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New York, NY (AHN) - After its recent merger was finally completed, the Sirius-XM satellite radio company is moving ahead with new products, including an all-in-one radio that allows consumers to receive all its channels on one product. The company's product, called The Mirge, allows subscibers of its all in one programming package to listen to Sirius XM's entire catalog of programming, including coverage of every major sports league and many college sports games. The biggest difference between The Mirge, and all of Sirius-XM's other radios is that Sirius subscribers can finally have access to MLB game coverage, previously only...

As the movie progressed, it became less about Sirius XM and more about the stock market as a whole. The film features experts such as  Martine Rothblatt,  Susanne Trimbath, PhD, Bud Burrell, Wes Christian and bloggers such as myself and Tyler Savery. The movie I believe succeeded in its goal of explaining to the viewer the devastating effects of naked short selling on the American financial system as well as the disruption caused by the removal of the uptick rule. In fact, I believe it to be the highlight of the film.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sirius XM Radio Inc has been working with its advisers to prepare for a possible bankruptcy filing, the New York Times reported on its website on Tuesday, citing people close to the company. The move could put pressure on satellite television company EchoStar Corp, which reportedly holds a substantial amount of Sirius XM debt. The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that EchoStar chief Charles Ergen made an offer to take control of the satellite radio company late last year, but he was rebuffed. Sirius officials did not respond to several telephone and email messages, and EchoStar...

Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen. First off, I apologize for the vanity, but I have a serious question for any Mark Levin fans out there. Are you having difficulty listening to his program on XM Channel 166 in the evenings? His program begins at 5 PM CST, and is supposed to run to 7 PM CST. That said, XM has been pulling his show off the air at 6 PM CST, and the channel then broadcasts a recorded message stating that XM Channel 166 is temporarily off the air. Now, this could happen every now and again for whatever technical...

Satellite radio company faces $1 billion debt, hurt by lagging car sales Barely three months after the long-delayed merger of satellite radio companies Sirius and XM, the newly combined Sirius XM Radio is struggling to stay afloat. The company has just another three months to start paying down more than $1 billion in debt that's maturing in 2009 at a time when credit markets are freezing up. It remains heavily dependent on automobile sales for new subscriber additions just as U.S. car sales are tanking. And its stock price is in a yearlong free-fall that has sparked an investor lawsuit....

WASHINGTON - Federal regulators have formally approved the merger of the nation's only two satellite radio operators, ending a 16-month-long drama closely watched by Washington and Wall Street. Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.'s $3.6 billion buyout of rival XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. will mean 18 million-plus subscribers will be able to receive programming from both services. Executives say it will mean huge cost savings that will lead to a first-ever profit for the relatively nascent industry.

Following the obvious political posturing at the Federal Communications Commission, Howard Stern called the opposition to the merger "communism" and vowed to never vote Democrat again. "I've voted Republican and I've voted Democrat," said Stern on the air. "I have vowed I will never vote for a Democrat again. I don't give a %#@% - no matter who they are." Stern took it even further and called the Democrat commissioners "communists" and referred to their tactics as "gangsterism." "The fact that these Democrats on the FCC are communists," Stern added. "They're for communism. They don't want to see companies... this...

Sirius Satellite Radio host Howard Stern supports the merger of his network with XM Satelitte Radio and is fuming at Democratic opposition on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) panel. After FCC commissioners announced they have reached a deal to approve the merger of Sirius (NASDAQ:SIRI) and XM (NASDAQ:XMSR), Stern ranted about Democrats’ ‘gangsterism’ and ‘communism’ and the obstacles to the merger.

XM-Sirius merger OKd in fines plus booster-dump deal Woo FCC with $19m in 'voluntary contributions' XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio are nearing a final agreement with US regulators to approve their long-pending merger. The companies agreed to pay millions of dollars in fines in order to grease the wheels of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for formal approval of their proposed monopoly. Some officials and lawmakers are concerned that leaving only one company to rule satellite radio airwaves will lead to price-hikes and anti-competitive behavior. But XM and Sirius are approaching a final pact with the FCC that...

