Parsons stated, “it’s the right time to step aside…the challenging economic environment, we have begun to generate positive cash flow and have substantially improved our financial condition.”

Gary Parsons contribution to satellite radio can not be denied.

Today, I received an email from Hertz with a special free offer of free Sirius or XM on your next rental. Here are the details:

Get Two Free Days of SIRIUS XM Radio!

Hertz is proud to offer SIRIUS® or XM® Radio in many vehicles. With over 130 channels, SIRIUS|XM brings you more of what you love.

Now through December 31, 2009, you can enjoy two free days of SIRIUS or XM service on a minimum three-day rental of a SIRIUS- or XM-equipped vehicle, using PC# 138692.

Include SIRIUS|XM in your Hertz #1 Club Gold® Profile and you can enjoy over 130 channels, including the most commercial-free music, all your favorite sports, news, talk and entertainment. Everything Worth Listening To Is On SIRIUS|XM!

Please refer to PC# 138692 when booking your SIRIUS|XM reservation with Hertz at 1-800-CAR-GOLD (227-4653). Book now as rates are subject to change without notice.

SIRIUS and XM Radio are available in over 50 Hertz locations in the continental U.S. Subject to availability and limited to vehicles in the 48 contiguous United States and D.C. SIRIUS or XM Radio is available for an additional fee of US$5.00 per day or US$20.00 per week (5 to 7 days) plus tax.

The promotion is a great way for Sirius XM to expose their service to potential new subscribers. This promotion comes at a perfect time, as the holidays see a lot of people traveling. Not all car rental companies offer satellite radio as an option, but there are indeed several who do. As a frequent renter, I have seen many satellite radio equipped cars. Offering some free service is a strategy that Sirius Xm should strive to adopt across the rental car segment.

So what is Enhanced Satellite Radio Channel Selection? Simply stated, it adds the BEST OF XM to the channel line-up during the promotional period. This is a great move for Sirius XM as well as BMW, and may bring about similar offerings from other OEM partners. The company will now be letting consumers hear ALL of the content they have to offer, and potentially, when these promotional subscribers become self paying, they may opt for the BEST OF package giving the company an additional $3.00 in revenue.

In addition to the BEST OF programming, BMW drivers will get additional upgrades:

Additional features have been added to enhance the user experience and can be accessed via BMW’s 4th-generation iDrive interface:

* The channel list may now be displayed as channel name, artist and song title.
* Artist and song title listings give listeners a “sneak-peek” to what is currently being played on the channel line-up.
* Channel surfing is now made easier by the provision of Direct Channel Input.
* Instant Replay allows users to time shift / replay a favorite song or program.
* Favorite Alert will notify users when a favorite artist, song, or game is being played.
* Traffic Jump allows users to automatically tune to the traffic message of a chosen metro area when the message becomes available to avoid missing important updates.

Vehicles not equipped with the iDrive controller will still have the Traffic Jump and Direct Channel Input features added to the feature set for 2010 when ordered with the SIRIUS option.

XM SkyDock Now Available for Purchase Across the Country

XM SkyDock(TM) is now available at retailers and online stores (such as TSS-Radio) nationwide including the Apple Store, www.apple.com, Best Buy, RadioShack and www.xmradio.com/skydock

SIRIUS XM Radio (Nasdaq: SIRI – News) today announced that the XM SkyDock(TM), the first satellite radio controlled by an iPod touch or iPhone, is available for purchase in stores across the country including the Apple Store (www.apple.com), Best Buy, Radio Shack, independent retailers and online retailers (www.tss-radio.com), including www.xmradio.com/skydock.

“We are excited to launch XM SkyDock at our subscribers’ favorite retailers,” said Bob Law, Group Vice President and General Manager, After Market Division, SIRIUS XM Radio. “The XM SkyDock can bring live satellite radio entertainment to millions of iPod touch and iPhone users in their vehicles.”

Subscribers can enjoy all of XM and the complete “Best of SIRIUS” programming package controlled by their iPod touch or iPhone anywhere they drive. XM SkyDock will also charge iPod touch and iPhone devices while listening to satellite radio.

The required XM SkyDock App utilizes the innovative Multi-Touch user interface of iPhone and iPod touch to let customers experience the breadth of content SIRIUS XM subscribers have come to enjoy. The XM SkyDock App is available for free from the App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore.

