Where Is Howard?
Sure, he is in bumpers that air on both Sirius and XM, but where are the Letterman appearances? Where is the push to get the word out? Perhaps tying the lack of activity to a bonus is wrong, but money is a powerful motivator, and we did see a lot more activity when he did get bonuses than when we did not.
One frustrating moment came when Scott Greenstein suggested that Howard broadcast the show from the Super Bowl in January. Howard did not seem thrilled with the idea, indicated that his studio was in New York, and that live remotes are not as good as studio shows. While this may be true, live remotes bring their own promotional value, and listeners understand this. Besides, a live remote would give Howard exposure to people that otherwise have not heard Stern in quite some time.
Blaming Howard is easiest because he is the biggest name on satellite. Others should be doing the push as well. Where is Martha, Oprah, Opie and Anthony, Tony Stewart, Bubba The Love Sponge, Judith Regan, and Bob Edwards? Why not convince these satellite radio stars to give the medium a bit of a push during the Holiday season. We know Jay Thomas will hit Letterman as he does every year. Thomas always puts on a good appearance, but that is just one of what should be many opportunities to get more exposure for the Sirius XM brand.
The merger has happened. People have complained about the lack of advertising and exposure. With the recent channel shuffle now complete, I can see why the company held back a bit early on, but now is the time to make the push, and we need Howard Stern, as well as other stars to be a part of that push.
For the stars, bonuses would be great, but at this point, survival of the company should be a consideration as well. The days of easy money are gone, and now is the crucial time when those that make satellite radio great need to step up and pitch in.
The economy is bad. The credit markets are bad. The company is in the middle of trying to refinance, and certain metrics do not look rosy. Why not get all of the talent to point out the VALUE in satellite radio? Consumers want value, and satellite radio can deliver it. The message needs to be everything you can get for a small monthly fee, and the best people to sell that would be the talent on satellite radio.
Position: Long SIRI.
yeh i always wondered that,all that good talent and not a peep outside radio.oprah should have a small logo on her coffee table or something….beat the branding in peoples head.
tony stewert bigger logo on the car.something christ
Tyler, I’ve been posting the exact points on your site and others for months. Don’t these stars have a vested interest in the survival of Sirius Xm? The public perception has to be the merger is a failure. Where was the hoopla over the victory with the FCC’s ruling? Do win the war and concede defeat? What on Sirius Xm’s part have they done to promote the victory? Mel has got to be the General who rallies the troops from within. Put pressure on your talent to hit the bricks like their promoting a new book! I havn’t seen any commercials or their logo around anymore. I’m just totaly baffeled. Are you telling me Howard can’t do something to get some press good or bad (press is press). Most people are still not sure what Sat. Radio is all about. Advertise to the young like Steve Jobs did w/ the I-Pod and the rest of us will catch on.
Hartlieb’s theory is becoming more of a reality each passing day. How much longer are you investors going take this brutal punishment from Mel before you join SavingSirius?
2009 is a banner year.dont back down now.over 70 percent in the dash.go to every car advertisment and sirius or xm is STANDARD!
This merger was huge,we would of only had one service anyway and the people complaning are spoiled cause if one or the other went belly up,all the channels would have been nixxed!!
patience is a vertue should be your next article!!
iphone app in 09 you bet on it!
Howard has become lazy, I am sorry but this is the truth. The amount of vacation time he takes along with Fridays off have hurt the product. He was the the biggest star in radio, they capitalized on his name in the beginning, and it worked, but he has since fallen off the face of mainstream earth. Howard along with all the other big ticket names need to get the word out, Barbara Walters, Martha Stewart, Bob Edwards, and Opie and Anthony to name a few need to be team players and promote the living hell out of this product. Hey Howard, if you do not want to promote, then at least give back half of you money to help offset the debt!
When Howard first came to Sirius he said that there were not enough radios in certain areas to meet the demand. Very frustrating. Coming out now to promote might not give the same bang for the buck as coming out after an auto bailout or interoperable radios. I wish he would come out now, or better yet, buy some stock, but I think when he feels the time is right he will promote. I just hope he “knows” when the time is right.
I will not be joining SavingHart..er Sirius. Remember if you vote online at proxyvote.com, I believe you can always change your vote up until December 18th. Vote anyway you like. Not voting is treated as a NO vote.
Tyler,
My sarcastic side says, COS will really be pissed that someone has the audacity to expect more from management of this great company………….
Socal
When you make $100,000,000 + a year, and work 4 days a week with 10 weeks vacation (at least!), it means that you live in a fantasy world; a world that DOES make you lazy and DOES NOT provide the inclination to be a team player. It isn’t just Howard – does anybody affiliated with Sirius/XM really give a shit about promoting satellite radio? I haven’t seen any evidence!
