In response to our articles about the lack of a Stern alternative, and the Bubba The Love Sponge show getting slammed, many readers responded with a name that I had heard of but never listened to. The person? Jason Ellis.

Today I made it a point to tune into Sirius Faction (channel 28) at 3:00 PM to get a listen to Jason Ellis. Ellis, Australian born, can only be described with one word. EXTREME. He is also a very busy person. He hosts a show on Sirius faction from 3 to 7, appears on Octane, is working on a reality television show, a movie, has his own band called Taintstick, and is heavily involved in mixed martial arts. With all of this going on in his life, it is no surprise that he puts together an interesting show.

Ellis show is a bit over the top to be what I would term as a Stern alternative, but he would be more than qualified to host a show in the Stern timeslot on Friday’s or when the Stern crew is on vacation. Ellis is an entertainer, and that is a quality that is needed if you are going to host a four hour show. While the Jason Ellis show is entertaining, he likely has a core audience that is from a younger demographic than my own. That being said, he kept me emerged in the show, and wanting to hear what would come up next. In radio this is a key element to success, and growing an audience.

Ironically, Ellis is competing head to head with Bubba on Sirius, and it was my article about Bubba being taken to task that enabled me to learn about the Jason Ellis show. Those that commented on the post mentioned Ellis, and seemed to have switched from the Bubba show to Ellis’ show on Faction. Bubba did do a show on Friday mornings for a period of time, but now that he also has a terrestrial morning show, it is a gig that he can no longer perform. It may well be that the terrestrial deal can give Ellis some additional exposure that once would have gone Bubba’s way.

Many Stern fans express frustration at the lack of a live program to air when Stern is off. If Sirius were to try out Ellis in that slot, Bubba could find himself regretting the day that he decided to perform a morning show on terrestrial and an afternoon show on Sirius.

Does Ellis have what it takes to host Friday mornings on Howard 100? In my opinion, based on the show I heard today, he does. In addition, such a move could bolster the entire Sirius faction channel lineup as additional exposure would gravitate there. Make no mistake, Bubba is part of the Stern brand, but he needs to step up his game and deliver. Ellis is young, hungry, and crazy enough to become a radio factor on Sirius.

Position - Long Sirius

Sirius’ Indie Talk debuted today with the inaugural show of political maverick Ron Silver. With politics in the air, I tuned into the show to see what it was about, and to take a good listen for a review of the show.

In all honesty, the first show ranked as okay in my book. Silver is a very even keeled and somewhat soft spoken host that will take time for some listeners to adapt to. If you are used to compelling voices that have inflection and emotion in them you will be somewhat taken aback at the conversational tone of the host.

I found that the show had the typical glitches that a new team working together would have. This was expected, and all in all, the show gelled more as it progressed. Silvers interaction with callers was fine, but getting the callers on the line was not as smooth as one would expect. The coordination of breaks was a bit off, but again, this is only the first show.

I found Silvers show topical, and that it covered all of the bases from a perspective that was not leaning to the right or the left all of the time. Silver seems to himself lean more left, but that is perfectly acceptable. Everyone has political leanings one way or the other.

Interestingly, the thing that stuck out most in my mind was the contrast between the show lead in musical bumpers and the show. The bumpers had a dynamic voice-over backed by fast paced music. The bumpers just did not seem right for the tenor and style of the show. Simply stated, the bumper did not seem to match Silver. This could change as the show continues, and I will definitely tune into this channel some more.

The Ron Silver show features regular segments called “Blogcasts” where interesting posts from various blogs are revealed to listeners with a small excerpt of blog stories on the net. The concept is cool, but I would like to see a couple of changes. First, when citing the blog, the announcer states the “www” prior to giving the website. In my mind the “www” can be assumed. I think hearing the announcer say, “you can read more at huffingtonpost.com” is far better than saying, “you can read more at www.huffingtonpost.com. Second, Sirius should take the Indie Talk concept a step further and develop a web page that gives links the blogcast articles cited on the show. People in cars can not get to the web during the segment, and they already will have to go to a computer to read the article. Having these links on a web page would allow the announcer to skip the spelling of each website.

In closing, I think the show was good, and when some glitches get ironed out will only improve. I like the idea of getting talk radio from a differing perspective without being subjected to talk radio that is all the way across the political aisle from my own views. I would love to see Sirius fill in this channel with additional hosts and shows, and feel that Vinnie Politan, formerly of Court TV Radio could fill one of those slots nicely. While his talk is less political, his brand of radio would be great for the 6:00 AM to 9:00 AM drive-time slot when people tend to want news, and topical information to start their day. Jumping straight into political talk on the morning commute is not everyone’s cup of tea.

Position - Long Sirius

Sirius 110 is back on the air. The channel which was once the home of Court TV and Vinnie Politan is now host to Indie Talk. The innovative format is uncensored and promises independent thought and opinion. At this point Sirius has announced that Ron Silver will be a feature on the channel.

