Now all Sirius has to do is limp along until Jan '06. No mean feat, given that XM is kicking their ass in subscribers.
So that was the announcement he was talking about this morning? Hmm, I think I'll have to subscribe to both now. Isn't this a bit like Jay Leno announcing he's leaving the Tonight Show in '09 though?
His Infinity contract is up on 12/31/05 so he starts at Sirius in Jan '06. Sirius said this morning that the annual cost of the show will be $100 million, which means they need about 800,000 new subs in order to cover just him (assuming he won't be a premium station). Sirius has 800,000 subs now, so it's a tall order. But it puts them back in the game vs. XM -- it's like they had to do something.
I'm with ya. I got XM just so I wouldn't have to listen to people blather all frickin day. Now Sirius wants me to pony up to hear Stern? NFW
I work in radio. This is HUGE news for us. Probably would have really been industry-changing if it was 5-6 years ago with Howard.
I have XM too, and I'm trying to figure out how I can hook Sirius up to my car system. So far, no go. This new unit from Alpine is not compatible with my CDA-9820XM head unit. At least that's what it says in the latest Crutchfield catalog.
Stern's show is usually gets the highest "morning drive" Arbitron rating in cities where it's broadcast.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but hasn't Stern stated many times in the past he couldn't justify to himself the idea of having his fans pay to listen to him?
Stern is like the NASCAR of radio: Available in only select markets, but where he is present he dominates, and his listeners are intensely loyal. I don't think there is anybody else in radio who could singlehandedly change the paradigm of free vs. pay radio in the way that he potentially will. In other words, if Stern doesn't get people to switch, nobody else can, either.
Sirius also got the NFL package, and has signed a deal to have Sirius equipment sold in Wal-Mart. They are definitely a player now, and XM should be concerned.
I assure you that it is industry-changing already. This changes the face of every facet of radio AND pay-per-anything-broadcasting, in terms of content, sales, billing, and listener/viewership profile.
Wow. I don't know how to respond to that. Edwards drew $13M people to Morning Edition. O&A aren't Stern, but they are hardly nobodies. The fact that he signed this deal three deals after they debuted (and have had Jim Norton wearing a t-shirt promoting their XM show on Last Comic Standing and Colin's Quinn's abortion of a show) is no coincidence. Especially since he's going to all subscribers and not a PPListener channel. Definitely an answer to the O&A deal. My question to dawgpound and any others in the industry is this: Will the Stern and O&A deals need other people to justify their existence? Meaning, will Don and Mike or Elliot Segal or any of the other talkers jump in to form an "Uncensored" channel instead of a O&A channel or Stern channel?
Monster, It's possible that Sirius would want to piggyback off Howard to form some All-Howardlike channel. I don't, however, think that a channel like that would draw enough subscribers to pay for the monstrous (no pun intened) salaries that a stable of those guys would require. Any potential Sirius sub looking for Stern-type programming will probably sign up with Stern alone, and the others would just not carry the weight. I think Sirius have worked out something with Howard that he'll have his own channel to develop further programming to piggyback his original morning show. I don't doubt that they'll also replay his morning show during the day.
It is and it isn't. The key is how the FCC might rule about satellite radio in the future. If they come down on the side of handcuffing satellite programming with strict guidelines like over-the-air, Stern will be a non-factor for Sirius. Doubtful, but possible.
I have read further since posting and he will get to program two channels, one of them which will be a premium channel. But he will not be on a channel that you have to pay extra for. I guess O&A are the ones I am more likely thinking need help. If they keep the subs at $2, but add a few more names, the channel might get more subscribers (i.e. me) as opposed to a 24-hour loop of O&A.
Opie and Anthony arent even close to being as well known as Howard is. Just because some satellite radio station paid a lot of money for them doesnt mean that they are a big deal. They have a cult following. They dont go beyond just radio like Howard does(i e "King of all Media".) I used to listen to them in Boston and the guy Anthony is a good impressionist but other than that the show is unbearable to sit through. Its like bad college radio. Almost as bad as listening to Imus.