On Monday, I started to share some of my thoughts about Sirius and Satellite Radio as a whole sticking around.

People are constantly referring to the SiriusXM stock poor performance as an indicator of a downturn. Where I believe part of the problem lies is that both companies pre-merger made some very poor business decisions. Sirius worked very hard in order to land more talent and in doing so succeeded in bringing in more advertising revenue.

The company has to invest in talent before it starts to pay off in dividends. I believe this company will turn a corner, having learned some hard lessons and saved some money post-merger. They need to keep the right people with them, pay money for the talent if the advertising revenue can cover their contracts and turn a profit.

Regardless of whatever other options are becoming available through the Internet, or portable applications for iPhones and Blackberries, SiriusXM has a good quality product which can be enjoyed by a vast audience. There is at least something on the dial for everyone and every taste.

Seeing a Heavy Metal Radio Station become a reality is a dream come true for me. Listening to content that is uncensored and not bleeped out is a celebration of our freedom of choice and speech! Take it all in!

If you believe in the product, and know someone who might be interested, direct them to the Sirius Canada website and encourage them to sign up for the free trial. Let them listen for themselves to Radio freedom.

Thanks all,

Dann

Earlier in the week I started to offer some perspective into what the King of All Media might do with respect to his future. Howard Stern’s contract with Sirius is up this coming December and there is absolutely little idea where things are going in terms of direction and possibility. Before Howard and his crew left for their recent two week break, it was revealed that the crew apparently knew more than they were letting on, and Howard was doing a magnificent job in keeping things quiet. I suspect that come the fall he may start to reveal any details of potential negotiations, if any have actually started.

Howard Stern is one of the most important pop culture icons ever. He has fought for free speech, and for radio freedom. His move to Sirius was the most perfect fit that ever was created. He knows how to talk to people and connects with his audience on a level that no one else can.

When I think about this great product which I am happy to have at my side, I feel even better knowing that Howard and his crew form a major part of my enjoyment of Sirius. I am entertained, and informed by what he brings to the radio. The world is a better place because of his honesty, whether you agree with what he says or not. The world needs to seriously lighten up finally when it comes to all of the taboo topics that Howard has openly spoken about for over 30 years.

From a business perspective, Sirius has not made some bright moves over the last few months (cancelling lifetime subscriptions was outright insanity), if they allow Howard to leave for terrestrial radio, it will be a tremendous loss for radio freedom.

If Howard retires, I will of course respect his decision and pay fitting tribute to his great career in radio.

Back to music next week folks. Going to talk about top 40 programming and Adult Oriented Rock. Cheers.

In the interests of keeping this story on the web pages, this week will be devoted to the King of All Media and his great programming on Howard 100 and Howard 101. This morning as this goes to the site, Howard and his crew are returning from a 2 week break where we have been listening to the History of Howard Stern Act 3. Act 4 is in the works and it will be heard this coming December during what would be the Christmas vacation for the Stern crew, if Howard signs an extension with the company.

Howard has said that he has been entertaining offers to return to terrestrial radio. I would submit that this would be insanely stupid. Howard has to be enjoying the freedom that he fought tremendously hard for his entire career. Why go back to where the format would have to be toned down? I understand if money is an issue, so be it. I have also said a thousand times before that even with the financial position Sirius is in, they have shown incredible numbers when it comes to advertising revenue that Howard’s channels have produced.

The other thing Mel Karmazin has to keep in mind besides his long-standing positive relationship with the King of All Media is why jeopardize the most positive business relationship in radio history. Mel was Howard’s boss at Infinity Broadcasting (now CBS Radio). They work well together and know how to bring in an audience.

If  Howard were to leave, it is certain he would take the majority of his audience with him. This is a risk Sirius cannot afford to take.

CFl Football has returned to Sirius. A complete programming schedule is available on the Sirius website. Opening day was a pair of games on Canada Day starting with a rematch of the Grey Cup final. The joke that arose from that game was Saskatchewan’s Pilsner Beer now comes in 13 packs…. Anyway head to Channel 98 for CFL coverage and may Saskatchewan actually win the big one this year.

