Fall '07 Arbs for Sat Radio: Howard Stern still #1

[AmpedNow]

http://www.orbitcast.com/archives/fall- ... ill-1.html

Yesterday, Arbitron released its Fall 2007 ratings for Sirius Satellite Radio Siriusly-Speaking May-07 and XM Satellite Radio. Below are some key takeaways from the ratings report, but check back later when I explain why Arbitron's ratings are all wrong (well, for satellite radio at least).

Overall, Arbitron reports that XM leads Sirius in listeners, 10.4 million versus 7 million respectively. Combined, there were approximately a half-million more satellite radio listeners in the Fall than in Spring 2007 when Arbitron last released its satellite radio ratings report.

Here's a breakdown of the Top 5 channels (in terms of "cume" - or the total number of unique listeners) from both Sirius and XM

Sirius' problem is pretty clear, if Howard doesn't renew his contract...

[Dr. Whiplash]

Related, from Wired...

Attorneys general for four states have asked the FCC to reject the proposed merger of Sirius and XM satellite radio operations on anticompetitive grounds. If the FCC approves the merger, the states want the commission to force the resulting combined entity to lease bandwidth to a free satellite radio service.

Attorneys general for Maryland, Connecticut, Ohio and Washington say XM/Sirius would need to open up to an outside satellite radio provider to increase diversity of programming, to offer rural residents more listening options and to give consumers something to hear on satellite radio receivers (including those preinstalled in cars but never activated).

However, at least one of the letter's signatories might have a hidden agenda. More at...
http://blog.wired.com/music/2008/04/state-attorney.html

[Ace Purple]

It's no surprise to me that the Stern stations performed so well. With three exclusive national shows between the two channels, plus several weekly one-hour shows on Howard 101, the two channels provide content that you can't hear anywhere else.