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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: Sirius

Sirius stories: 19 news summaries

 Right-Wing Radio Host 
 Calls Maddow 'Little Boy' 

Andrew Wilkow also attacks Perez Hilton

May 15, 09 9:18 AM CDT
(Newser) - A right-wing radio host's rant on Tuesday got nasty—even for talk radio. Andrew Wilkow of Sirius/XM, filling in on the syndicated "Mark Levin Show," called MSNBC's Rachel Maddow a "nice little boy" and Perez Hilton a "vile sodomite," Salon reports. "It just sounds... More »

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satellite radio • Democrats • Sirius • talk radio • conservative • Rahm Emanuel • Perez Hilton • Rachel Maddow • Republicans • Andrew Wilkow • Mark Levin

 Liberty Media Nears 
 Sirius Rescue Deal 

Company to get stake in Sirius in return for   fending off Echostar

Feb 17, 09 4:21 AM CST
(Newser) - Sirius XM may have found its white knight just in time, the Financial Times reports. The deadline for the satellite radio firm to restructure its debt or file for bankruptcy protection is today, and Liberty Media is believed to be readying a last-minute rescue deal that would give it a... More »

MORE ABOUT:
satellite radio • Sirius • bankruptcy • mergers and acquisitions • EchoStar • Liberty Media • Sirius XM

 Sirius Seeks White Knight 

Facing massive debt and under siege by a rival, company turns to Liberty Media for help

Feb 12, 09 9:59 AM CST
(Newser) - With $175 million in debt due Tuesday and an unwanted takeover in the offing, Sirius XM Radio is hoping for help from Liberty Media, reports the Wall Street Journal. The satellite radio company is more than $3.25 billion in debt and nearly cashless, yet remains steadfast in its efforts... More »

MORE ABOUT:
DirecTV • Sirius • Dish Network • EchoStar • John Malone • Liberty Media • Sirius XM • Charles Ergen

OPINION

 Satellite Radio Is Doomed 

Auto downturn looks likely to kill Sirius and the satellite radio biz

Feb 11, 09 2:40 AM CST
(Newser) - The country’s only satellite radio company is close to filing for bankruptcy, and columnist Mike Elgan is having an “I told you so” moment. Before Christmas Elgan predicted in ComputerWorld that Sirius XM wouldn’t survive the recession, given its shaky financial status—and the downturn now looks... More »

MORE ABOUT:
radio • satellite radio • Sirius • bankruptcy • Chapter 11 • Sirius XM

Under Pressure, Sirius XM Tries to Look Ahead

Merged company works to develop subscribers, refinance debt

Sep 15, 08 11:45 AM CDT
(Newser) - Satellite radio’s fortunes—thought to be peaking after Sirius and XM merged in July—are falling as the united company’s stock continues to tumble and management scrambles to refinance debt, reports the Wall Street Journal. Still, CEO Mel Karmazin says, the company is “heading toward making... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Mel Karmazin • Sirius • mergers and acquisitions • broadcasting • XM Satellite Radio • Sirius XM

FCC Approves Satellite Radio Merger

3-2 vote OKs $3.3B Sirius buyout of XM, ends 16-month drama

Jul 25, 08 8:21 PM CDT
(AP) - Federal regulators formally approved the merger of the United States' only two satellite radio operators today, ending a 16-month-long drama closely watched by Washington and Wall Street. Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.'s $3.3 billion buyout of rival XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. will mean 18 million-plus subscribers will be... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Sirius • FCC • mergers and acquisitions • XM Satellite Radio • Federal Communications Commission

FCC Staff
Blesses Satellite
Radio Merger

Sirius-XM deal could
go to commission
within 3 weeks

Jun 16, 08 7:57 AM CDT
(Newser) - After languishing nearly a year and a half in regulatory limbo, the merger between XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio may finally get the green light to proceed. The FCC staff has signed off on the $5 billion deal, reports the Wall Street Journal, with some conditions devised... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Sirius • antitrust • Kevin Martin • XM Satellite Radio • Federal Communications Commission

 Raunchy Stern Prank
 Enrages Dolly 

Shock jock's audio tricks have Dolly spewing hate

May 15, 08 6:24 AM CDT
(Newser) - Dolly Parton has become the latest victim of a Howard Stern audio mashup and the country legend is livid, reports E! Online. The shock jock and his henchmen chopped up and remixed Parton quotes to make it sound as if she was spewing out raunchy and racist remarks. The fuming... More »

MORE ABOUT:
radio • Sirius • shock jocks • Dolly Parton • Howard Stern

Forget Video: Radio Killed the Radio Star

Industry scrambles
to keep listeners in post-Howard Stern era

May 3, 08 5:25 PM CDT
(Newser) - With Howard Stern gone and Don Imus chastened, today's commercial radio is fighting to be heard, the Wall Street Journal reports. What's more, consolidation is depriving stations of a local touch and squelching chances for would-be stars. Plus there aren’t as many “heirs apparent,” said one... More »

MORE ABOUT:
radio • Sirius • CBS • Don Imus • talk radio • Howard Stern

XM and Sirius Delay Meetings as FCC Weighs Merger

State officials oppose satellite giants' plans despite Justice approval

Apr 30, 08 2:57 PM CDT
(Newser) - XM and Sirius both postponed annual shareholder meetings as they awaited final FCC approval of their planned merger, the Washington Post reports. The nation’s only satellite-radio operators are expected to win approval, but their plans have faced new criticism from lawmakers and state attorneys, and there may yet be... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Department of Justice • Sirius • FCC • XM Satellite Radio • mergers