The week of June 28 saw a repeat play of The History of Howard Stern Act 3. I have not found this one as funny or entertaining as the previous 2 Acts. Apparently Act 4 is in the works likely to be aired during what will either be the last full week of Howard being on Sirius or during the Christmas vacation if he re-signs. Head up to Howard 100 and Howard 101 for all the craziness and madness that is the King of All Media.

Sirius 61 Prime Country is continuing with Brooks and Dunn Mondays right through to the end of the Labour Day weekend. Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn are sharing stories from their storied career and playing some of their favourite music, even if it is not country.

You may not be a fan of or even want to entertain anything related to Martha Stewart, but fact is her channel does contain some valuable information for everyone and anybody. I certainly appreciate the variety of material available through her site and the shows that are airing. From food to pet care, there is something up at Sirius Channel 112 Martha Stewart Living Radio.

Sirius 23 Hair Nation is a great reminder to the world of something forgotten about glam metal. This genre and group of musicians were technically gifted, if occasionally cheesy with their music.

Motley Crue, pictured here, were not the first glam metal band by any means. They did however bring a sense of alarm and alertness to the kind of music that was destined to explode out of the 1980’s. Glam metal was a force to be reckoned with. All too often attention was paid to the hair and makeup that these guys and gals, and guys who looked like gals, were wearing. Many of the songs were about getting laid in the back seat of a car, and drinking until your head exploded. Underneath the hair, makeup and crazy costumes, you had musicians who were tremendously talented. Many great Guitar heroes have come out of the Hair Nation era. Many of those same guitar heroes are still going strong today. Mick Mars from the Crue has aged and faced some medical problems, yet he can still run circles around many guitar players.

Glam metal to me started with KISS and the New York Dolls. There are others who are worth a mention as well. Way too many really to mention. Take Hair Nation for a two hour spin on your Sirius dial and you will find some of the best music ever made. One of the other reasons I am happy to have Hair Nation on the Sirius dial is because we have two channels that I would call metal.

Certainly I will take some flack for that last statement. Most would call Hair Nation home to glam rock. I always looked at it as glam metal since it was heavy enough to be called metal. Some exceptions of course to some of the poppier sounding material from Warrant, and started as metal but now just plan are no where near it, Def Leppard.

Crank up the hair with Sirius 23!

The speculation continues to grow on whether or not The King of All Media will return to Studio 69 in 2011. Stern’s contract is up at the end of the year and Sirius will need to move soon in order to prevent a lucrative offer from taking Stern and his advertising power with him.

It was recently suggested that even with the financial troubles at SiriusXM, Stern is rumoured to have brought in a whopping total of a billion dollars in advertising revenue since the commencement of his contract. Meanwhile SiriusXM continues to review the contracts of other personalities and program formats searching for ways to save money. 

SiriusXM has the opportunity to re-sign someone who is arguably one of the biggest names it will ever host on the airwaves. While it would certainly be understandable should Howard elect to retire after a 30 plus year as a revolutionary radio host, it makes better sense for SiriusXM to give Howard another 5 year deal. This would be long enough for advertising sales to really give the boost the company needs and for better financial decisions to be made elsewhere in the company.

Stern has been approached by a handful of companies to return to Terrestrial Radio. I would personally hate to see this happen since the kind of formatting Howard is allowed to present on his channels is something he worked his entire career towards achieving.

Hopefully on these pages by the end of the year, I and other Stern fans will be toasting his staying with SiriusXM. The world needs more of his sense of humour and blunt honest precision in a world full of phonies and pathetic news broadcasts.

I have been reviewing the large number of comments and complaints about service issues people have been experiencing and am compelled to write this page about these issues. Even though I love the product and have had tremendous success and service in my dealings with Sirius, I encourage everyone to continue to submit these kinds of comments. There are people in the IT department at Sirius Canada who are monitoring this site on a regular basis. So your comments are read by people who may end up passing them on to others within the company. I know that the chances of this are slim but you never know.  There is always a possibility. I strongly suggest as well that comments be passed on directly to the company through the website.

