Rumors

A seemingly boring, news-free Saturday night changed drastically this evening when a memo was circulated that was allegedly sent out this evening to Ford dealers. From message boards to blogs the story captures the imagination. The opening line is the reason for the buzz. It states that “SIRIUS will be changing the format of their broadcast on July 22, 2008 to allow for additional programming.”

Also of note is that this is a firmware update that will take 5 hours to complete. Speculation is running rampant as to what this could mean. There is talk that it may be preparation for Sirius to broadcast some Xm channels while others think this could be the first real case of interoperability. I personally like the interoperability argument as most of the meetings involving Commissioner Tate with Sirius and Xm executives seemed to center around enforcement matters. Proving the existence of interoperable radios could go a long way towards satisfying those critics who say that Sirius did not comply with the interoperable mandate.

[ Ford Memo ]

Thanks crfceo.

In case you were not aware, there is now a great show on Stern 101 Friday mornings. Jay Thomas has become the defacto Friday morning host, and will now carry a regular show on the Stern network. In his first show as a permanent Friday host, Jay Thomas had the good fortune of being able to deliver some additional news regarding the Artie Lange saga that unfolded yesterday.

Artie is indeed in Amsterdam. The news was confirmed with a live call from Jason Kaplan of the Strern Show as he sat at an Amsterdam cafe. Kaplan confirmed that both Artie Lange and Teddy made the trip. Kaplan has not yet seen Artie but has placed a couple of phone calls to him.

Robin Quivers, a Stern how staple, called into the live segment of Jay Thomas’ show and offered additional insight, and is in fact on the air as I write this piece. Shuli, also a member of the Stern Show staff, and frequent participant with Jay Thomas added a bit more information on Artie. In a text message, it was confirmed that Artie was on the same plane with Teddy. At one tense moment as Teddy boarded the plane, he had to pass by Artie who was seated in First Class. The pair exchanged glances. Teddy says that he and Artie have not spoken, and Teddy stated that he is making it a point to avoid Artie during the trip.

So, we have some news on Artie, and the news that the Friday morning dilemma for Stern fans has been solved. Jay Thomas is a wonderful talent who hosts a regular afternoon drive show on Sirius Stars 102. His regular afternoon show will continue, and now he will entertain listeners on Friday mornings. With the addition of Jay Thomas on Fridays, and Vinnie Politan having a regular morning show, the morning drive situation at Sirius is far better today than it was a month ago.

Kudos to Sirius for addressing the morning drive issues in the programming line-up, and we all hope that the Artie situation comes to a reasonable conclusion that addresses Arties issues, maintains the show people love, and lets fans get back to great radio.

Congratulations to Jay Thomas for adding a quality Friday morning show to his already impressive repertoire on Sirius.

Read More On The Artie Saga - ARTIE EXPLODES ON STERN SHOW and ARTIE LANG CLIFFHANGER

Position - Long Sirius, Long XM

Last week Page Six reported that an unidentified person doing a photo shoot happened to find himself in the Master Bathroom of Howard Stern and reported to the New York Post Gossip column that on the bathroom counter were Howard Stern’s dentures. Nothing was reported about other bathroom amenities attributed to the King of All Media, but the denture story got published.

Howard, being on vacation could not respond until today, and respond he did. Stern stated that there were three individuals were at his house in the Hamptons doing a photo shoot for a feature story on Beth Ostrosky, Stern’s Fiancee. During the shoot one of the individuals went inside to use the bathroom, and apparently took it upon himself to take a tour of the Stern residence, and decided to answer natures call in the Master Bathroom.

Today, Stern stated that he was angered by the invasion of privacy, and then explained that the “dentures” in question were actually a mouthpiece which is worn by Stern during the night so that he does not grind his teeth. Thus, Efferdent got a free plug on the Stern show as a product that can not only clean your dentures, but your mouth guard as well.

Mystery solved.

WCBS FM in New York was an oldies staple for what seemed to be forever. Long Time DJ Cousin Brucie (Bruce Morrow) was a fan favorite, and the radio station enjoyed good ratings for quite some time. All of that changed in two years ago when WCBS decided to forego the oldies format in favor of a newly developed format called JACK FM. JACK FM did not use on air personalities, instead opting for pre-recorded sound bites. The format, designed to compete for the ears of the i-Pod crowd, was dubbed “your i-Pod on shuffle.”

Cousin Brucie, and other on air personalities were let go with the switch, but Morrow was not out of work long. The DJ quickly found a home at Sirius Satellite Radio, and currently has one year left on his contract. Now, he seems to have been vindicated in a decision by WCBS FM to return to an oldies format.

WCBS, according to the New York Times, has decided that a the loss of half of their audience share, and a trimming of 30% in ad revenue in 2006 was simply too much, and they are returning to an oldies format. That switch will come without Cousin Brucie who still spins the tunes for Sirius.

For his part, Cousin Brucie seems to be very diplomatic stating, “I’m thrilled that this music is getting a chance again. This music has been treated terribly, and people in their 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s are still a very viable product in this society.”

Some radio analysts predict that some of the old DJ’s from the station will return to WCBS. The question is what will Cousin Brucie, the biggest name in the crowd, do? Again, in a very diplomatic response, Brucie said, “I’m very happy at Sirius, but I’ll consider every option. In one year a lot of things can happen.”

So, what can be gleaned from these events? Well, clearly we can start to see some other aspects of the competitive landscape. Where did the audience of WCBS go? Did they follow Brucie to satellite radio? Did they find other terrestrial radio stations to listen to? Is the existence and creation of JACK FM acknowledge that terrestrial radio is trying to compete with i-Pods and MP3 players? Do the moves of DJ’s like Brucie show that competition goes beyond the music played? Do changes in format illustrate that it is the content that matters, be it “local” or “national”?

There are many questions, and likely just as many theories, but in the end, it can not be disputed that it is the ear of the audience that is being sought.

Position - Long Sirius, No Position CBS -IMOJB-

Chief Executive Mel Karmazin expects Sirius Satellite to offer a live television service in cars by late 2007, and deals with content providers for the TV stations may be set as early as January. It is estimated that the new television service will set back current customers and additional $13 per month, a price well worth keeping the kids from bouncing around the backseat on any trip.

Rival XM says that they will wait for signs of a significant market before it rolls out such a service. It seems like what was once the forerunner is now clearly taking a backseat in the satellite radio game.

Via [Reuters]