Subscribers can easily tag songs and purchase them from the iTunes Store (www.iTunes.com) –including songs on SIRIUS XM’s 24/7 artist-branded commercial-free channels such as Jimmy Buffett’s Radio Margaritaville, Elvis Radio, Eminem’s Shade 45, The Grateful Dead Channel, B.B. King’s Bluesville, Willie Nelson’s Willie’s Place, and Siriusly Sinatra.

XM SkyDock comes with SIRIUS XM’s PowerConnect(TM) technology, which simplifies vehicle installation, working through the existing vehicle radio and making it easy to move from vehicle to vehicle. An Aux In Cable is a standard in-box accessory to facilitate Aux In connections in vehicles with Aux In capability.

XM SkyDock is compatible with iPod touch (1st and 2nd generation), iPhone, iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS. All models require iPhone OS 3.0 or later.

XM SkyDock is available at retail locations and online stores nationwide, including the Apple Store (www.apple.com), Best Buy, www.bestbuy.com, www.crutchfield.com, RadioShack and www.xmradio.com/skydock, as well as independent retailers from coast to coast, at an MSRP of $119.99.

To view the interactive demo and to learn more about XM SkyDock, please visit www.xmradio.com/skydock.

To learn more about XM, please visit www.xmradio.com.

Rosie will be broadcasting daily from a custom-built home studio near her kids and her crafts. Satellite radio fans get treated to a two-hour show each day, and can even reach out to Rosie by calling 1-877-94 Rosie. For fans, the radio format may deliver the best chance for live interaction that has ever existed.

Rosie Radio features more than just Rosie. Show regulars include Rosie’s lifelong friend Jeanne Kopetic, who is scheduled to stop by each Tuesdays to hang out and reminisce. Janette Barber, Rosie’s longtime friend, producer and fellow comedienne, will be by her side as the show’s executive producer. Rosie’s longtime friend and makeup artist Helene Macaulay also joins the fun, appearing regularly on Fridays. Rosie, Rosie, Helene and Janette are known for their “Jahero” (JAnette, HElene, and ROsie) series, previously done in the past as web video blogs and a favorite of visitors to rosie.com. “Jahero” is now a regular Friday feature on Rosie Radio, during which listeners can ask Rosie, Janette and Helene any questions they like. Rosie’s former assistant and Taboo costume designer Bobby Pearce is also a regular, chiming in about everything from weight loss to Broadway.

Rosie Radio is worth a listen. She is a compelling figure who is very capable of delivering high quality content and interviews. Her outspoken nature is sure to deliver great radio.

Rosie Radio debuts on Monday November 2nd, and can be found on Sirius XM Stars. The show can be heard live Monday through Friday from 10 am ET to 12 pm ET. Rebroadcasts are available from 12 pm ET to 2 pm ET & 8 pm ET to 10 pm ET. Tune to Sirius channel 102 or XM channel 155 to catch the show.

Want the best of both worlds? Picture yourself relaxing in warm weather and then going to see your favorite artist perform! Sirius XM is giving away a trip for two to Miami Beach to see Miley Cyrus perform her last concert in the USA in 2009 before she kicks off her European tour! Don’t catch your breath just yet…you will also get to meet Miley! So what are you waiting for? Get your flip flops and camera ready and enter below for your chance to win this cool prize! Now that’s the best of both worlds!

Visit the Sirius Hit’s 1 page on Sirius.com for entry

Sirius XM Radio announced it will launch Halloween Radio, a channel devoted to all things Halloween, offering listeners of all ages the ultimate 24/7 Halloween soundtrack. Halloween Radio, Sirius ch. 126 and XM ch. 120, will launch October 26 at 10am ET and run until November 1 at 6am ET.

Leading up to Halloween, from October 26-29, Halloween Radio will air themed segments including favorite holiday stories and memories from a variety of Sirius XM hosts such as Martha Stewart, Cousin Brucie, Jane Pratt, Jay Thomas, Judith Regan, and Chris “Mad Dog” Russo. The channel will also feature classic scary stories, music, listener comments, stories and personal Halloween memories, and a special appearance by Rosie O’Donnell, whose Sirius XM daily morning show premieres this fall.

On the eve of Halloween the channel will begin to broadcast catchy, creepy, fun, scary sounds beginning at 5pm, including creaking doors, wolves baying, footsteps, bubbling potions, a fog horn, breaking glass, the sounds of being chased through the woods, eerie screams, the echo of dripping water, a heartbeat and thunder to help set the mood for Halloween parties at work or at home and to set the mood for trick-or-treating.