 Satellite Merger Clears Hurdle 

Justice Dept. doesn't see threat to competition; FCC must still weigh in

Mar 24, 08 3:32 PM CDT
(Newser) - The Justice Department today approved the proposed merger between satellite radio firms Sirius and XM, the Wall Street Journal reports. The FCC must still sign off, but the pair appears to have allayed antitrust concerns about the merger of the industry's two largest companies by arguing that they face competition... More »

MORE ABOUT:
radio • Department of Justice • satellite radio • music industry • Sirius • FCC • mergers and acquisitions • competition • XM Satellite Radio • music distribution • consolidation

Sirius, XM Stocks Rise as Merger Looms

Analyst predicts Justice Department won't block Sirius from buying XM

Nov 30, 07 1:16 PM CST
(Newser) - XM Satellite Radio and Sirius stock prices got a boost Friday when an analyst predicted the Justice Department won't block Sirius from buying out the larger XM. Morning trade saw XM shares jump 9.4% and Sirius shares 4.6%, reports CNN. The analyst said that shares could hit $20... More »

MORE ABOUT:
radio • satellite radio • Sirius • mergers and acquisitions • XM Satellite Radio

Stern Extols
the Pleasures
of Satellite

Funny man finds the troubles at CBS Radio the best joke of all

Nov 24, 07 6:51 AM CST
(Newser) - It's been almost two years since Howard Stern switched to satellite radio, and the never-modest shock jock is reveling in his success on Sirius—and the woes of his former network, CBS, and rival, Don Imus, back in terrestrial radio. In a sit-down with the AP, Stern crows that his... More »

MORE ABOUT:
radio • satellite radio • Sirius • Don Imus • shock jocks • Howard Stern

Your Heart Won't Go On

Tunes like Dion's Titanic ballad not having
time of their life as directors opt for old hits

Nov 11, 07 4:12 PM CST
(Newser) - Anyone heard Hollywood's radio silence lately? Movie tunes like "My Heart Will Go On," "Up Where We Belong," and "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" aren't ruling the airwaves like before. And star directors like Cameron Crowe and Wes Anderson are opting for known... More »

MORE ABOUT:
radio • Sirius • 50 Cent • Wes Anderson • Burt Bacharach • Celine Dion • Cameron Crowe

Sirius, XM Union May Have Listeners Singing the Blues

Deal would lower options, raise prices, Post writer says

Nov 10, 07 1:32 PM CST
(Newser) - For anyone doubting that a merger between Sirius and XM would harm the satellite radio industry by forcing listeners to go through a single provider, the Washington Post’s Marc Fisher has two words: cable TV. Fisher argues that for all of the advantages any union may produce,... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Mel Karmazin • Department of Justice • satellite radio • Sirius • FCC • cable TV • merger • XM Satellite Radio • Howard Stern

Dude! Deadheads Get Own Channel

Sirius radio targets niche market
devoted to legendary band

Aug 29, 07 4:25 PM CDT
(Newser) - Twelve years after Jerry Garcia's death, the band is getting back together—on satellite radio. Sirius will launch a channel that's all Grateful Dead, all the time on September 7, kicking off with a legendary 1974 performance at the Hollywood Bowl. "This is gonna be one fun channel,"... More »

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music • radio • Sirius • Grateful Dead • Jerry Garcia • Hollywood Bowl

XM, Sirius Say Post-Merger Prices Will Fall

Satellite-radio giants bid to overcome resistance with new subscription plans

Jul 23, 07 3:55 PM CDT
(Newser) - In an attempt to lower resistance to their proposed merger, satellite radio providers Sirius and XM unveiled new pricing plans today that they say will cut subscription prices by 46%. The plans, which start at $6.99 as opposed to the current $12.95 per month standard price, also allow... More »

MORE ABOUT:
radio • satellite radio • Sirius • mergers and acquisitions • radio stations • a la carte • listeners • XM Satellite Radio

XM Fans Irate at Shock Jock Suspension

Opie & Anthony, kicked off airwaves,
now in trouble on satellite

May 17, 07 4:01 PM CDT
(Newser) - Fans of "The Opie & Anthony Show" cancelled their satellite radio subscriptions by the hundreds after XM slapped the shock-jock duo with a 30-day suspension earlier this week. Subscribers are accusing the station—which promises uncensored content—of pandering to the FCC so they won't block a pending merger... More »

MORE ABOUT:
radio • satellite radio • Sirius • FCC • talk radio • Opie and Anthony • The Opie and Anthony Show • shock jocks • merger • XM Satellite Radio

Satellite Sisters

XM and Sirius may
have unlikely
rescuers from
the Chicago School
of Economics

Mar 18, 07 8:44 PM CDT
(Newser) - Jim Surowiecki describes how the “Chicago School” of economists revolutionized anti-trust thinking in the 1970s. By arguing that it is not the number of competitors but rather their strength that mattered, these economists posited that some mergers stimulate competition. More »

MORE ABOUT:
entertainment • music • Mel Karmazin • satellite radio • Sirius • economics • merger • Chicago School • XM Satellite Radio

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