-talk-channel.php

Current playlist data brought to you by http://dogstarradio.com/

SIRIUS Satellite Radio just launched new rebates to many of its retailers nationwide. With these rebates you can expect to save up to $50 on some of the latest models of SIRIUS Radio receivers available. On Sirius Specials we took the mail-in rebate savings to the next level and are offering our own instant savings in addition to the SIRIUS National Rebates. Here are some of the great deals that you can expect to see on SIRIUS Specials.

• Get the newest portable satellite radio model, the Stiletto 2 for only $249.99 after the SIRIUS $50 mail-in rebate and an additional Sirius Specials exclusive savings of $30
• The most popular Sportster 5 with 15 color changing options, is now only $119.99 after the SIRIUS $30 mail-in rebate and the Sirius Specials $20 exclusive savings
• The Sportster 4 is now only $79.99 when you combine the $20 mail-in rebate from SIRIUS and a $20 exclusive mail-in rebate from Sirius Specials
• If you want the best value possible then the new InV2 receiver is only $19.99 after SIRIUS $10 mail-in rebate and $10 exclusive instant savings from Sirius Specials
• The popular Stiletto 100 model is now only $169.99 after a $30 exclusive instant savings from Sirius Specials
• Finally, the Starmate 4 is also at a great low price of $99.99 after SIRIUS $20 mail-in rebate

With so many great prices on our SIRIUS Radio models the hardest part will be deciding which radio is best for you. To make your decision a little bit easier you might want to check out our Radio Comparison tool. This tool will let you compare the various models, and help you understand what you should expect from each radio.

And the best thing about these deals is that Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. Sometimes it is really hard to buy for that special someone, but SIRIUS Satellite Radio would make the perfect gift. And if Valentine’s Day isn’t on your radar this year then why not treat yourself?!?

Happy Shopping!

The Sirius Satellite Radio network has been on the cutting edge of radio for quite some time. From its broadcast of sporting events from the NFL, NBA, and NASCAR to the Howard Stern Show, Sirius offers a great deal of quality content to its listeners. The content is varied, appealing to a wide variety of listeners from a variety of backgrounds. In this vein, the Sirius Satellite Radio Network even features a variety of specialized programming and features to be aired in honor of Black History Month.

Some of the features for Black History Month on Sirius focus on African Americans in the entertainment industry. For example, the program My Life, My Music! honors the accomplishments and the contributions of African American women to hip-hop culture, kicked off by Missy Elliot, the true queen of hip-hop. The program Famous Firsts by African Americans will have famous African American artists including the likes of Chaka Khan, Mary J. Blige, Alicia Keys, Beyonce, Jamie Fox, and Lionel Richie as they tell the tales of famous first that have been accomplished by African Americans throughout history.

Throughout February, Sirius will feature Black History Month Spotlight. In these short features, famous celebraties and social figures will talk about the legacy that has been left by African-Americans who have made a positive and a lasting change to our nation.

Mark Thompson, the host of the daily talk show focused on politics entitled Make It Plain will participate in Black History Month on Sirius by interviewing members of the NAACP, and talking with them about grassroots efforts. Thomson will also be talking with African American authors and historians, and discussing the key women and men that participated in the civil rights movement. He will also present a challenge in the area of black history, pulling that challenge from Black Saga: The African American Experience: A chronology.

As if all of that weren’t enough, other black history month programming on Sirius includes Black History Month in Soul Town, a series that highlights some of the most important African-Americans in the arts and entertainment, as well as sports and politics, that have left an impact on their given field. The Hot Jamz channel will feature spotlights of African Americans in law, medicine, entertainment, and other areas.