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  1. Demian is offline
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    11-06-2008, 05:27 PM #121
    This guy is an idiot...

    http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/...0News/1999662/

    Chicago Tribune Tech Buzz column: Radio player a little too late
    Thu. November 06, 2008

    I've been testing a type of gadget I've wanted for some time -- a pocket-size, iPod-like radio player that delivers the variety of programming available from satellite radio.
    There's only one problem: It's two years too late.

    If Pioneer's XMp3 player had launched in 2006, I would have given it a hearty endorsement. Today? It's a hard sell because the market has changed significantly.

    Sure, iPods, Zunes and a bevy of other MP3 players would have been competing products then, but the difference today is that iPhones and BlackBerries can play digital music files and stream audio for free.

    That's what the XMp3 does -- for $279 plus $13 a month (or $17 a month if you want to hear Howard Stern).

    Still, I like this flexible and robust product quite a bit. But I don't think it will give Sirius XM Radio the new subscribers it covets. Drawing paying customers to a device in an era where free choices are abundant is a lot to ask.

    But, boy, the XMp3, introduced last month, is nice.

    It's smaller than a standard iPod and nearly as light as an iPod Nano. It fits comfortably into a shirt pocket and navigation is intuitive. On top sits a squat and unobtrusive antenna to receive a satellite signal. But if you're inside and not close to a window, receiving a signal is difficult.

    To compensate, this player can store 100 hours of recorded content from XM. Five channels can be recorded simultaneously and you can schedule recordings of your favorite shows.

    Best of all, individual song titles and artists are displayed separately.

    Also, you can add digital music files to the built-in MP3 player. This Windows-only function worked well in my tests, as I dragged songs onto the XMp3 using my computer's media software.

    But doing so makes little sense. Why would I pay a monthly fee for satellite radio and then use it to play songs I already own?

    The XM in the name stands for the XM satellite service, which provides the channel lineup for this unit. For an extra $4 a month, you can purchase a "Best of Sirius" package, which includes Stern, Martha Stewart and NFL games. Otherwise, for $13 you only get XM's offerings -- including Oprah, the National Hockey League and a variety of music channels.

    Sirius XM is developing a player that will integrate both services, but that's not expected until next year.

    The XMp3 ships with a home dock and separate antenna to maximize reception. You can plug the device into a home stereo receiver with included RCA cables or plug it into portable speakers using the headphone jack.

    It also ships with an unnecessary remote control but not car adapter, a huge oversight.

    Why? Because satellite radio has one clear advantage over new smart phones that can stream music: You can drive from Maine to California and not lose the signal. You can't do that with the iPhone 3G, as you won't get a consistent wireless signal through rural America.

    On the other hand, free streaming services on the iPhone offer a wealth of content that Sirius XM doesn't offer paying customers. For instance, there is only one channel for the BBC world service on the XMp3.

    But if you have downloaded the Flycast application for your iPhone, you have a choice of about 20 BBC feeds, including the world service, and other news programs.Two years ago, that content wasn't available on a portable gadget. But today, no matter how elegant a product may be, it's hard to justify paying for programming that is increasingly available for free.

    ebenderoff@tribune.com
    Last edited by Demian; 11-06-2008 at 05:58 PM.

  2. Demian is offline
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    11-06-2008, 06:09 PM #122
    Robert from thestreet.com hasn't corrected his misleading article yet.........email him!

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Robert,

    Bloomberg fixed the error in their SIRI article - now fix the error in your SIRI article...

    http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...4wI&refer=news

    "The company is seeking to replace 2.5 percent convertible notes due next year, Sirius XM said in a statement today. It faces about $1 billion in loan repayments in 2009, including $250 million in convertible bonds in February."


    -----------------------------------------------------------------------

    Robert,

    There is an error in your recent article about SIRI - "Sirius XM Expects Slower Subscriber Growth."

    In your article you state that they have "nearly $1.1 billion" in '09 debt due. This is not true. They have made two recent stock for debt exchanges - taking out $50 million of the Feb '09 converts. Saying that they have "nearly $1.1 billion" in '09 debt is untrue and misleading. There is no mention of their recent stock for debt exchanges in your article. This is important information to report.

    You also state that, "Investors are also hoping for clarity on hints it gave that it was planning a reverse stock split as a solution to prop up slumping shares."

    Having the option and planning are two different things. It was the prudent thing for SIRI management to have a plan in place to present to the NDAQ if it ever came to requesting a delisting extension. Mel has stated very clearly on several times that there were no plans for a reverse split. Read the Q2 CC! This proxy was issued before the NDAQ stopped any delisting procedures until '09. It is misleading to say that they are planning a reverse split when the company has stated clearly that it is not their intention.

    Please fix the errors in your article.....

    Thank you,

    Demian

  3. Demian is offline
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    11-06-2008, 06:32 PM #123
    SIRI trading up with heavy volume in AH........