If you feel that you have a strong enough concern that should be addressed by someone at a higher up level, take those concerns further and address them to those at the executive level. This company needs subscribers in order to survive and therefore it should be paying attention and addressing the views of all customers.  We all pay money for this service and the customer, while not always right, IS THE CUSTOMER.

I have tremendous respect for SiriusXM’s man at the helm, Mel Karmizan. He has addressed in his various television appearances that customers are what drive the company to continue doing what it does. So I again stress to every reader of this page and every subscriber who comes across this page, if you are not happy with your service issues, pursue them until you get some sort of a satisfactory answer.  Do not settle for less than that. I want this company to survive and believe in the product. Stand up and shout loud, let Sirius Canada have it if you are not happy!  Speak up!

I have debated for some time if I was going to wade into the discussions and silly rumours about Howard Stern going to American Idol to replace Simon Cowell. The only reason I am now speaking out is because it seems to be one of the few main topics being thrown around on the Stern show. I am amazed at how many people have come up to me saying that it was going to happen and how “horrible” it will be.

First, I do not enjoy watching American Idol. I never did and never will. I agree with Howard’s assessment that the show is nothing more than a Karaoke contest. Even though the show has discovered some (albeit few) great vocal talents, overall it is a joke.

If these strange people would actually listen to Howard talk about his feelings about the show, you know full well by how he is talking that he would likely be the last candidate to join this judging panel. His constant slamming of the show and the judges is pretty clear cut to me. No producer in their right mind would look at someone who is slamming the very show and offer a contract to that particular person!  It is simple logic!

Howard may also be posturing somewhat in order to draw attention to his deal with Sirius being up at the end of the year. If Howard is telling the truth, then negotiations have yet to commence on whether Sirius is going to have him back. I am certain that given the traffic Howard has confirmed to have brought over to Sirius, it would be another costly business mistake if Sirius lets him go back to Terrestrial Radio.

Howard merely mentioning American Idol while tiring, has served to produce a few hilarious pieces of dialogue. As for his real future, the wait continues.

Dann

On the day I write and post this, February 13, 2010, metal fans across the world are celebrating the 40th birthday of “Black Sabbath”. This record by a group of 4 guys from Birmingham England would revolutionize the world of Heavy Metal and dare I say it, modern music. Those of us who are Sabbath devotees are celebrating this occasion all month long. For me, this particular record is my favourite record of all time and still a blast to listen to from start to finish.

It is safe to say that SiriusXM Liquid Metal would not exist without the music of the almighty Sabbath. Sabbath influenced every metal band that would come after them. Sabbath defined Heavy Metal with dark imagery and dark themed lyrics while maintaining solid musicianship.

The tracks from this and other Sabbath records will also be heard regularly on Sirius 19, The Boneyard. 

Sabbath’s history in metal is permanently secured thanks to the wide influence on metal musicians that followed. A rock and roll hall of fame induction further cemented this place.

I am eternally grateful for the influence Sabbath has had on my life personally and as a musician. I am pleased to spin this record a few times over the weekend!

It is football showdown weekend and Sirius is the place to be for extensive Superbowl Coverage. Many channels will have in-depth coverage and commentary, and many will also have the big game live from Fort Lauderdale. Game coverage will be in 5 different languages. The North American Feed Coverage will be on Sirius 124 NFL Radio.

Even Sirius Hits Channel 1 mainstay Spyder Harrison will be on site doing his weekly top 45 countdown live.

A host on one of the classic rock stations Saturday made a point of suggesting if the game gets boring, to turn it to a station covering the game in a different language since it might sound funny. Although I will not necessarily reccomend this course of action, I understand the point the host was trying to make. I am sure our English coverage of some sporting events sounds quite hilarious to someone who finds the English Language odd.

If you are not a fan of football or want a break from the coverage, head on down to Classic Vinyl at Sirius 14, 7 p.m. Sunday for an encore presentation of Classic Vinyl’s British Invasion. Over the course of the weekend we have been hearing blocks of The Who, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. The British Invasion changed the course of Rock and Roll forever and some forged some preliminary grounds for modern Heavy Metal. The previously mentioned acts made a major contribution to Rock and Roll by experimenting with new sounds and in the case of the Who and Zep, turning the amps up loud.

Happy Weekend!