Washington D.C. – Dozens of XM Satellite Radio employees and business partners are road-testing theservice in 20 markets in preparation for the system’s commercial launch, still planned for later this summer.
The company also opened midtown Manhattan broadcast studios and offices that will connected with XM’s 80-plus-studio broadcast center in Washington. XM has a similar studio facility in Nashville at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. The company’s two satellites are broadcasting from their final geostationary positions, each delivering the same nationwide coverage.
Among those working from the New York studios will be jazz artist Wynton Marsalis, who will host a series of hour-long musical specials chronicling his career and own tastes in music.
XM’s Washington facility features more than 80 studios, including a 2,800-square-foot performance studio.