    Nov. 6, 2008 Market Close: $ 0.26

    After Hours Trade Reporting

    After Hours
    Last: $ .28
    After Hours
    High: $ .288
    After Hours
    Volume: 2,076,339
    After Hours
    Low: $ .26

  4. Demian is offline
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    11-06-2008, 06:42 PM #124
    MH is still getting press.........

    http://www.ocregister.com/articles/g...8-lara-spencer

    SIRIUS LAWSUIT
    Michael Hartleib of Laguna Niguel is leading a group of more than 500 shareholders of Sirius / XM Satellite Radio who have filed a lawsuit accusing management of, among other things, alleges violations of the Federal Racketeer Act.
    "We are working to gain control of our company by seeking to remove current members of the board as well as top executive Mel Karmazin," e-mailed Hartleib on behalf of Save Sirius and its members. Persons interested in more information can e-mail savesirius@gmail.com

  5. Demian is offline
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    11-06-2008, 06:50 PM #125
    The Motley Fool is at it yet again today........

    http://www.fool.com/investing/genera...mentsBoxAnchor


    On November 06, 2008, at 5:48 PM, DemianBohemian wrote:

    Another worthless article from The Motley Fool fishing for hits and name dropping SIRI as they do on a daily basis....
    The Motley Fool was recommending XM to their paid subscribers at over $30 a share and now they have been bashing the combined company down in the pennies.....
    What kind of pump and dump operation are they trying to run?
    The Motley Fool has lost too many people too much money with their horrible advice......

  6. Demian is offline
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    11-06-2008, 08:07 PM #126
    http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/2008...-of-the-woods/

    THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2008
    MediaMemo by Peter Kafka
    Digital Music Deal Nearly Done, but Web Radio Darling Pandora Not Out of the Woods

    Web music site operators and the music industry have worked out the major points in a deal that will reduce the fees Web site operators are supposed to pay for music streaming rights.

    A final deal between the Digital Media Association, which is representing the Web sites, and SoundExchange, which collects royalties on behalf of the music labels and other copyright owners, isn’t expected until later this year. But “the hard stuff has been done,” says Pandora founder Tim Westergren, who has become the public face of Webcasters during negotiations.

    In September, Congress agreed to let the two groups hash out new terms that would replace the ones that the government-appointed Copyright Royalty Board signed off on last year. Since then, Web radio sites, led by Pandora, have bitterly complained that rates would force them out of business.

    The existing deal calls for Webcasters to pay an escalating fee to copyright owners every time they play a song for a listener. This year, for instance, Web radio stations are supposed to pay 14 hundredths of a penny ($.0014) per song streamed, per listener; site operators figure that will cost them about 2.1 cents per user, per hour.

    That doesn’t seem like much, but in order to cover those fees alone (before bandwidth and other costs), operators would need pull down many more advertising dollars then they’re getting now.

    Site advocates figure they’d need to be able to generate a so-called CPM rate of about $21 for every thousand visitors under the current fee structure. That’s a hard rate for big professional Web sites to achieve. And since users generally turn on a Web radio station, then look at other sites while it runs in the background, the format is a tough sell for ad buyers.

    So what’s the new rate going to be? Westergren wouldn’t comment, except to argue that the compromise still calls for “tremendously unfair” payments when compared to the fees paid by satellite radio operator Sirius XM (SIRI). That company is supposed to pay between six percent and eight percent of revenue between now and 2012.

    What about conventional radio? Those stations don’t pay a penny for so-called “performance” royalties, though the cash-starved music labels have asked Congress to change that. Good luck!

    The big question: Will the new rates allow Pandora, and the many smaller Webcasters, to surive? Westergren says Pandora is on track to generate $20 million in revenue this year, but he wouldn’t say whether that would allow him to break even with the new proposed rates.

    But Web advertising in general is under pressure, and ad buyers say that their clients are increasingly skeptical about trying out “experimental” mediums like Web video. So unless the rates get very, very low, or Westergren’s company has hired some very, very persuasive sales people, it’s going to remain a struggle.

  7. Demian is offline
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    11-06-2008, 08:09 PM #127
    http://blogs.barrons.com/techtraderd...d=yahoobarrons

    November 6, 2008, 6:34 pm
    Sirius Lays Out 5 Year Forecast; In Talks On Debt Refi
    Posted by Eric Savitz
    Sirius XM (SIRI) has gone open kimono.

    The company this morning announced that it is in discussions with several financial institutions on replacing its 2.5% convertible notes due 2009 with other financing. In connection with that process, the company unveiled its five-year growth forecast.

    Subscriber forecast:

    2009: 20.6 million
    2010: 21.1 million
    2011: 24 million
    2012: 26.2 million
    2013: 28.4 million

    Revenue forecast:

    2009: $2.7 billion
    2010: $3 billion
    2011: $3.4 billion
    2012: $3.8 billion
    2013: $4.1 billion
    Sirius said that “current economic conditions, particularly the dramatic and recent slow down in auto sales, have negatively impacted subscriber growth for 2008 and 2009.” The company expects to end 2008 with 19.1 million subscribers. Sirius said it remains confident in its previous revenue and adjusted EBITDA guidance for both 2008 and 2009.

    Sirius today was unchanged at 26 cents.

  8. Newman is offline
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    11-06-2008, 08:27 PM #128
    One of the big things I have noticed:

    They are only projecting 1.5 million adds for full year 09. If we figure that churn holds steady, we assume 50% penetration and 50% take rate, that means that they are counting on OEMs to only sell around 7 million cars next year.

    There is absolutely no way.

  9. Demian is offline
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    11-06-2008, 09:21 PM #129
    Quote Originally Posted by Newman View Post
    One of the big things I have noticed:

    They are only projecting 1.5 million adds for full year 09. If we figure that churn holds steady, we assume 50% penetration and 50% take rate, that means that they are counting on OEMs to only sell around 7 million cars next year.

    There is absolutely no way.
    Newman,

    I agree totally...talk about under promise!

    This is beyond silly and raises the bar so low that there is now no way that they can miss those projections.......no way in hell!

  10. Demian is offline
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    11-06-2008, 09:22 PM #130
    After Hours Trade Reporting

    After Hours
    Last: $ .2858
    After Hours
    High: $ .288
    After Hours
    Volume: 2,149,874
    After Hours
    Low: $ .26

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