XM Radio Ping list! FR-mail me to get added to or removed from this ping list.
Posted on 01/26/2005 11:25:21 AM PST by t_skoz
NEW YORK - Doers and doings in business, entertainment and technology:
Flash: Newspaper reports baseless rumor? Readers are wondering if the New York Post has done it again.
On Wednesday, the News Corp. tabloid reported that Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio were beginning the dance of merger negotiations. But the Post, every Gothamite's guilty pleasure, has a colorful history of shooting from the hip: Last year, the newssheet, famed for its "Headless Body in Topless Bar" front page, became a darling of eBay shoppers when it declared that presidential candidate John Kerry would pick Dick Gephardt as his running mate.
Sirius Chief Executive Mel Karmazin scoffed at the XM merger report. "I have not met with the chairman or CEO [of XM], so I have no idea where any of this came from," he said on a conference call Wednesday.
Previously the president of Viacom, Karmazin also tried to quash scuttlebutt that Sirius has been in talks with the media giant about buying out the balance of Howard Stern's contract. The blue-talk maestro has signed a deal with Sirius to start in January 2006, and rumors have run hot that the satellite broadcaster might try to bring him over sooner.
"Because I worked at Viacom, I do have lots of conversations with them all the time," Karmazin said. Nonetheless, he underscored, "our plan right now is that Howard will start with us in January 2006." He did add that Sirius would like to start Stern earlier, if the opportunity should arise. Wednesday also saw Sirius report a wider fourth-quarter loss, citing pricey sports programming and costs from serving a soaring subscriber base. Programming and content expenses rose to $26 million from $8.5 million.
Last year, the orbital-radio firm began broadcasting National Football League games under a seven-year, $220 million deal.
I hope not, we need the competition!
XM Radio Ping list! FR-mail me to get added to or removed from this ping list.
I agree. Competition in the satellite marketplace will lower prices and increase services.
Just like every other marketplace...
(duh!!)
hehehe
pay radio. who would have thought? color can't be far behind.
I hope not too. Sirius is way better, and a merger with XM would stifle the quality of the programming.
Sirrius: fewer channels, large antenna with small choice of hardware for more money
They're aiming to fill niches. They can afford to charge more.
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