At a news conference today in Chicago, XM President and CEO Hugh Panero today announced that XM Satellite Radio has expanded its launch of the first U.S. digital satellite radio service nationwide, bringing 100 channels of music, news, sports and entertainment across the entire continental United States.
XM is marking the final phase of its national launch, across the entire Northern U.S., with a “Power of X” listen-and-ride tour – rolling city-by-city events beginning today in Chicago and scheduled over the next 25 days in 25 major cities including Boston, Philadelphia, Detroit, San Francisco and Washington DC, and culminating with coast-to-coast events Dec. 5 in New York and Seattle. XM initiated its nationwide launch Sept. 25 in its lead markets of San Diego and Dallas/Fort Worth and expanded in mid-October across the entire Southern U.S.
“Just six short weeks after launching XM in our two lead markets, XM Satellite Radio today launches nationwide, bringing 100 channels of amazing radio – Radio to the Power of X – coast-to-coast,” Panero said at a news conference at the Hyatt Regency.
XM will transform radio, an industry that has seen little technological change since FM, almost 40 years ago. XM provides music to soothe the mind and information to fill it. XM’s programming lineup features 100 coast-to- coast digital channels: 71 music channels, more than 30 of them commercial- free, from hip hop to opera, classical to country, bluegrass to blues; and 29 channels of sports, talk, children’s and entertainment. XM also brings to the car, for the first time on radio, the same diverse selection of 24-hour news sources available in the home on cable and DIRECTV.
XM offers 13 channels of news and information covering the latest national, world, business, financial and technology developments from premier partners and its own programming staff, such as CNBC, CNN Headline News, CNNfn, Fox News, ABC News & Talk, USA Today, Bloomberg, BBC World Service, C- SPAN and its own XM News. These channels extend the reach of America’s most trusted and popular hosts and commentary from TV and radio – including Maria Bartiromo, Art Bell, Sam Donaldson, Dr. Dean Edell, Sean Hannity, Brit Hume, Jim Lehrer, Joe Madison, Chris Matthews, Bill O’Reilly, Tim Russert, Tony Snow and Brian Williams – to motorists everywhere across the United States, ensuring they are never out of touch with the latest news.
XM radios, already available across the Southern U.S., have now arrived at major electronics retailers in the North, including Best Buy, Circuit City, Tweeter, participating RadioShack Dealers and Franchisees, Crutchfield, Good Guys, CarToys, Audio Express and Sound Advice; and at independent retailers. Leading manufacturers such as Sony, Alpine and Pioneer will offer a broad array of XM radios including models that will easily enable any existing car stereo system to receive XM service (the Pioneer Universal Receiver and the Sony Plug-and-Play) and over 20 models of new AM/FM/XM systems offering many other great features. General Motors this month rolled out factory-installed Delphi-Delco XM radios in Cadillac DeVille and Seville models, and will expand to more than 20 GM models next year.
Consumer and press reaction to XM has been exceptional. The Chicago Tribune proclaimed in a widely run Knight-Ridder review, “XM Satellite Radio, a revolutionary service delivering 100 channels of music and talk for $9.99 a month, is only a few days old, and I’m already prepared to call it the best new consumer technology of 2001.” Fortune Magazine wrote, “… satellite radio is the best thing to happen to car radio since FM emerged some 40 years ago.”
“Remember when there were only three broadcast television networks?” Panero asked. “Soon people will say, ‘Remember when there was only AM and FM?”‘
XM won several awards at the 2001 International Consumer Electronics Show, including “Best of CES” in the automotive category. Most recently, XM won Popular Science’s 2001 “Best of What’s New” Grand Award in the electronics category. XM’s strategic investors include America’s leading car, radio and satellite TV companies – General Motors, American Honda Motor Co. Inc., Clear Channel Communications and DIRECTV. For more information, please visit XM’s web site: http://www.xmradio.com.