Shares of merger partners Sirius Satellite Radio (SIRI) and XM Satellite Radio (XMSR) are trading higher today following reports that FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein, a Democrat who had been expected to oppose the deal, has proposed terms to the company on which he would vote to approve it. As Reuters notes, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin has proposed that the deal be approved as long as the companies agree to provide radios that receive both services, cap prices for three years, offer programming on an “a la carte” basis, and make 24 channels available for non-commercial and minority programming. Adelstein wants...

B.B. King signs on to host weekly music show Iconic Bluesman to Take On DJ Duties in September! Blues music icon B.B. King will begin hosting his own weekly music show for XM Radio beginning in September 2008. The program will feature a broad range of blues and gospel music hand-selected by King, along with stories about the artists and other personal anecdotes from the bluesman's epic career. In anticipation of King's hosting debut, today XM relaunched its dedicated blues channel "Bluesville" as "BB King's Bluesville (XM 74).

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin J. Martin said yesterday that he will support a merger between the nation's sole satellite radio operators, XM and Sirius, a decision that could remove the last regulatory hurdle in the lengthy and heavily criticized move to make the companies one. ... The companies have agreed to: ... set aside 4 percent of their radio spectrums, or 12 channels, for noncommercial services such as educational and public safety programming. They would lease another 12 channels for programming run by minorities and women, groups that are underrepresented in entertainment broadcasting

And we thought that the idea of a monopoly was what was holding up the Sirius-XM satellite radio merger. Nu-uh. Nope. It's about setting aside a ton of channels on the new satellite conglomerate for "minorities" and "public broadcasting." So says the BUSH-nominated "Republican" chairman of the FCC, Kevin Martin. Who needs liberals when Republicans are doing the "Heckuva Job"?: Much of the attention at the FCC over the next few weeks will focus on the issue of satellite channels that are set aside for noncommercial programming and minority-owned programming. FCC Chairman Martin suggested 8% of the combined company's lineup...

Senior members of the Congressional Black Caucus yesterday criticized a compromise plan for the proposed merger of the XM and Sirius satellite radio companies, saying the deal does not provide enough opportunities for minority-owned programming. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin J. Martin said over the weekend that he would support the merger after XM Satellite Radio Holdings and Sirius Satellite Radio voluntarily agreed, among a series of other concessions, to lease 4 percent of their radio spectrums, or 12 channels, for programming run by minorities and women. Members of the black caucus on Capitol Hill have been arguing for the...

When XM Satellite Radio signed its 8-year deal with Major League Baseball, part of the terms included an annual payment of $60 million plus a $120 million escrow account. XM now faces a serious hurdle - the surety bond for the $120 million expires June 30, and XM has replaced that bond by using $57.5 million in available cash and taking out a $62.5 million loan. According to the Washington Post, that move reduces XM's liquidity, and according to a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, "could have an adverse effect on our financial position if we are not...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sirius Satellite Radio's $4.59 billion purchase of rival XM Satellite Radio was given antitrust clearance on Monday as the Justice Department concluded consumers have many alternatives, including mobile phones and personal audio players. The deal, announced in February 2007, would combine the only two providers of satellite radio in the United States and is still being reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission. "Competition in the marketplace generally protects consumers and I have no reason to believe that this won't happen here," Justice Department antitrust chief, Thomas Barnett, told a conference call with reporters. The traditional radio industry,...

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Justice Department approved Sirius Satellite Radio's $5 billion buyout of rival XM Satellite Radio on Monday, saying the deal was unlikely to hurt competition or consumers. The deal was approved despite opposition from consumer groups and an intense lobbying campaign by the land-based radio industry. The buyout received shareholder approval in November. The companies said the merger will save hundreds of millions of dollars in operating costs—savings that will ultimately benefit their customers. The Justice Department, in a lengthy news release explaining its decision, said the two companies compete not just with each other but also...