Ron Gardners post is correct; they should be going ALL OUT to spread the word about the service, because the fact of the matter is that the service/product is amazing. And if Mel would just listen to his subscribers, it could be even better. When I mention satellite radio, some people look at me, perplexed, and say “What’s that?” This proves to me that Sirius/XM has failed miserably in the promotion of satellite radio, and if this company fails it will be their own apathy that contributed to the demise of something with so much potential. If I was Mel, I would not ask, but order Stern to get his skinny, cellulite covered ass in gear and at least make some TV appearances. One spot on TV reaches millions of potential subscribers! Look at all the ads for the I-pod; is it any wonder why they have sold 170,000,000 of them? One tenth that amount, or thereabouts in the next five years and this company could be on solid ground. It could happen, but not if they sit around and do NOTHING !!!
Socal
Nice sarcastic shot….. I full support management using their on air talent to lead the charge in an aggressive add campaign… That would be a great marketing approach and should be expected. Obviously I am as confused as anyone as to their plans for advertising over the holidays and you missed my point completely as to what my expectations of management are.
COS:
I honestly missed the removed post.
It’s all good. I have an extremely warped view of management of all publicly traded companies.
I admit it.
I use one thing to rank them by.
Scoreboard. Price Per Share. That’s it.
Others enjoy the drama. I just want to cash it at the grocery store.
Have a great Sunday.
Sitting in a home last night of an XM subscriber. They had no idea that Sirius had merged with XM.
They had no idea that Sirius makes portable devices.
That they could add a sub and place in their motor home during their extensive travels.
How about a Christmas television commercial.
With every one of the names mentioned in this article taking a role.
Oh well, I know this simply the best management team ever…………………………
Ditto–Sirius PR has been a disaster–I would use every avenue to get the word out, especially if free–like a howard /letterman hookup–They seem to be purposly quiet and i dont know why
Socal – Although I’m interested in other dimensions of a company that don’t include price per share, you’re right, that is a very crucial piece of the puzzle, and one that can be measured fairly simply as to the abilitly of management.
Howard is the very reason Sat Rad exists today – as long as he reups his contract he is gold to me.
You know Mel, I don’t know if you are a genius – like some people think – or a guy who got a reputation because he could make things happen with dogged determination and tenacious persistence. Whoever the real Mel Karmazin is, it would seem that one thing would be obvious; that you would not want it on your resume that your disrespect and disregard for the subscribers ultimately lead to the demise of satellite radio.
I am passionate about radio, as are millions of other people. It is why I don’t mind paying for a superior version of it. Terrestrial radio sucks, and millions of us do not want to listen to it or anything that approximates it. This is the way it is. If you try to compromise the music in any way – there are many pissed off subs who claim you are – then Sirius/XM is destined to fail. You can’t treat a niche group the way you treat terrestrial listeners. We are not the same breed. We have standards. Terrestrial listeners will accept any dumbed down crap that is on their radio; we wont. I am sure that you are aware of the listeners outrage over the channel restructuring. I would hope that you are, or plan to be really soon, sensitive to the subscribers feelings. You haven’t been so far. It isn’t rocket science. All you have to do is tweek things a little bit and everybody will be happy. But do not ask us to pay for something that we can get for free! I realize that satellite radio has had many obstacles to overcome, and that more are looming ahead. I want you to succeed in the worst way. I think that satellite radio can have a great future. LISTEN to the subscribers, and you will unlock the formula that will propel sattelite to levels that you never imagined. Your listeners are passionate. They are loyal. They are PAYING to hear something BETTER. Something that honors the music and pays tribute to it. That plays ALL OF IT. Just be honest with the people, show a little compassion, and give us good value for our increasingly hard to come by dollars. You will be rewarded. PS Advertise, Advertise, Advertise !!!!! Osama bin Laden has made more TV appearances than Howard has! He is supposed to be your biggest draw. Your biggest asset. Why would you not utilize him, and all the other overpaid talent, to help promote satellite. They should all be ashamed of themselves for their indifference.
Hey GIS.
I enjoy a good story, just like anyone.
I’d just like to see the decimal point moved over one to the right for now.
Take Care.
Hey Vapor.
.29 Monday?
Looking for some upward mojo……
Can you dig it?
Socal
Sirius Hope.
Have you left the building?????????????
howard signed a 5 year contract in 2004 his 5 years are done with in january he can RETIRE and radio can move on
“The message needs to be everything you can get for a small monthly fee, and the best people to sell that would be the talent on satellite radio.”
