Orbitcast

Hear the Electric Zoo Festival live on your Satellite Radio

2010-09-03T19:54:24Z

Tune your satellite radio dial to the Area channel who will be on-site at this year's Electric Zoo Festival, the New York City music festival that attracted over 26,000 attendees last year and features performances by some of the biggest names in electronic dance music.

During Sirius XM's "Electric Zoo Weekend," listeners will hear live DJ sets and backstage interviews with world renowned artists, producers and remixers, including top names like Armin van Buuren, Steve Aoki, Chuckie, Moby, Kaskade, Sander van Doorn, Benny Benassi, Markus Schulz and Above & Beyond.

It all starts on Saturday, September 4th through Sunday, September 5th on Sirius XM's progressive house, trance and electronic music channel: Area (Sirius channel 38 and XM channel 80).

Howard Stern is "pretty sure" he is leaving Sirius XM

2010-09-02T18:38:05Z

Howard Stern said today on his Sirius XM Radio Inc. show that he is "pretty sure" that he will be leaving the satellite radio provider when his contract expires at the end of this year.

Stern also said on the air that he is not considering leaving the radio business, which opens up Sirius XM to a competitive threat should he not re-sign and remain on satellite radio.

This is was some of the strongest language we've heard in months from Stern regarding the pending contract renewal with Sirius XM. Previously there was heavy talk and publicity surrounding Howard possibly joining American Idol.

In his on-air conversation today, Stern told listeners that he would announce to them where he would go next, hinting towards a possible mobile application and a low monthly fee.

Still, it wasn't entirely a negative conversation.

Howard also mentioned the possibility of launching a third channel, and of doing a similar show as he's doing now but with less hours.

One point of contention appears to be the length of the contract as well. Stern told his listeners that Sirius XM is pushing for a five-year contract, where he would prefer a shorter term agreement.

The official verdict on Howard Stern's contract with Sirius XM is expected to be made public prior to November, before the third quarter earnings call, according to management. In late 2008, Howard Stern answered a caller's question of whether he would re-sign with Sirius by saying that this was his "swan song" and that he was "done" with satellite radio... that is, unless he can "work on [Stern's] own terms."

I personally think this is part of the negotiation process, with both positives and negatives being brought up in a very public fashion. But what do you think? Will Howard Stern re-sign with Sirius XM? Or will he let his contract expire and move on to a new frontier?

Back to School tips and tricks shared on Doctor Radio

2010-09-02T15:58:52Z

Sirius XM's Doctor Radio channel will be holding a "Back to School Labor Day Marathon" this weekend with world-class pediatrician Perri Klass, MD.

Dr. Klass, who co-hosts Doctor Radio's weekly pediatrics show On Call for Kids, will share with listeners her own wisdom, as well the tips from other pediatricians and child psychiatrists on getting through the return to school days.

As a mother herself who learned from doing before she started tutoring others as a pediatrician, Dr. Perri Klass will share her knowledge on all aspects of beginning the school year from back to school medical exams to making new friends, separation anxieties, plus how to deal with allergies, head lice, cuts, scrapes and bumps, getting enough sleep, eating nutritiously and what to do about those phantom tummy aches on test days.

In addition, the Back to School Marathon will feature advice, tips and helpful hints from a variety of Doctor Radio's shows, including:

Child psychiatrist Jess Shatkin, MD and psychologist Lori Evans, PhD co-hosts of the weekly About Our Kids show, discussing the stress of returning to school, the internet, texting, homework and teacher's first impressions.
Orthopedic surgeon Ramesh Gidumal MD, co-host of the weekly sports medicine/orthopaedics show, on how to deal with and avoid back problems from heavy backpacks
Pediatrician Dan Rausch, MD, co-host of On Call for Kids, on how to stay safe during school sports and treating injuries such as concussions.
Andrew Rubin, VP, Clinical Affairs, NYU Langone Medical Center, host of the weekly Health Care Connect show, on how to choose the right health coverage for college students
Veteran journalist Perri Peltz, host of Doctor Radio Reports, on raising teens: from hormones to honor roll
Samantha Heller, host of Doctor Radio's weekly nutrition show, on eating healthy for healthier grades.

The Back to School Marathon hosted by Perri Klass, MD will air on September 6th beginning at 12am ET on Doctor Radio (Sirius channel 114, XM channel 119).