Whether Indie Talk can serve as a viable Stern alternative is yet to be seen, but listeners only need to wait until Wednesday February 6th to get that answer, as that is the day that Indie Talk will begin airing. Sirius Buzz has been critical of Sirius for the lack of a true and regular morning drive show as a Stern alternative. In an article interviewing former Court TV Radio host Vinnie Politan, we expressed that he would be a welcomed addition to Sirius Starts in the morning drive slot. Sirius Stars is Sirius’ flagship talk station, but lacks a regular five day per week morning drive show. Interestingly, the 6:00 AM to 9:00 AM slot on Indie Talk has not been filled as yet.

Position - Long Sirius

Satellite Radio subscribers would be in for a treat if Vinnie Politan gets a morning drive slot.

In March of 2006 Sirius Satellite radio entered in a content relationship with Court TV to create Court TV Radio. The channel was an outstanding example of the wide array of programming that satellite radio could offer listeners. In my opinion, the highlight of the channel was the Vinnie Politan Show which aired weekdays from 6:00 am to 9:00 am. Politan was a breath of fresh air on radio airwaves, and his experience as an attorney brought a combination of real world experience and topical information to listeners across the nation.

Vinnie Politan came to Sirius through his position at Court TV. This past December Court TV went off the air and was replaced by Tru TV, a new network seeking a new direction. With the disappearance of Court TV, the Vinnie Show went off of the air. This event, while frustrating for listeners and fans, could well be a blessing in disguise, as it frees up Vinnie Politan to negotiate directly with Sirius, and would allow Sirius to market Vinnie in an entirely new direction.

While Howard Stern is indeed popular, and carries a large audience, there is not much of an alternative for those that would rather listen to a less “edgy” yet highly topical show. Vinnie Politan is charismatic, carries a great radio voice, and puts on a terrific show. Free from the confines of a pure “Court” theme, it is my opinion that Politan could become even a bigger radio commodity than he was under the Court TV brand.

It is my opinion that Sirius is missing something important in the morning drive slot. A viable alternative to Howard Stern. Sirius’ flagship station, Sirius Stars offers Angels On Call, Jane Radio, Judith Regan and Candice Bushnell in the morning drive time-slot. Now, I am not trying to speak down about these shows, but it is my feeling that a mixed bag in the Sirius Stars morning drive slot is not the caliber of programming that it takes to hold a morning drive slot. Listeners want something consistent to enjoy with their morning coffee. With Vinnie Politan free to create a new Vinnie Politan Show that is not typecast into a court themed show, there is a potential to create an alternative to Howard Stern that can have a much wider appeal than a show such as Angels On Call.

Politan has a fan base of Sirius subscribers that would like to see him return to the air, and I would agree that Sirius should find a way to bring Vinnie Politan back in a way that is even better than before. 110ers.com has done a great job of following Vinnie Politan, and has also been instrumental in getting the word out about the show, and showing support.

Sirius Buzz contacted Vinnie and his agent Julie Eckhert and they were kind enough to give us an interview about Vinnie’s experience on satellite radio, what he is doing now, and his desire to return to the radio airwaves on a national basis. For merger watchers, we even got Vinnie’s opinion on the proposed transaction between Sirius and XM. Interview after the jump…

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Sirius announced that it will broadcast an in-depth interview conducted by former Democratic presidential candidate and Sirius host Senator Bill Bradley with current presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama on Monday, Dec.17th on Sirius Stars channel 102.

Bill Bradley recently interviewed candidate John Edwards on Sirius, and he continues his dialogue with the candidates with a thought-provoking and revealing conversation with Democratic hopeful Barack Obama. Obama discusses a wide range of topics, including his relationship with his mother and father; his upbringing; his strong sense of patriotism, and his priorities if elected.

The press release went on to highlight some of Barack’s great quotes from this interview in well prepared campaign fashion but, I wont bore you with all of that here. It’s sad that these guys don’t have the stones to do this kind of thing live.

The interview will air Dec. 17th on Sirius Stars channel 102 at 5am, 7am, 12pm, 2pm, and 11pm, all times ET.

Sirius announced that it will broadcast an in-depth interview conducted by former Democratic presidential candidate, and Sirius host Senator Bill Bradley with presidential candidate John Edwards on Monday, December 10th on Sirius Stars channel 102.

Let’s hope that these guys have the testicular fortitude to use this great uncensored format to act like actual human beings instead of sitting around and pitching slow pitch softballs to each other like they do on other censored mediums.

Senator Bradley’s interview with John Edwards will air December 10th at 5am, 7am, 12pm, 2pm, and 11pm, all times ET.

On December 1st ‘OutQ In The Morning with Larry Flick’ will present its second annual “celebration of life and hope” on World AIDS Day. Beginning at 12 pm ET, tune in for a day-long special featuring discussions with medical experts and pioneering activists, listener calls and experiences.

The six hour special will also include a special interview with Madonna and exclusive performances by some of pop music’s top artists including Cyndi Lauper, Indigo Girls, Travis, Joss Stone, Erasure’s Andy Bell, Jimmy Somerville, Marc Cohn, Leann Rimes, Littlehorse and more!

