Edition #13: The latest news from SiriusXM.
Stitcher Premium for SXM Premium users, a lawsuit over transcrips, CAP gets SXM Aviation Weather, tons of events, and more.
Friday, August 26th, 2022
Hello to you, wherever you may be. Welcome back once again to the newsletter, but if this is your first time, then I personally welcome you to the SeriousXM newsletter. Each week, its all about the latest news, events, and happenings inside SiriusXM Satellite Radio. And boy, if this IS your first week subscribing, then you chose a REALLY GOOD time to subscribe. There are so much news and events this week, so let’s get right to it!
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Now, the headlines…
The Latest News
Stitcher Premium + SiriusXM Premium = 🤝
This was bound to happen at some point after SiriusXM bought Stitcher. It has finally happened in 2022.
On Wednesday, the announcement was made that everyone who subscribes to SiriusXM’s Premium, Premium VIP, or Streaming Premium plans will now have access to its podcast platform Stitcher’s premium plan for FREE. That’s right, no extra cost for the service. Usually, the service costs $5/month, but now, it has been added to new and existing subscribers of all Platinum plans that SiriusXM has to offer. And this is not just for the traditional car radio, but for the SXM app as well.
The company says that this is the first time it has bundled another service with its Platinum plans. Stitcher is home to many different podcasts, including Office Ladies, Freakonomics Radio (there’s also an online channel devoted to that on Channel 791), LeVar Burton Reads, Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend and more.
With this plan, there’s ad-free listening, early access to podcast episodes, and the ability to binge-select podcast series without having to wait for new episodes to drop, all while having access to 60,000+ hours of podcasts within their library.
Not to mention, of course, more than 425 SXM channels available at your leisure, including ad-free music, curated mood and activity-based channels, personalized Pandora stations, a huge lineup of pro and college sports, talk, entertainment, news, comedy, and much more.
SXM’s Chief Subscription Revenue Officer, Richard Beatty:
“Stitcher Premium is a terrific value add for our Platinum and Streaming Platinum subscribers. With one subscription and one set of login credentials, our listeners get our full spectrum of unparalleled SiriusXM content, and now a huge selection of popular podcast content on Stitcher as well. This enhancement to our Platinum Plans delivers more content with no extra cost and no hassle to sign up. It’s another great way for SiriusXM to connect people to the voices, stories and music they love.”
For those who already have SXM’s Platinum plans, just log in, and you’re good. You can also log in with SXM’s credentials on the Stitcher app and you’ll be in without needing to create anything new. A reminder… this is for SXM’s Platinum, Streaming Platinum, and Platinum VIP plans.
SXM: “unnecessary”, “unreasonable” for podcast transcript lawsuit.
This story came out last Friday but not in time enough for the release of last week’s newsletter so I’m mentioning it quickly here. H/T to Podnews for covering this.
Back in December of 2021, SiriusXM was sued by the National Association of the Deaf and Disability Rights Activists for not providing podcast transcripts. Now that we’re in August, SXM lawyers have responded saying in a 32-page document (in which I will NOT read in full because that’s what lawyers are for) that it was “unnecessary”, a “public assault“, and “a cudgel to tarnish responsible companies“. SXM is calling it a “public relations campaign”.
Again, thanks to Podnews for finding out about this. We’ll update you as the situation develops.
SiriusXM will soon help out CAP from the U.S. Air Force.
Yesterday, it was announced that SiriusXM’s Aviation Weather unit will soon be deployed on the fleet of the Civil Air Patrol. Part of the U.S. Air Force, CAP as its known for short, is the civilian authority that helps support local, state, and federal agencies in missions related to disaster response, homeland security training, and aerospace education and youth aviation initiatives with the largest single-engine aircraft fleet in the world for search and rescue. Its a volunteer organization that’s home to 58,000+ volunteers, 560 light aircraft, and over 1,000 ground vehicles.
Thanks to this new partnership, its entire fleet will be equipped with Aviation Weather and will include new features like frequent updates on high-resolution composite radar updated every 2.5 minutes, 2.5-minute updates for cloud-to-cloud AND cloud-to-ground lighting strikes, METARs (METeorological Aerodrome Reports), TAFs (Terminal Aerodrome Forecasts), and Temporary Flight Restrictions, plus other information that ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast) currently does not provide.
CAP’s Chief of Safety, Michael Nunemaker:
“SiriusXM’s satellite-provided weather service is an ideal tool for Civil Air Patrol missions. SiriusXM Aviation is especially valuable as a part of our strategic weather information toolset where ground-based services may not be able to provide the weather information our pilots need to make decisions.”