I agree and you would think Karmazin would be doing something. The company is sinking and he is not even offering any promotional plans to increase subscribers. What happened to offering lifetime subscriptions or at least offering everything Sirius XM has to offer for $12.95 instead of trying to milk an extra 4 bucks out of a few people. It is as if Karmazin wants Sirius XM to continue down the road to bankruptcy. Why would we want to keep him as the CEO after him admitting that he wants to take the company private? It’s a great game plan. Drive the share price into the ground, perform a 50 to 1 reverse split and then dilute the crap out of the shares. I bet he will be able to get the market cap below a billion…oh wait, he has already accomplished that. Let’s shoot for 600 million… With a market cap of 600 million, after the reverse split and dilution of the shares, the share price will be $4.28! Wow, $4.28, Karmazin is doing a great job, especially considering the shares were 25 cents just a few short months ago. Karmazin will then take the company private for $8.00 a share and everyone will be happy. This is a great plan.
Tristan –
You’ve outlined a very grim but possible scenario. That’s what a R/S and dilution would very likely do.
al….
Howard’s contract started in january of 2006 and runs through January of 2011. While he did indeed sign in 2004, he did not begin his five years until 2006
Tristan
How can the dilution of shares if voted in at the annual meeting be done after the RS??
cos1000 – the added ability to dilute allows them to sell at any time, before or after the R/S. The authorized will decrease after a R/S but either way there will be additional shares to sell.
I’ll detail it exactly how could work under a couple different scenarios if you’d like. A few others have already done this so I don’t want to repeat if not needed but would be happy to if needed.
SoCal Run…
I hope you made it through the fires ok?..
The pps is just tracking the performance or news at this point, It may drop a couple pennies today, but nothing short of good news or bad news is going to move it much in any direction in my opinion.
Are we at the bottom? I hope so. .24
Mel said he is going to get the loans, So lets see when that happens. That would be a good omen and a shot in the arm for the stock price.
More investors are going to take a risk at these basement prices if some good loan news comes our way.
So we wait
imho
vaporgold
SoCal..I have not left the building…lately not much to say about SIRI that can be helpful. Just very disappointed we are still going backwards even after the CC. Until debt is financed only then MAYBE the pps will get a decent bump up.
GetItStraight
Thanks for the response and willingness to explain, but you answered my question by including the authorized shares in the R/S and those extra shares diluted and authorized, can then be sold to pay debt. So 3.5 Bil shares additionally authorized becomes 70 M with a value of 12.50 / share in a 1 to 50 RS at $.25 /share.
The current authorized shares of 4.5B become 90M shares of which 3.5B (70M) are currently outstanding or restricted, leaving 1B (20M) left for dilution. Additionally, the current shareholders who are RS will need unrealistic SP values to recoup their losses after, creating all the current shareholder dissatisfaction with this plan.
I believe that if Mel acted on this plan, in this manner to pay debt, rather than avoid delisting as he has stated, that he should be indicted and thrown in jail. To date, this is not what he has said he wanted the RS authorization for. In my opinion any RS used without a delisting notice from NASDAQ and the use of the 180 day period to bring the stock price above a $1, would be evidence of this misrepresentation and possible Fraud, and for that matter, conspiracy to committ a whole lot of shit. Excuse my legal jargon, I am obviously not a lawyer.
My opinion about Mel’s management is that he needs to execute the business plan, while paying of the debt or at least improving debt conditions to the benefit not detriment of the shareholders.
The merger debt refinancing has me giving him one big strike against him and the proxy statement with these controversial requests gives him two. Any execution of the above described dilution-RS-sell shares to pay debt action would be strike 3 and time to lock him up. He still has a chance to hit it out of the park, but there isn’t much time and it needs to be done through hard work and efficient business plan execution.
closed today at .23…20 coming sooner than expected. IMO…by the time of shareholder meeting it will be .15 or lower.
Hope:
Good to see you posting. I know the pps is “extremely” depressing. As is most of the financial news of the day.
There appears to be a disconnect in my view, regarding this recession/depression.
For months there has been bailout talk. Bailout vote. etc. etc.
Yet, can anyone other than AIG, show me where the money is going?
The only stimulant I’m getting these days is from caffeine.
I can tell you firsthand money is harder to get today, than ever before. Sooooooooooo, where is this upgraded lending policy.
Hey Hope, I keep thinking about that .15 price. Generally after Nov.15th the market traditionally rises.
But………maybe this really is the big one. I mean, hey who wouldn’t love to go back to their July Etrade statements and put in into cash and walk away.
Wow, my life would be completely different if I had, or not. lol.
Vapor. We need oxygen, some acetylene and maybe some morphine to get this stock lit up.
Wow the excuses I keep hearing regarding the pps.
We will know very soon now Vapor.
In two months it will all be out on the table in my opinion.
Take care guys.
Socal