XM, Sirius Plan Product Unveilings At SBCA Show
By Amy Gilroy -- TWICE, 8/5/2002
NEW YORK— Satellite radio suppliers XM and Sirius will display at the SBCA show for the first time as they seek to expand their service into rural markets and pursue the natural tie-in between satellite TV and satellite radio.
XM Satellite Radio currently has a partnership with satellite TV distributor O'Rourke and plans to announce additional agreements with satellite TV distributors around the time of the SBCA show, said VP retail marketing and distribution, Dan Murphy. He said XM was attending the show because "Satellite TV retailers sell primarily in the rural market and its a good place to improve your relationships with dealers that serve the smaller counties in the U.S."
XM said it is making changes to its channel lineup based on subscriber feedback. New formats being added include the first dedicated Neo-Soul channel. Playboy Radio, channel 205, will debut on September 3 for an extra $2.99 per month. For a limited time, a one-time transaction fee of $4.99 will be waived for current subscribers of the Playboy channel.
Sirius Satellite Radio, which currently has a partnership with satellite TV distributor DSI, said it is attending SBCA, here, to capitalize on the success of satellite TV. "Our philosophy is that those that love satellite TV are going to love satellite radio, with its breadth of programming and choice," said Stan Kozlowski, Sirius senior VP of retail distribution.
Sirius said that Panasonic will begin shipping Sirius tuners this September while XM announced several changes to its channel lineup including the addition of its first premium channel, Playboy Radio.
Sirius also announced that Sears will begin carrying Sirius radios produced by Kenwood with live feeds in 850 stores by September.
Panasonic added its name to the list of Sirius equipment providers (joining Kenwood, Clarion, Jensen and Audiovox). The company expects to deliver a standalone CR-SRF100 with an FM modulator and a controller which can interface with any radio with an FM tuner. The unit is expected to carry a list price of $229.