SXM’s V.P. and G.M. of Aviation, Marine and Music for Business, Davd Wasby:
“We are very proud to be supporting Civil Air Patrol with our SiriusXM Aviation Weather services. SiriusXM is in full support of CAP's mission, so we are delighted to provide our weather and information for their pilots' decision-making from coast to coast and from taxi to touchdown.”
According to SXM, SiriusXM Aviation provides pilots with weather and related information that ADS-B cannot deliver including no line-of-sight restrictions, no altitude limitations, and continuous coverage coast-to-coast. DISCLAIMER: SiriusXM Aviation and its information and data are not for "safety for life," but are merely supplemental and advisory in nature, and should not be relied upon as safety critical in connection with any aircraft.
SXM can help track and find stolen cars. Who knew?
This is a story you have to read to believe but I have no idea until now that SiriusXM had tracking technology that could assist police in certain situations. Who knew?
Police in Rye Brook, N.Y. are crediting SiriusXM for leading them to an Infinity QX60 crossover that was reported stolen, Patch reports.
Rye Brook police told Patch that SiriusXM notified them about the Infiniti QX60 at about 2:00 a.m. on Sunday. The car had been stolen from Stamford, N.Y., on Saturday, and it was then stopped on Holly Lane in Rye Brook. Three suspects, all 21-year-olds from Queens, were inside the car and subsequently arrested. All three suspects were charged with felony possession of stolen property. Good.
Not every car has this. Only those with enabled Guardian and/or UConnect Access are eligible to make it work. They’re beefed up connected-car services that SXM offers that are similar to OnStar. If you have a newer Dodge, Alfa Romero, Chrysler, Ram, Fiat, or Jeep model, chances are you have UConnect Access that could help pinpoint your stolen ride’s location to police if its enabled. And not all plans even have this service, but this car was lucky enough to have it.
H/T to The Drive (an online automotive news outlet) for this story.
Sports in Movies? There’s a new SXM podcast for that.
SiriusXM has released a new podcast on Monday called The Replay: Sports on the Big Screen. Hosted by SiriusXM NFL Radio (Channel 88) host Bruce Murray, the podcast will take a look at all the amazing sports movies to have ever come out and the first season will explore 10 different sports movies. The first episode explores the 1992 film, A League of Their Own which tells a fictionalized tale of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) which existed from 1943-1954.
Next week’s episode will take a look at the 1986 film Hoosiers, which explores a small-town high school basketball team in Indiana trying to make it to a state championship. In the weeks after that, it will explore, in this order, Cool Runnings, Miracle, Ali, Eight Men Out, Rudy, Remember The Titans, Coach Carter, and Lords of Dogtown.
The podcast is available now on the SXM app or on your favorite podcast platform.
A new scripted comedy podcast has also arrived at SXM.
This week, SXM also debuted a new podcast called The Rubber Room, a scripted comedy that explores the lives of some bad apples from New York City’s public school system who have been locked away in a “rubber room,” a purgatory-like detention hall for wayward teachers. Eight episodes of the new show have been produced and are available now on the SXM App, Stitcher Premium, and starting this week on Raw Dog Comedy (Channel 99) which will air one episode a week every Monday morning at 10:00 a.m. ET (7:00 a.m. PT).
Produced by All Things Comedy, Civilian 7 Entertainment, and Evan Shapiro, the podcast features Alison Pill (Star Trek: Picard, The Newsroom), Tony Hale, Natasha Leggero, Patton Oswalt, and Alex English, among others cast. It was created, written, and directed by Jon Katz and Stephen Ruddy.
All half-hour episodes of The Rubber Room are available now on the SXM App, Stitcher Premium, and Mondays on Raw Dog Comedy (Channel 99) at 10:00 a.m., 2:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. ET (7:00, 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. PT).
Pandora LIVE’s El Pulso with Don Omar.
If you live in South Florida and subscribe to SiriusXM, then you are in for a treat.
Latin Grammy Award-winning artist Don Omar will perform at the Ice Palace Film Studios in Miami for a Pandora LIVE El Pulso event on Thursday, September 8th. It will feature the reggaeton star performing fan favorites. Its FREE but you have to RSVP for the event and you can do so HERE.
Caliente (Channel 158)’s Marisol will host the event in front of a live audience and then it will be aired on Saturday, October 1st at 1:00 p.m. ET (10:00 a.m. ET) with rebroadcasts on the following…
The same day at 7:00 p.m. ET (4:00 p.m. PT)
Sunday, October 2nd at 8:00 a.m., 3:00, and 9:00 p.m. ET (5:00 a.m., 12 Noon, and 6:00 p.m. PT)
Monday, October 3rd at 11:00 a.m. ET (8:00 a.m. PT).