Voices For Justice concert to air on The Spectrum

2010-09-01T22:43:02Z

The Voices For Justice concert, featuring acoustic performances by Eddie Vedder, Johnny Depp, Patti Smith and Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks, will be broadcast on Sirius XM's The Spectrum channel.

The historic concert and rally was held in support of the West Memphis 3.

Recorded live in Little Rock, Arkansas this past Saturday, August 28th, the show was organized by the support group Arkansas Take Action, to raise awareness for the case of the West Memphis 3.

The West Memphis 3 was the name given to three teenagers who are believed to have been wrongfully tried and convicted of the murders of three children in West Memphis in 1993. Supporters and the defendants are fighting to have their case re-heard in Arkansas courts.

Sirius XM listeners will hear performances and unique collaborations by Eddie Vedder, Natalie Maines, Johnny Depp, Patti Smith, as well as the first broadcast ever of Fistful of Mercy, the new band comprised of Ben Harper, Dhani Harrison and Joseph Arthur.

The broadcast will feature commentary by Vedder and Maines and will air on Sirius XM's The Spectrum (Sirius channel 18 and XM channel 45), on Saturday, September 4th at 7pm ET.

Why I'm more confident about Satellite Radio than ever

2010-08-31T20:39:55Z

A couple weeks ago I made the statement on Orbitcast's Twitter that I was more confident about the future of satellite radio than ever before. My confidence was based off of a series of conversations I've had with insiders at Sirius XM Radio Inc.

More recently I've had conversations with other people familiar with the initiative (ranging from both "higher ups" who I generally take their input with a grain of salt, to folks further down the rungs who deserve their own brand of salt), and I can safely say that my confidence is even further reinforced.

Why?

First off, it seems like there's a paradigm shift occurring within the company. Sirius XM is in dire need of a resurgence, and what's better... they know it. Never in recent memory has a brand gone from sexy to unsexy so quickly, but yet there's so much potential to gain that all back. As a result, there's pressure from the top to push the company's brand forward, and that means innovating. Not iterating. But really and truly innovating.

That shift in management's thinking was publicly shown for the first time in the Q2 2010 earnings call. The entire structure of the call was far different than those we've ever seen before. Usually we would endure a monologue about what Sirius XM accomplished over the past quarter (new deal here, new channel there, new show here, new celebrity there), but this time around we heard none of that. Instead this call was not about the past, but about the future. Hence satellite radio 2.0.

There's also a change occurring within the company. And I'm more excited about that, because change happens from the bottom, not the top.

Before Sirius XM was very much restricted by a "corporate" mindset. The safe and conservative approach was the most preferred route... the status quo wasn't to be disturbed. This is a common attitude that happens following layoffs (not to mention threats of bankruptcy) and Sirius XM was in no way immune to that. But the corporate atmosphere is finally recovering now. There's a new shift within the company. There's actually new life.

Additionally, there's the looming deadline where the company needs to show the FCC that they are vastly improving their service. Will this mean higher prices? I'm assuming probably it will, but only in exchange for a much better product offering.

And remember my musings about what is satellite radio 2.0? It turns out that there's a patent recently unearthed that describes exactly that - similar functionality to Pandora, Slacker, Last.fm, etc.

And the technologic breakthroughs aren't going to stop there. Trust me.

So when people ask me if I'm really confident about the future of satellite radio, I say "yes." And it's been a real long time since I've felt that way.

Goo Goo Dolls live acoustic concert to air exclusively on Sirius XM

2010-08-28T19:17:07Z

The Goo Goo Dolls will conduct a private performance live from the legendary club, The Troubadour, in Los Angeles in front of a live audience of Sirius XM listeners during a special edition of Coffee House Live.

The Coffee House Live special, which will feature the band performing songs from their newest album, Something for the Rest of Us, as well as chart-topping hits from their acclaimed tenure as one of America's most enduring forces in rock.

The Goo Goo Dolls performance will air live on Tuesday, August 31st at 6pm ET on The Coffee House (Sirius channel 30 and XM channel 51). The weekly Coffee House Live show regularly airs Thursdays at 12pm ET and rebroadcasts at 12am ET.

Sirius XM Kids Place Live covering Little League World Series

2010-08-27T14:15:51Z

For the first time in a long time, Sirius XM Radio Inc. will be providing live coverage of the 2010 Little League World Series tomorrow on Sirius XM Kids Place Live.