Satellite radio held hostage THE $4 BILLION merger of satellite radio companies Sirius and XM continues to languish in the hands of government regulators, despite hopes that the 10-month antitrust investigation wouldn't drag into 2008. An otherwise clear-cut approval process has been hijacked by competitors seeking to prevent consumers from receiving better service, more choices and lower prices. As a result, the government could become an accomplice in bankrupting satellite radio and removing a popular product from the market. Before granting approval, antitrust officials at the Department of Justice must determine whether the merger creates a monopoly, an easy question....

Here's the deal. On XM channel 158 from 6am until 9am with the first hour repeated from 9am to 10am, talk show host Jim Quinn of the Quinn & Rose show was discussing something potentially damaging to Hillary Clinton at around 6:25am and his show was interrupted by an emergency broadcast system alert. After finding this out from emails and phone calls from his listeners, Quinn was suspicious and posed a challenge to his listener. He said since the first hour is repeated from 9am to 10am he wanted his listeners to listen in and see if the same EBS...

XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. will no longer broadcast the Starbucks XM Cafe channel after ending a marketing agreement with the coffee chain operator, the company said in a regulatory filing Monday. As part of the breakup, Starbucks has the right to sell $22 million in XM shares. At the time of the filing, that amounted to about 1.85 million shares, which represents less than 1 percent of XM's total 314.2 million shares outstanding at the end of September. XM said in the filing that if Starbucks does not realize $22 million from the stock sale, XM may be forced...

Soros fund takes on Countrywide, XM, Sirius stakes Soros Fund Management reported in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission its holdings as of Sept. 30, which included a $33.9 million investment in Countrywide. The fund also reported stakes in Sirius Satellite Radio Inc (SIRI.O: Quote, Profile, Research) and XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc (XMSR.O: Quote, Profile, Research), of 1.21 million shares and 103,265 Class A shares, respectively. The shareholders of the rival companies voted in favor on Tuesday of a planned $5.1 billion merger that still needs approval by the federal government. The overall value of Soros'...

Former XM Satellite Radio customers say the D.C. company has made it difficult to cancel their radio subscriptions. XM estimates that about 5,000 subscribers canceled their subscriptions in protest of the satellite radio provider's decision to suspend the shock jocks of "The Opie & Anthony Show" after the duo aired a segment last month in which a guest talked about raping Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, first lady Laura Bush and Queen Elizabeth II. The show returned to XM airwaves Friday after a 30-day suspension. Opie and Anthony fans, angered by what they describe as censorship, have saturated Internet message...

On 6/6, DC-based XM Satellite Radio's 1940's channel, The 40s (XM-4), will re-create radio's coverage of the D-Day invasion of the Normandy coast of France. Beginning with the first bulletin from that morning, which aired at 12:41 AM (ET), XM will air in real-time NBC's original radio news bulletins of the invasion (currently housed in the National Archives) as heard by radio listeners nearly 63 years ago. The special will be based on the original NBC broadcast schedule, which is cataloged in the Library Of Congress, and will conclude at 5:45 PM on 6/7. The marathon will also feature music...

Next Wednesday, June 6th, XM will air a unique special that re-creates the radio coverage of D-Day, with archival reports from NBC’s original radio news bulletins of the invasion. This incredible broadcast will air, in real-time, starting at 12:41am ET (which was the time of the first airing) and will end June 7th, at 5:45pm ET on The '40s (ch 4). The special will be based on the original NBC radio news reports of the invasion (currently housed in the National Archives) exactly as it was heard almost 63 years ago. The marathon will also feature music of the era...

Breaking news. DCRTV hears that DC-based XM Satellite Radio suffered a major outage on Monday. We're told that the New York Avenue firm's XM3 satellite has lost its downlinking capability for some unknown reason. Their engineers are working on a fix. XM does have backup satellite capacity. Says a late afternoon statement from XM: "We are experiencing a temporary degraded performance issue, which has affected some of our customers. We expect to return to normal service levels this evening".....

