Sirius Talk

As time ticks away on the Howard Stern contract with Sirius XM, the company is not sitting idly by. One might say that they are hedging their bets by promoting Opie & Anthony more-so than they have in the past. In fact the company is making it a point to let subscribers know that Opie & Anthony are available on the mobile platforms where Stern is not.

Today I received an email from XM. It is an Opie & Anthony “Spread The Virus Everywhere” campaign. The advertisement focuses on offering subscribers the added Internet feed at $2.99 per month with one month free. Adding the Internet functionality to accounts allows Sirius XM to increase the overall revenue they are getting from a subscriber.

It would appear that Sirius XM has two purposes with this latest campaign. Increase revenue, and get more exposure for Opie & Anthony in the event that Stern decides to leave Sirius XM. This latest campaign follows another about a month ago when Sirius subscribers were given access to hear Opie & Anthony on Sirius XM Stars, a channel available to both Sirius and XM subs.

From a business standpoint it is good to see Sirius XM working all avenues of increasing revenue, while at the same time hedging their bets on the Stern deal. Opie & Anthony put on a fine show, and would be a viable alternative for Stern fans should the King Of All Media decide to retire. While there is always heated debate between passionate Stern fans and O&A fans, there are vast numbers of people who just like a fun morning show.

No matter what happens to Stern, O&A are still with satellite, and no matter which talent you like best, the other also provides a great show.

Position – Long Sirius XM Radio

The Arizona law surrounding immigration is set to take effect on July 29, 2010.  It has been a hot topic ever since announced.  Now, with nine states backing up Arizona, the debate has been set.  Is immigration a federal issue or a state issue?  Should law enforcement be allowed to question people about their legal status on a traffic stop?  Does this nation need immigrants that want to work and be a part of society?  Will states that pass such laws simply be passing the burden on to others without such laws?  What about amnesty?

These are the types of questions that are being discussed on Sirius XM’s political talk channels.  Whether you are conservative or liberal, everyone seems to have an opinion, and as Julky 29th draws near, the satellite radio airwaves will certainly be full of lively debate.  This is an issue that needs to be addressed somehow, and talk radio hosts from left right and center will certainly get the fires raging with their opinions.

Because immigration is a national issue, satellite radio radio seems a natural forum for such debate.  In addition, satellite radio carries an audio feed of television news channels such as Fox and CNN.  Subscribers to satellite can follow the debate from their television set to their car without missing a beat.  This is something that the competition simply can not offer.

You can catch all the debate on Sirius XM’s Political channels

Position – Long Sirius XM Radio

It was back in May that Barbara Walters had to virtually put her life on hold in order to have heart surgery. Her popular satellite radio show went on hold as her fans co-workers thought of her in this critical juncture. The news of the success of the surgery came shortly after, but her recovery has kept her away…until now.

Tonight, July 12th at 6:00 pm ET Barbara Walters will be back on the microphone and host her first satellite radio show in two months. Monday’s edition of her exclusive SIRIUS XM Radio show, Here’s Barbara, will mark Walters’ return as a host and will feature her first extended on-air comments since her surgery.

Walters, along with her co-host Bill Geddie, the longtime executive producer of The View and Walters’ primetime specials, will jump back into her weekly routine of discussing timely pop culture and political topics with special guests. (1 hr)

Rebroadcast: Tonight 7:00 pm ET; Tomorrow 3:00 am ET; Tomorrow 4:00 am ET; Tomorrow 5:00 am ET

Position – Long Sirius XM Radio

Scott Ferrall has been a constant staple on the Howard Stern channels since they began. He airs a nightly sports talk show that is a bit edgy, full of energy, and pure Ferrall. Scott knows it all. Whether it is baseball, football, hockey, the NBA, or even soccer, Ferrall has an opinion, and listeners love interacting with him.

Tonight, while watching the Boston Celtics and L.A. Lakers battle in game 5 of the NBA finals, I suddenly heard the familiar gravely voice of Scott Ferrall doing a commercial. He was doing an ad for Downfall, a new television game show that ABC will be airing beginning June 22nd. You can see the ad below.