The live coverage begins on August 28th at 7am ET as Kids Place Live's Robbie Schaefer reports from the 2010 Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA.

Then the live coverage continues on Sunday, August 29th as teams from all around the globe convene in Williamsport to compete for the world championship.

Each four-hour broadcast will include interviews with coaches, players, parents, special guests, and fans.

Check it out on Sirius XM Kids Place Live (Sirius, XM channel 116).

Thanks to Aaron for sending this in!

Fantasy Sports Radio channel to broadcast from 2010 Fantasy Football SUPERDRAFT in Las Vegas

2010-08-26T19:17:05Z

Sirius XM is really going strong with their Fantasy Sports channel. Rightfully so since it's the only major new channel that's been launched recently (though, rumor has it that this dry spell of new channels might be ended soon).

The latest chapter in their Fantasy Sports endeavor? A live broadcast starting this Friday from the 2010 Fantasy Football SUPERDRAFT in Las Vegas with fantasy sports expert Nathan Zegura and actor Ashton Kutcher.

On Friday, August 27th, Sirius XM Fantasy Sports Radio (XM channel 147 and Sirius channel 211 for subscribers with "Best of XM") will broadcast Fantasy Football Live, a talk show featuring Ashton Kutcher and Nathan Zegura, The Fantasy Consultant, from 5 - 6pm ET.

Ashton Kutcher, a devoted fantasy football player, and Zegura will preview the fantasy football season and discuss player picks and draft strategies.

Immediately after Fantasy Football Live, Sirius XM Fantasy Sports Radio will broadcast Kutcher's Celebrity Fantasy Football Draft, where Kutcher and other celebrities will bid for players and build their fantasy rosters for the 2010 season.

Sirius XM's John Hansen and Zegura will be on air during the proceedings, analyzing each pick and speaking with the celebrity participants.

Then on Saturday, August 28th, Hansen and Zegura will host a special three-hour fantasy football special (2 - 5pm ET) live from the SUPERDRAFT Draft Room at the Palms, where thousands of fantasy football players will be gathered for their 2010 draft.

Hansen and Zegura will offer fantasy draft advice, ranking position players, picking sleepers, and analyzing the rosters being assembled throughout the day.

I'm starting to lighten up on my previous stance about a dedicated Fantasy Sports channel. I know I was pretty harsh when it first was announced, but with some of these events (including Maurice Jones-Drew's show) seem to show some real creative programming on a subject that has a dedicated fan base.

And subject matter like that has satellite radio written all over it.

Requiring FM radio in mobile devices is absolutely ridiculous

2010-08-26T15:18:33Z

The National Association of Broadcasts, the same lobbyist group that was "astonished" by the approval of the Sirius/XM merger and helped cause one of the longest media mergers in history, is now urging the government to require the inclusion of FM Radio chips into mobile devices.

The proposal is absolutely ridiculous, of course, and six trade groups including the CEA and CTIA feel the same way.

Yet the NAB says it's necessary for "public safety" - but what really is the motivation behind this proposal?

The idea to require including FM radio in mobile phones didn't just come out of no where. It's actually part of a proposal by the NAB to settle the long-term negotiations between the radio industry and the music industry on payments to performers for songs played over the radio.

Here's the NAB's proposal:
Terrestrial radio gets to pay 1% of royalties (for reference sake, Sirius XM Radio Inc. currently pays 7% royalties and Pandora pays roughly 25%) for songs played over the air, and at the same the government requires that manufacturers include FM radio chips in their mobile devices produced.

How convenient.

The mobile and consumer electronics industry isn't taking this one laying down though.

"It is simply wrong for two entrenched industries to resolve their differences by agreeing to burden a third industry -- which has no relationship to or other interest in the performance royalty dispute -- with a costly, ill-considered, and unnecessary new mandate," wrote six trade groups including the CEA and the CTIA, in a letter sent to leaders of the U.S. House and Senate judiciary committees. "The proposed imposition of an FM chip mandate is not necessary for resolution of the dispute between performance artists and broadcasters."

The outcome? That "consumers would pay more for functionality they may not desire or ever use," the groups added in the letter.

In response, the NAB has fired back, stating that radio is in fact a growing medium and that consumers actually like radio-capable phones.