A study sent yesterday to the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice demonstrates that the proposed merger between XM and Sirius would create a monopoly, constituting a likely violation of the antitrust laws. Conducted by one of the country's leading economists and scholars, the study lends concrete evidence and analysis to some of the most important questions that have plagued lawmakers since the merger was announced earlier this year. As lawmakers on Capitol Hill began to focus increasingly on what the relevant product market is for satellite radio and what impact this merger would have on consumers, the...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Kevin J. Martin, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, has privately questioned recent congressional testimony by the architect of a proposed merger of the nation's two satellite radio companies that subscribers would both pay the same monthly rate and receive significantly more programming, The New York Times reported. As he sought to sell the proposed merger of Sirius Satellite Radio (SIRI.O: Quote, Profile, Research) and XM Satellite Radio (XMSR.O: Quote, Profile, Research) to Congress, Mel Karmazin, the chief executive of Sirius, vowed last Wednesday that prices would not be raised and that listeners would benefit...

Former Attorney General John Ashcroft, hired by opponents of the deal, has blasted Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.'s proposed acquisition of XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc., saying the combination would leave only one provider in the market. Ashcroft, who served as head of the Justice Department for four years until January 2005, was hired by the National Association of Broadcasters to examine the acquisition. The NAB, which represents traditional radio broadcasters, has been a fierce critic of the acquisition, now worth about $4.4 billion, since it was announced last week. In a letter sent on February 27 to his replacement as...

Sirius CEO argues for radio merger WASHINGTON — Despite vowing not to raise their prices, the nation's only two satellite radio providers found their proposed merger to be a tough sell Wednesday on Capitol Hill. "You've got some high hurdles to overcome, don't you think?" House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) told Mel Karmazin, chief executive of Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. Karmazin, who would run the new company if federal regulators approve Sirius' proposed merger with XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc., tried to overcome those hurdles by promising not to hike for an unspecified period the $12.95 monthly...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. and XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. pledged on Tuesday to work with regulators to close their proposed $4.9 billion merger by year's end, seeking to calm concerns that U.S. antitrust authorities would block the deal. Sirius Chief Executive Mel Karmazin, a seasoned dealmaker and media veteran, said the goal of the deal was not to raise consumer prices but to boost subscriber growth by combining the two satellite radio services and bringing stars like Howard Stern and Oprah Winfrey under one roof. But he acknowledged that Sirius's planned takeover of XM has...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sirius Satellite Radio agreed to buy larger U.S. rival XM Satellite Radio for $4.6 billion in stock on Monday in a deal that gives all subscribers access to entertainers such as Oprah Winfrey and shock-jock Howard Stern. The transaction, which faces regulatory scrutiny and objections from terrestrial radio companies, gives XM shareholders 4.6 Sirius shares for each XM share held. The deal has Sirius paying about $4.6 billion in stock for XM, or a 21.7 percent premium to XM's closing share price of $13.98 on Friday, based on shares outstanding in the latest regulatory filings. Veteran...

NEW YORK, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- U.S. radio operators Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio Holdings are in final merger discussions, a published report said Monday. The deal, which would create a single satellite radio operator with more than 12 million subscribers, would save the companies nearly $7 billion a year, The New York Post reported.

Satellite radio operators Sirius and XM are expected to announce their long-awaited merger today, according to a source familiar with the deal. The two sides were locked in negotiations over the weekend trying to hammer out a final agreement with an eye toward going public with the merger today in Washington, D.C., where XM is based, this source said. Talks were still going on at press time and the deal could fall apart at any time. With antitrust issues of paramount importance, this source said lawyers for both companies were working overtime to fine-tune the language of the agreement and...

We at the Patriot Project are committed to shedding light on the front groups whose participants operate out of the light of day. However, the swiftboating of Americans for exercising his or her right to free speech is just as important. That's why the upcoming event to swiftboat Rep. John Murtha, which will be held on October 1, 2006, has drawn our attention. The participants are rumored to include the original swiftboating man himself, John O'Neill, though he's not been formally announced yet. Vets for Truth is the front group sponsoring this little shindig, but not without some very powerful...