World AIDS Day is annually observed on December 1st and is dedicated to raising awareness of the global AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. Since World AIDS Day originated at the 1988 World Summit of Ministers of Health on Programs for AIDS Prevention, the cause has been taken up by governments, international organizations, and charities around the world.

Visit www.sirius.com/outq for more information.

Sirius Satellite Radio announced today that they are launching a groundbreaking Doctor Radio Channel. The full time channel will be dedicated to all things health. Now Sirius listeners can listen to the pulse on channel 9, or talk about their pulse on Doctor Radio.

Doctor Radio, created exclusively in collaboration with NYU Medical Center, will air on SIRIUS channel 119, with an expected launch in early 2008. Doctor Radio will feature more than two dozen respected doctors as regular weekly hosts, many of whom are “teaching” doctors at the NYU School of Medicine, plus physicians and medical experts from around the world as special hosts and guests.

To serve Americans’ hunger for health, medical and wellness information, SIRIUS’ Doctor Radio will cover the human condition and the complexities of the bodies we inhabit, as well as entertain a little bit along the way. Doctor Radio will give listeners direct access to the best doctors in every field, breaking down barriers between the medical world and the everyday world, and giving listeners information to make important decisions about their health and well-being. NYU Medical Center doctors will take new medical research and findings and translate them into easy-to-understand advice and knowledge in an innovative and new way to better peoples’ lives.

Among the diverse array of subjects covered are how to know if you are at risk for a heart attack and high blood pressure; the psychology of everyone from serial killers to college students; what really goes on inside the emergency room and how it compares to television shows like ER and House; what parents can do to cope with children suffering from ADD; stories from the operating room, and why it might be better to hold off on getting that long- awaited nose job; and important things to know before reaching for that Viagra pill on your way to the bedroom. Speaking candidly to address real-life medical matters and scenarios, doctors on the channel will even dissect sports injuries from the past weekend’s big games.

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While driving this afternoon I was tuned into Sirius’ Jay Thomas show, which as usual was quite entertaining. At one point during the show, Sirius ran an advertisement for the Catholic Channel, and I found the ad to be informative, as well as quite well done. The ad expressed that the Catholic Channel was more than Hallelujah’s and Amens. The ad stated that the while Catholic Channel does carry Mass from St. Patrick’s Cathedral, they also have family programming, sports programming such as Notre Dame Football, and are even sponsoring a contest involving the NFL’s Saints vs. Cardinals game (dubbed the Holy Bowl), where a fan can win a trip to New Orleans to catch the game!

Now, admittedly, I have never listened to the Catholic Channel, and in point of fact am not even Catholic, but the advertisement compelled me to take a few minutes to look up what the channel was all about, and frankly I was quite surprised. The channel has featured comedian Bobby Collins, and Johhny Carson sidekick Ed McMahon. The channel seems to be a blend of tradition and modernism. A mix of heavy talk and lighter talk. A place where people can learn about religion in a non threatening and inviting manner.

This type of programming is one of the staples that makes satellite radio so special. Cross promotion of channels allows listeners to catch a glimpse of something that otherwise would remain unfamiliar, and I feel this is great. For some, religion is a taboo topic. For others, it is a passionate topic. However you feel, having access to such programming is something that we can all be thankful for, and with a merger, the opportunities for additional programming of this type increase.

The point of this piece is not to promote the Catholic Channel, but to show you that no matter which satellite radio service you have, that there is plenty of exploring that a consumer can do, and that as consumers we should consider ourselves lucky to have an audio entertainment medium willing and able to air diverse and fringe content.

As satellite radio fans we should step back and take a moment to celebrate the content that Sirius and XM offer, and further we should consider all of the potential that a merger will bring.

Position - Long Sirius, XM

Sirius Satellite Radio already heralded for their in depth NFL coverage, is taking football to an entirely new level thanks to Martha Stewart with Taste of The NFL. The charitable event is held annually on the night before the Super Bowl, and pairs team chefs with present and past NFL players to prepare dishes. Since 1992, the event has raised more than $6.8 million for hunger related charities. This year, the event will gain new exposure as the NFL teams with Martha Stewart Living Radio to broadcast a new team and recipe each Monday and Friday between now and the Super Bowl. The series will culminate with a live broadcast of Taste of the NFL on February 2nd.

• Chefs and Teams participating in the unique series include:
• Chef Susan Gross of West Town Tavern, Chicago, IL; Chicago Bears
• Chef Kent Rathbun of Abacus, Dallas, TX; Dallas Cowboys
• Chef Allen Susser of Chef Allen’s, Miami, FL; Miami Dolphins
• Chef Paul O’Connell of Chez Henri, Boston, MA; New England Patriots
• Chef Stephen Lewandowski of Tribeca Grill, New York, NY; New York Giants
• Chef Jack McDavid of Jack’s Firehouse, Philadelphia, PA; Philadelphia Eagles
• Chef Shin Tsujimura of NOBU, New York, NY; New York Jets

Listeners can participate by calling 866-675-6675 and talking turkey about the food, the teams, or even the players. So join in, participate, help tackle hunger, and help raise dollars for the hunger related charities.

Position - Long Sirius