(Here's a thought... if that is indeed the case and consumers are clamoring for the technology, then why demand that FM chips be a government requirement?)

Michael Gartenberg, a partner and analyst with the Altimeter Group (and one of my personal favorite industry analysts to follow on Twitter: @gartenberg), described the proposed FM requirement perfectly... as "ludicrous."

Gartenber said government/industry efforts "to prop up a medium" should not be mandated. And I couldn't agree more. If consumers want it, then they should be given the choice to buy it. By the NAB's own admission, there will already be over 700 million radio-capable cell phones on the market, so... why mandate it?

"What's the difference between an over-the-air station and an online one?" Gartenberg asked. For consumers, he noted, there is none.

But that's not how the NAB likes to play. If you can't beat 'em in the open market, use government lobbying to gain the advantage. We saw that when it came to the Sirius XM merger, and we're seeing it here.

The reality is that the NAB won't accept a performance rights compromise with the music industry without the FM chip mandate, according to Reuters.

In exchange of roughly $100 million in payments a year to the music industry, the NAB wants that FM chip mandate included!

And though the NAB won't say it, this type of mandate paves the way for requiring that HD Radio chipsets be included in mobile devices. Future-proofing yet another failing medium.

Read the NAB's retort in the link below.

[NAB Policy Blog]

Rob Dibble takes two-day absence following comments on Sirius XM

2010-08-26T12:56:07Z

Sirius XM Radio Inc. sports announcer Rob Dibble (pictured above, left) will be taking a two-day absence for unknown reasons following comments he made on his satellite radio show.

It's not certain why Dibble will not work the next two games, but Nationals President Stan Kasten shed some not-so-thiny-veiled light on his absence.

"Rob asked for some time off," Kasten told The Washington Post. "Perhaps he's not feeling well. But I'm not a doctor, nor have I seen his records. So I shouldn't say anything more about it."

His absence is presumably due to comments made about the Nationals' Stephen Strasburg.

Dibble said on his Sirius XM show regarding Strasburg's recent injury:

"Suck it up, kid. This is your profession. You chose to be a baseball player. You can't have the cavalry come in and save your butt every time you feel a little stiff shoulder."

Read Dibble's full commentary about Strasburg here.

[Washington Post via Radio-Info]

Sirius XM kicks off Fantasy Football video campaign that ALMOST is a winner

2010-08-25T15:25:30Z

Sirius XM Radio Inc. recently launched a "viral" video campaign that nearly has all the components of a successful viral campaign. The concept is great - to send a "smack talk" video to your friend (afterall, what's Fantasy Football without talkin' smack?) that is customized to your friend's team.

But while the concept is great, the execution falls flat.

Sirius XM deployed an email to both the Sirius and XM lists announcing the video and made it easy to participate. All you need to do is enter your friend's name, his/her team name, and their personal hero - and you're off.

The satellite radio provider even enlisted Scott Ferrall to be the sports announcer of the video, which is a nice touch.

The video gets customized with the info you've entered - but only in the background behind Scott Ferrall and in cut-away screens. The way they do it is somewhat funny, though I definitely feel like they chose the "safe" route and didn't push it. But that's not where I think it falls flat.

The execution falls flat when you realize that's all there is. Just a couple customized screens and... ta-da you're done. Scott builds it up, but then it doesn't pay off. You're left wishing that there was a lot more "smack" and a little less "talk."

It's hard not to compare this campaign to XM's Call Stars campaign, which gave you the ability to customize a ton of different areas that would then deliver a phone call to your friend from a baseball celebrity. Call Stars seems eons ahead of this Smack Talk campaign, despite being more than 3-years older.

The Fantasy Football Smack Talk video is cute, but that's about it. It might be entertaining for a few minutes, but it hardly makes the viewer want to share it. And I'd be interested to see how many shares on Twitter and Facebook they get... my guess is not much.

Check out the video maker here, and report back with your impressions in the comments below.

Gary Vaynerchuk gets his own show on Sirius XM

2010-08-23T14:56:35Z

Social media sommelier Gary Vaynerchuk (aka @Garyvee on Twitter) will bring his passion to the radio, exploring everything from tech trends to taste buds in a live, two-hour weekly call-in show entitled Wine & Web with Gary Vaynerchuk.

"Vayniacs" (including yours truly) will definitely look forward to checking out Gary's new show.