Downfall—a unique, high-stakes and adrenaline-pumping game show—puts contestants on top of a 10-story building to see who has the focus and fearlessness to avoid their own “downfall” over the edge… literally. Along the way, they’ll have the chance to win one million dollars and a slew of some incredible prizes, such as a pair of jet skis, a grand piano, a trip to Paris, or a brand new car.

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Jay Thomas is an actor, long time radio DJ, and now has a regular show on Sirius XM Radio. Jay brings a unique brand of humor to Sirius XM, and his humorous outlook entertains afternoon drive listeners each day on Sirius XM Stars. Thomas has been a regular on satellite radio for years. His dedication and talent enabled him to grab the Friday morning slot on Howard 101, while Howard and his crew are off for the day.

Jay has a core group of fans, and in many ways never seems to get the credit he deserves. Stern, Oprah, Martha, and even Rosie get the headlines, while Jay sits back and simply delivers top notch radio shows on a daily basis that keep people entertained. Some feel that Jay Thomas can be a bit opinionated. Some feel he can sometimes be to gruff, but for most listeners, jay is a persons person who because of his entertainment career background gives us insight into Hollywood and music circles that we often do not get a real perspective on.

Over the past several months, the subject of Jay Thomas has come up relating to the reunion he has had with his biological son. Many years ago Thomas and his girlfriend gave up an infant boy for adoption. It was a heart wrenching decision for Jay Thomas, but he felt that he wanted to give the boy a chance at a good life. At the time Thomas was a struggling actor.

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In an interesting content move Sirius XM Radio is showcasing the Opie & Anthony show all month on Sirius XM Stars Too. The O & A showcase will run through June 18th. The radio personalities have been an XM staple for many years and are well known for on air antics and some infamous stunts that had them fired from terrestrial radio stations in years past.

The Opie & Anthony Show runs from 6:00 AM to 11AM EST on the XM Satellite Radio platform sharing the same time slot as Howard Stern, which is on the Sirius platform. By simulcasting Opie & Anthony on Sirius Stars Too, the duo is available on both platforms.

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Sirius XM Radio delivers a lot of bang for the buck. Commercial free music, sports coverage, news, YouTube videos, and exclusive entrainment are all part of the package. Now Sirius XM takes that value a step further by offering some great free summer recipes courtesy of Martha Stewart. Martha Stewart radio can be heard on channel 112. Check out the cook book (PDF) which features recipes for feature sides, main courses, desserts, and even summer drinks from Martha, Emirel, Adam Perry Lang, and more.

Sirius XM has really done a lot to build up their connection with the subscriber base. Little things like this promotion deliver consumer value and also serve to promote the content that is available. This promotion was sent out in an email to subscribers.

Position – Long Sirius XM Radio

It was just a week ago that Sirius XM announced that conservative talk show personalty Glen Beck would be joining the line-up on Sirius XM Patriot. At the time I pointed out that for satellite radio investors, regardless of politics, signing Beck was a good move for business. By bringing Beck on board, Sirius XM keeps ears tuned to their content, and by extension, their ads.

Today a very public battle between Beck and New York Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner has erupted onto the front pages of the Internet. As an investor, whether you takes Beck’s side or Weiner’s side does not really matter. What matters is that Beck getting national attention is a good thing for Sirius XM. This debate has gone mainstream, and Sirius XM will be there to broadcast it. That exposure is valuable.

The Democratic Rep. from New York, Anthony Weiner, released a report May 18th alleging that Goldline International Inc. “rips off consumers, uses misleading and possibly illegal sales tactics, and deliberately manipulates public fears of an impending government takeover.” In an interesting twist though, the congressman seems to have a personal and/or political axe to grind. He accuses Goldline of forming “an unholy alliance” with conservative talk show hosts. Goldline spokesman say that they do not base their ad decisions on politics, but do seek out places that carry a positive opinion on gold. Given the current state of the economy, I would theorize that conservatives would tend to be fans of gold right now, because they do not like the state of the economy.

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