This will be an event with star-studded treatment for fans, mainly provided by sponsors. For one, there’ll be a salsa dance performance and expedited entry, and exclusive perks for military members provided by USAA. Verizon will give fans an exclusive T-shirt for the event, Wendy’s will provide a select few with a premium viewing section and a discounted rideshare code for transportation to or from the event. Clorox will surprise one lucky fan with a poster signed by Mr. Omar and Chevron will sponsor a 360-degree photo booth for fans to take photos and videos. Also, Corona Extra will provide koozies to help keep beverages cold and Frito-Lay will provide Lay’s chips and branded hats. Talk about a treatment!
The performance will also be available at live.pandora.com on Friday, September 30th at 9:00 p.m. ET (6:00 p.m. PT).
Halsey’s in the Small Stage Series, too.
This week, it was also announced that Halsey will take part in SiriusXM’s Small Stage Series as well.
The invitation-only concert will be at Union Transfer in Philadelphia on Tuesday, September 20th, which will include Halsey performing her biggest hits.
After that, the concert will air on the company’s flagship station, SiriusXM Hits 1 (Channel 2) on Saturday, September 24th at 9:00 p.m. ET (6:00 p.m. PT). Plus, select songs will air on other channels including The Pulse (Channel 5), Pandora NOW (Channel 3; XL), and The 10s Spot (Channel 11).
SiriusXM Hits 1 was the first outlet in North America to support Halsey when they were still an unsigned artist in early 2014 playing their song “Ghost.”
If you want to attend this concert, then go to www.siriusxm.com/HalseyPR.
Phish will have a Labor Day concert too.
This week, it was also announced that Phish will have an upcoming Labor Day weekend concert at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo.
The concert will be on from Thursday, September 1st through Sunday, September 4th, and will be the first-ever four-night run for the band at the Denver-area soccer stadium.
Fans can listen live on Phish Radio (Channel 29) at 9:30 p.m. ET (6:30 p.m. PT) every night during that time with live video streams available via LivePhish.
Events
Okay, let’s finally go to this weekend’s events. There’s a lot to tell you about, including ones we’ve told you about before in past editions of the newsletter.
The Beatles are honoring Elvis Presley
Over on The Beatles Channel (Channel 18), this week’s 8 Songs A Week will feature favorite Beatles and solo Beatles covers of Elvis Presley’s songs to mark the 45th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s passing back in 1977.
The results will be determined later today, Friday, August 26th, at 2:00 p.m. ET/11:00 a.m. PT.
Shinedown’s Small Stage Series Concert
This weekend is Shinedown’s Small Stage Series concert. It will include highlights from the album, Planet Zero.
Also, it will air on a new limited-run channel Shinedown Radio (Channel 37; temporarily replacing Octane) that starts today and goes until Monday, August 29th. After that, it will be on the SXM app until Friday, September 23rd.
The concert will air on the following…
Today (8/26) at 8:00 and 11:00 p.m. ET (5:00 and 8:00 p.m. PT)
Tomorrow (8/27) at 9:00 a.m., 3:00, and 9:00 p.m. ET (6:00 a.m., 12 Noon, and 6:00 p.m. PT)
Sunday (8/28) at 12 Noon and 6:00 p.m. ET (9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. PT)
Monday (8/29) at 12 Midnight ET (9:00 p.m. PT)
Good Vibrations are coming to an end this weekend.
Unfortunately, this weekend is the end of Good Vibrations - The Beach Boys Channel on SXM Channel 105.
The channel has been running on one of SXM’s two Limited Edition channels (for traditional car radio plans; the other is 104).
It makes sense as Summer unofficially comes to an end next weekend with Labor Day weekend around the corner so its time to sunset its two-month run and we’ll see where things go after that for Channel 105. Its a good indication, and a good vibrating feeling (see what we did there?) that the channel will return for next year.
Back to school, kids! SXM has programming for that too.
Well, its back to school in much of the country and SiriusXM has programming tailored for that too. Here are some of the programs still left to air…
The Business of Back to School is now available from Business Radio (Channel 132) on the SXM app. They take a look at the educational industry and how it has evolved to where it is now.
Back To School with The Greats is also now available from Comedy Greats (Channel 94) on the SXM app. Its comedy legends talking about their memories from school, outside, and inside.
Back To School Special will air on Monday, September 5th (Labor Day) on Doctor Radio (Channel 110) plus the SXM app. This will feature various content, including how to deal with stress, healthy and exercise tips, how to get enough sleep for your kids, and more.
First Day Of Class is also available now from Laugh USA (Channel 98). Its an hour of clean comedy fun involving school that everyone in the family can enjoy and laugh at.