Are you tired of flipping through the radio trying to find tunes to jam to, but all you find are boring channels with a lot of chit-chat or ads? That was me a few months ago, until I subscribed to satellite radio. With hundreds of commercial-free music stations and specialty channels like live football coverage and talk shows, you will definitely want satellite radio in your car too! You can even buy devices that will allow you to have satellite radio almost anywhere - in your boat, house, even on capable cell phones! So if you decide you want the...

I had a rental car recently that had XM in it, and I loved it. So now I WANT to have satellite radio, so I'm asking my fellow FREEPers opinions. Which is best? Or, why do you prefer Sirius or XM? Thanks in advance! RD

Reprinted from NewsMax.com Thursday, June 22, 2006 9:10 p.m. EDT Quinn & Rose Go National on XM Pittsburgh's legendary conservative talk team Quinn & Rose are now on satellite radio, taking their popular mix of conservative activism and common sense patriotism to a national audience. The morning duo can still be heard in Western Pennsylvania on FM NewsTalk 104.7. But as of May, fans of political talk around the country have been able to access Quinn & Rose on XM Satellite Radio's Channel 165. "Satellite is different in that we're hearing from people all over the country," Rose Somma Tennent...

I looked on the Best Buy and Curcuit City sites. Not a lot of help there. So, I turn to the smartest and savviest folks on the planet for advice. I want a portable unit - car and home/office. Also speakers for the latter. I have a great set of speakers in the car.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The recording industry sued XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. (XMSR) on Tuesday over its new iPod-like device that can store up to 50 hours of music for a monthly fee, sending to the courts a roiling dispute over how consumers can legally record songs using next-generation radio services. The federal lawsuit, filed in New York by the largest labels, accuses XM Satellite of "massive wholesale infringement" because its $400 handheld "Inno" device can record hours of music and automatically parse recordings by song and artist. The device is sold under the slogan, "Hear it, click it,...

XM Satellite Radio is infringing the copyright of music labels by allowing its subscribers to record songs, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Music fans who subscribe to XM Radio and own an Inno recorder from Pioneer can use the cell phone-size device to listen to satellite radio broadcasts, record songs and then replay them as MP3 files. On Tuesday, the RIAA said XM was committing "massive wholesale infringement" of copyright sound recordings, and asked the court to stop XM’s broadcasts and award it damage payments. By allowing listeners to record MP3...

he FCC on Friday would neither confirm nor deny that it is investigating reports of interference from some satellite radio receivers that are reportedly relaying their signals inadvertently to FM receivers in nearby automobiles. An article in Friday's Baltimore Sun details how some motorists are accidentally picking up channels offered by Sirius and XM on their car radio. The incidents generally occur when the motorists are tuned to a station between 88.1 MHz and 89.9 FM — frequencies reserved for noncommercial, religious or educational stations. Aftermarket satellite receivers generally employ these lower FM frequencies, and the receivers use an analog...

MetroSource News 02:28:54 Satellite Recording Ban Capitol Hill Battle Brewing Over Satellite Radio Broadcasts (Washington, DC) -- Fearing a wave of illegal distribution of copyrighted music, lawmakers on Capitol Hill will consider legislation that would effectively ban all recording of satellite radio programming. The "Perform Act" circumvents the Audio Home Recording Act, which gives consumers the right to record material for private, non-commercial purposes, by requiring satellite broadcasters to either install equipment that prevents their programs from being recorded, or provide compensation to artists and performers to cover potential financial losses due to illegal distribution of their material. The Recording...

They're coming back by popular demand. Ok, make that corporate radio's desperate attempt to save its failing radio content and its stations' revenue after departure of the King. The one-time Boston radio bad boys Greg "Opie" Hughes and Anthony Cumia will return to Boston's WBCN 104.1FM airwaves as early as next Wednesday(4/26) morning. Meanwhile, after three long months former Van Halen lead man David Lee Roth is finally scheduled to wrap up his so-called 15-minute radio career tomorrow (Friday 4/21). This afternoon, Billboard Magazine has provided details on Opie and Anthony's return to broadcast radio and a reunion with their...