Visit sirius.com/halloween to sample Halloween Radio by playing with the spooky sounds on the interactive soundboard.

The problem is that the simplicity of the SkyDock installation, in combination with the features it offers and the fact that your cell phone can become your satellite radio have people wondering what to do about their factory installed subscription. Stuart, a SiriusBuzz reader, posed this question in the comments of a recent article:

“I have XM with the Best of Sirius in my 2006 CTS, but the radio does not offer any special features. So, my question is would I need to buy another subscription to use the SkyDock?”

Thus, you can see what many are already contemplating. A factory installed radio is great because Sirius or XM is built right into your dashboard, and the controls are easy to use and familiar. However, once you turn off your car, you leave your subscription there. Skydock offers better functionality than most factory installed radios, and it is something that you can take with you. With the SkyDock aand Sirius XM apps, when you leave the car, your cell phone, and thus your satellite radio, go with you.

Combine the SkyDock app with the Sirius XM Internet radio app, and you can literally catch XM’s 20 on 20 in the car, walking on the beach, or at the gym. This happens because the SkyDock and apps use differing methods to get your music to you. With your car you are limited to a satellite signal. With SkyDock and the apps, you can access the content from satellite, WiFi, or anywhere with cell coverage. Simply stated, consumers now have the ability to carry their Sirius XM with them wherever they go on a device that they carry anyway…their iPhone.

Suddenly the OEM channel, which is a staple of satellite radio growth, may suffer at the hands of a software application and docking station that make Sirius XM content available in more places and in more ways. The company may lose some OEM subscriptions, but those loses are offset by a SkyDock subscription. The consumer gets the benefit of more use of the service, and the company saves some money by avoiding expensive revenue share payments to their OEM partners. The combination seems to be a win for both consumers as well as Sirius XM.

If you happen to like your OEM set-up, no worries. Sirius XM should be launching some great SkyDock options, such as a home dock at the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2010. If I had a factory installed satellite radio, I would personally opt for the SkyDock option. Many others are considering the same thing.

Out of the box it may not seem like much, but combine SkyDock with an iPhone or iPod Touch and you really have something special. Simply stated, SkyDock blows away any other satellite radio ever made.

What makes SkyDock special? Let’s start with installation. It could not be more simple. SkyDock features PowerConnect. A technology that mounts and runs this device right from your cars cigarette lighter socket. PowerConnect does away with the traditional FM modulator and running power cords. You can simply plug in the SkyDock, attach the antenna, and you are jamming to the tunes that only Sirius XM can deliver.

Skydock delivers satellite radio through a user interface in the form of an app that can be downloaded from iTunes. Once you have the SkyDock app downloaded, get ready for a user interface that is unmatched by any other satellite radio out there. You can scroll through channels with the flick of a finger, and the tuning is virtually instantaneous. Simple and logical menus guide you through the robust offering of music, sports and talk content, and you can tag songs you like for future download on iTunes.

SkyDock carries advanced features such as sports tickers, notifications when your favorite teams are playing, artist select, and even has a section where you can access your favorite channel listings. The best part is that the actual satellite radio is in the SkyDock, not in your iPhone. This means that getting a “new” radio is as simple as an update to the application. You no longer have to fear that your radio will be outdated, because the functionality is in your existing iPhone or iPod Touch. When Sirius XM update the app or add features, you are a few clicks away from having the latest and greatest offerings.

If SkyDock is your first satellite radio, I envy you. You have a wonderful product that combines ease installation, ease of use, and the best audio content on the market all in one place……PLUS, you can make a phone call, check your email, and have full access to your contact list! SkyDock is not only the ultimate satellite radio, but perhaps one of the coolest iPhone accessories to hit the market yet. Stay tuned for a full review.

Sirius XM’s Monty Python channel launched late last week, and will continue through October 25th. Once again, I can hear the classic comedy that carries a place for anyone who has ever seen one of their movies, or watched their television series. Who can forget the frenchman saying, “Your mother is a hampster and your father smells of elerberries”

If you have not caught the Monty Python channel yet, make it a point to tune to Sirius channel 105 or XM channel 151. If you have a favorite Monty Python moment, you can request it during special “Monty Python Request” shows that will air each day. Tune in, and bring back all of the troops classics.