Gary's high-energy style and unconventional commentary took the wine world by storm in 2006 through his energetic wine review video blogs on WineLibraryTV.com and now he's bringing that same style to satellite radio listeners.

On Wine & Web with Gary Vaynerchuk, Gary will help satellite radio listeners navigate the world and culture of wine, social media and more with his trademark wit, wisdom and fast-paced style.

The show will launch Thursday, August 26th from 10pm - midnight ET/7pm - 9pm PT on Sirius XM Stars Too, (Sirius channel 108, XM channel 139) and will air Thursdays in the same timeslot.

Gary will broadcast live from Sirius XM's Rockefeller Center studios in New York City, and welcome guests from the wine, social media and tech industries and take calls from around the country. Weekly features include "Wine of the Week," on which he will try a new wine for the first time on the air, and "Site of the Week," on which he'll riff on the latest gadgets, websites, and social media trends.

"Radio is a new platform for me and I'm thrilled to be taking to the airwaves with Wine & Web," said Gary. "I've always wanted to marry my two passions - wine and social media - and Sirius XM is the perfect partner for this type of show."

Are there are fans of Garyvee's here? What do you think of the possibility of this new show?

HD Radio to explode in growth by 2015, says firm

2010-08-13T21:15:02Z

A new report from ABI Research is predicting a boom in HD Radio usage, with an "installed based" of over 200 million, in the next five years.

The reason for this explosion? ABI is partly attributing it to... smartphones. Of course, keep in mind that ABI Research is talking about a worldwide "installed base" of 200 million HD Radios by 2015. That's not just U.S. only, but also adds in HD Radio's standardization in Europe.

Regardless, that's definitely a hearty 60 percent annual growth rate.

But the clincher for HD Radio's growth lies with smartphones. The ABI Research study hypothesizes that HD Radio technology is going to be increasingly included in smartphones.

Why? Well, in response to concerns about the amount of bandwidth and data being used by streaming Internet Radio services, of course.

Sam Rosen, senior analyst at ABI Research, points to "AT&T's decision to stop offering unlimited data plans, due largely to high data usage in New York and San Francisco" as an indicator.

I'm assuming that ABI Research is thinking that mobile carriers are going stop developing their networks in the meantime? And let's not forget about the 700 Mhz auction. Bah. Details.

Either way... go get 'em HD Radio! First critical mass, and soon, world domination!

[via FMQB]

Sirius XM working on upgrading Streaming Media Services?

2010-08-12T18:35:14Z

A recent job posting by the company might be giving an indication that Sirius XM Radio Inc. is looking to expand their Streaming Media Services platform. According to the job listing, the company is looking for a Senior Application Developer who will be responsible for the design, development, and support of "Streaming Media Services projects."

There's several other positions the company is looking to fill (check out the job listings on the right-hand side of Orbitcast), but this one in particular has piqued my interest.

The most interesting aspect is that this position will focus on the Electronic Program Guide and Program Assisted Data services. Sirius XM wants this person to be able to "identify opportunities for improvement, with particular attention to scalability and data quality" for these services.

Little other clues are given as to what Sirius XM's plans are, but looking at job postings many times gives hints into the strategic direction that companies are going, and this might be one of those cases.

(Interesting side note: Other job postings indicate that Sirius XM is looking to overhaul the Subscriber Management System as well)

David Gray's new album to premiere on Sirius XM's The Spectrum

2010-08-11T23:24:09Z

Sirius XM's The Spectrum channel will present the world premiere of David Gray's ninth studio album, Foundling, on Sunday, August 15th at 6pm ET, two days before it's available in stores.

Gray himself will host a track-by-track preview of the new album, talking about each of the eleven tracks and telling stories about the songwriting and recording process.

David Gray's Foundling premiere will air on The Spectrum (Sirius channel 18 and XM channel 45) and will be rebroadcast on Monday, August 16th at 8pm ET; Tuesday, August 17th at 3pm; and Friday, August 20th at 10am (all times Eastern).

Recorded in London and produced by himself, Foundling picks up where David Gray's previous solo album Draw the Line leaves off, creating a new chapter of songs that finds the artist returning to his folk music roots.

In addition to the album, David Gray is kicking off a 22 city co-headlining with Ray Lamontagne this Sunday, August 15th in Columbia, MD.