Sharpton wants to blow XM Radio out of the sky

Broadcasting & Cable Magazine ^ | 5.14.02 | Paige Albiniak

[mhking]

NAN turns its sights on XM

By Paige Albiniak
Broadcasting & Cable
5/14/2002 5:14:00 PM

The Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network’s next target will be XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc., the group said.

NAN is focusing on XM’s management and programming choices. 'XM Satellite Radio derives profits from African-American customers, yet XM Satellite Radio’s management team is overwhelmingly white,' said the Rev. Horace Sheffield III, president of NAN’s Michigan chapter. 'That is wrong.'

NAN has been staging protests outside the headquarters of media companies -- such as EchoStar Communications Corp., Mediacom Communications Corp., Charter Communications Inc. and, now, XM -- to demand carriage for African-American gospel channel The Word Network.

NAN crisis-management consultant Sam Riddle said XM’s programming 'reveals a glaring lack of positive programming options to those channels that glorify the cultures of violence, drugs and female debasement that are too pervasive in urban America.'

Riddle plans to go to Washington, D.C., to look at XM’s public-inspection files, NAN said.

'As long as XM is not in a denial syndrome and is willing to discuss NAN issues, we should be able to reach common ground such as was achieved with broadcast giants such as DirecTV [Inc.], Comcast Cable [Communications Inc.], Charter Communications, Time Warner [Cable], the Armed Forces Network and AT&T [Broadband],' Riddle said.

Charter recently agreed to carry Word on its systems in Atlanta and St. Louis.

[mhking]

Sharpton seems to be looking at companies and saying, "OK, who can we go after next?"

[cmsgop]

How very Jessie of him........

[swarthyguy]

Trying to outJesse Jesse.

[TADSLOS]

'XM Satellite Radio derives profits from African-American customers, yet XM Satellite Radio’s management team is overwhelmingly white,' said the Rev. Horace Sheffield III, president of NAN’s Michigan chapter. 'That is wrong.'

What's wrong about it? Last time I checked it was voluntary to sign up for the service. Go talk to Black Entertainment Television and see if they will entertain the concept of funding an all black satellite radio programming effort.

[Paleo Conservative]

How many blacks or African-Americans or whatever they want to be called get degrees in technical fields that would enable them get involved with high tech companies?

[RightWhale]

Loral will cry all the way to the bank if they have to build a satellite for each ethnic group.

[monday]

Think I'll sign up, as long as they tell Sharpton to take a hike. Anything Sharpton is against I am for..lol.

[dead]

Like every other company, XM will respond to this blatent shakedown by writing a check.

[Hodar]

How dare you rebuke an obviously emotional issue with something as base as facts (/sarcasm).

[rdb3]

How many blacks or African-Americans or whatever they want to be called get degrees in technical fields that would enable them get involved with high tech companies?

More than you think. Besides, what does that have to do with the price of tea in China?

[Lost Highway]

They will keep trying as long as it keeps working.

[RippleFire]

[rdb3]

How dare you rebuke an obviously emotional issue with something as base as facts (/sarcasm).

What "facts?" A question is a fact?

[BUSHdude2000]

This is a great Communistic/Anti-Capitalism shakedown. "We want, we want, we want...and of course, all for free". The LEFT will keep hammering away at us as long as we don't put up a fight.

[Spiff]

'XM Satellite Radio derives profits from African-American customers, yet XM Satellite Radio’s management team is overwhelmingly white,' said the Rev. Horace Sheffield III, president of NAN’s Michigan chapter. 'That is wrong.'

'NBA teams derive their profits from Caucasion-American (white) customers, yet NBA teams are overwhelmingly black,' said Spiff, frequent user of FreeRepublic.com. 'That is wrong.'

How utterly absurd...

[prophetic]

yeah, he's whining for some attention & dough Je$$ie Jack$on style.

[mhking]

To listen to Sharpton, you would think there is no programming that is geared toward blacks on board XM. Get this -- XM's programming offerings include:

• XM60 - Soul Street (60's Motown)
• XM61 - The Flow (Contemporary R&B and Hip-Hop)
• XM62 - BET Uptown (Urban Adult Contemporary)
• XM63 - Spirit (Black Gospel)
• XM64 - The Groove (70's & 80's R&B)
• XM65 - The Rhyme ('Old School' Rap)
• XM66 - RAW (Uncut Contemporary Rap & Hip-Hop)
• XM70 - Real Jazz (Mainstream Jazz from the 20's to today)
• XM71 - Watercolors (Contemporary Jazz Instrumentals)
• XM72 - Beyond Jazz (Progressive Jazz & Fusion)
• XM73 - Frank's Place (The Great American Songbook, i.e., Traditional Vocal Jazz)
• XM74 - Bluesville (Blues)
• XM75 - Luna (Latin Jazz)
• XM80 - The Move (Dance/Rave)
• XM81 - BPM (Club Dance)
• XM82 - Club 82 (Urban Dance)
• XM83 - Chrome (70's & 80's Disco)
• XM101 - The Joint (Reggae)
• XM102 - Ngoma (African Rhythms)
• XM169 - The Power (Black Talk Radio)

Now, of course, this doesn't even include all the other genres that everyone tends to listen to! What the heck does Al Sharpton want!?

[goodnesswins]

But, Spiff, YOU are TOO logical (and intelligent!) These are the idiot leaders of a group of people who keep whining about how they "haven't made any progress...."....well, maybe someday they'll get off the PLANTATION their home boys have built for them.

[mhking]

Go talk to Black Entertainment Television and see if they will entertain the concept of funding an all black satellite radio programming effort.

Irony of ironies, if you take a look at the programming list I just posted, BET is one of the companies supplying programming to XM!!

[mhking]

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