DLR DeathWatch '06 Back On? We've all been hearing rumors of David Lee Roth's radio demise for a while, but now (Radio And Records Street Talk) is hearing it's a matter of when -- not if -- CBS Radio, frustrated with Dave's inability and/or unwillingness to play nice with management, will finally be forced to pull the plug. There is strong speculation that we could we see heads roll sooner rather than later -- perhaps after the winter (ratings) book hits next Wednesday? Then again, we could be massively full of crap, but somehow we seriously doubt it this time....

Since the inception of satellite radio, consumers have been forced to choose between two competing networks, XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. and Sirius Satellite Radio Inc., depending on the kind of hardware they buy. But new documents show the rival companies have designed a receiver capable of carrying both services — a development that could significantly alter the competitive landscape of the emerging industry. However, despite spending more than $5-million (U.S.) on the project, XM and Sirius have no plans to let consumers in Canada or the U.S. get their hands on the devices. Though the broadcast licences granted in...

There's been a recent obsession over mobile content, from both the mobile operators and content providers. For the most part, this obsession was due to the unsustainable success of the ringtone market. Mobile operators who were desperate for more revenue from each subscriber suddenly thought mobile content was their ticket to big money. Content companies scared silly by the internet looked at mobile phones as basically a better internet -- because it's closed. However, that makes one huge assumption: that it always remains closed -- something that anyone with a sense of tech trends should have realized wasn't going to...

In Wall Street terms, the recent “weakness” in XM Satellite Radio shares is “unwarranted,” and could actually be seen by investors as a buying opportunity. Sirius Satellite Radio has its own cheerleaders, as well, but two of the three analysts Billboard Radio Monitor surveyed think Sirius shares are worth about $5 per share, while one analyst pegs those shares to finish 2006 at $9. XM and Sirius shares each hit a 52-week low yesterday (March 14) during the trading day. For XM that low was $20.26 per share, but the stock ended at $20.50 when the market closed. Historically, and...

Sirius Satellite Radio may soon be able to claim that it is the only satcaster with 100% commercial-free music channels. An arbitration panel has ruled that XM Satellite Radio will have to introduce advertising on some of its commercial-free music channels. The ruling resolves a legal dispute with Clear Channel, who made a 1998 investment in the satcaster, gaining control over four of XM’s music channels, which now represent 2.5 percent of the satcaster's 160-channel subscription radio menu. As an early investor in XM, Clear Channel has owned the right to program four music channels, but both companies have disagreed...

Costs Crackle at Sirius, XM By Scott Moritz Senior Writer 2/17/2006 1:29 PM EST URL: http://www.thestreet.com/stocks/media/10269246.html Satellite radio got a poor reception on Wall Street Friday, as rising costs generated hefty static for a second straight day. New York-based Sirius (SIRI:Nasdaq) fell 6% after posting the inevitable steep quarterly loss, and archrival XM (XMSR:Nasdaq) dropped 8%. The selloff put Washington, D.C.-based XM down 12% over two days. Part of the hangover was Thursday's call to arms by departing XM director Jack Roberts. He said XM's spend-first, ask-questions-later approach could leave shareholders high and dry. But investors are also starting to...

XM Satellite Radio has reached an agreement with satellite television provider DirecTV to offer 72 channels of music, children's, and talk programming to DirecTV users, nearly doubling its current audio programming at no additional cost. In addition to music channels and children's programming, XM will provide its Major League Baseball Home Plate talk channel, and its High Voltage channel, featuring Opie & Anthony. XM will be available on DirecTV as of November 15. "This marks the beginning of a natural partnership between the nation's leading satellite radio company and the leading satellite television company," said Patricia Kesling, SVP/Marketing and Operations...