Country Music honors The Beatles.
Starting later this morning at 11:00 a.m. ET (8:00 a.m. PT) on The Beatles Channel, Tracy Gershon hosts the latest episode of Y’All Together Now which will feature Martina McBride and Carlene Carter for discussions and music.
After the airing, it will repeat at the following times…
Today (8/26) at 9:00 p.m. ET (6:00 p.m. PT)
Tomorrow (8/27) at 3:00 p.m. ET (12 Noon PT)
Sunday (8/28) at 11:00 a.m. ET (8:00 a.m. PT)
Next Wednesday (8/31) at 12:00 a.m. ET (9:00 p.m. PT)
Next Thursday (9/1) at 1:00 p.m. ET (10:00 a.m. PT)
Sports
Now we get to the sports section of the newsletter. Among many other things happening in sports this week, there’s one that’s making its triumphant return…
🏈: COLLEGE FOOTBALL IS BACK!!!
Get ready, ladies and gentlemen. Get… ready. College Football is back once again!
Starting tomorrow and running until Monday, September 5th, Labor Day, SiriusXM will air 95 live college football games in its first two weeks! These matches will feature some heavy hitters as subscribers will get access to all kinds of games from the ACC, BIG Ten, BIG 12, PAC-12, SEC, C-USA, MAC, WAC, Mountain West, AAC, and more, plus Notre Dame football (they’re Independent), Army, Navy, Air Force, HBCU Football, and more.
The opening week will… be… BIG. We miss it so much. Every team in the AP Top 25 poll will be featured on opening week.
Saturday, September 3rd
#11 Oregon (197 - PAC-12 Play-by-Play) vs. #3 Georgia (81 - ESPN Xtra) at 3:30 p.m. ET (12:30 p.m. PT).
#23 Cincinnati (202 - Sports Play-by-Play) vs. #19 Arkansas (190 - SEC Play-by-Play) at 3:30 p.m. ET (12:30 p.m. PT).
Utah State (381 - Sports Play-by-Play) vs. #1 Alabama (81 - ESPN Xtra) at 7:30 p.m. ET (4:30 p.m. PT).
#5 Notre Dame (129 - The Catholic Channel) vs. #2 Ohio State (84 - ESPN-U Radio) at 7:30 p.m. ET (4:30 p.m. PT - first top 5 matchup of the season).
This weekend is usually not considered opening weekend, as its mainly not well-known games that’ll get you ready for the upcoming regular season ahead.
The rest of the schedule of opening week games on SiriusXM is available here: siriusxm.us/2022CFBonSXM. Go there, there are plenty of games listed along with where away and home feeds can be heard at.
🏀: WNBA Playoffs are in full force.
SiriusXM NBA Radio (Channel 86) has all the action of this week’s WNBA playoff action as it continues into full gear. The first round has finished and now its down to four teams: Las Vegas Aces, Seattle Storm, Chicago Sky, and Connecticut Sun.
The semi-final round begins on Sunday with Game 1 action in both series.
Seattle Storm vs. Las Vegas Aces
Game 1 - Sunday (8/28) at 4:00 p.m. ET (1:00 p.m. PT)
Game 2 - Next Wednesday (8/31) at 10:00 p.m. ET (7:00 p.m. PT)
Connecticut Sun vs. Chicago Sky
Game 1 - Sunday (8/28) at 8:00 p.m. ET (5:00 p.m. PT)
Game 2 - Next Wednesday (8/31) at 8:00 p.m. ET (5:00 p.m. PT)
There’ll be a Game 3 of course, plus extra games for each series if need be.
⛳: PGA Tour continues its season in Atlanta.
The PGA Tour is making a stop in Atlanta this week for the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club.
Of course, SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio (Channel 92) will have it all. Here are the air times for this weekend…
Today (8/26) at 12:00 Noon ET (9:00 a.m. PT)
Tomorrow (8/27) at 2:00 p.m. ET (11:00 a.m. PT)
Sunday (8/28) at 1:00 p.m. ET (10:00 a.m. PT)
🏁: NASCAR is at its birth home this weekend.
SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90) is at NASCAR’s founding city, Daytona Beach, this weekend for its events.
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Today (8/26) is the Wawa 250 Powered by Coca-Cola at 7:00 p.m. ET (4:00 p.m. PT).
NASCAR Cup Series
Tomorrow (8/27) is the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at 6:00 p.m. ET (3:00 p.m. PT).
This week’s in-race audio car drivers are…
Ryan Blaney - #12 on Channel 980.
Martin Truex, Jr. - #19 on Channel 981.
Bubba Wallace - #23 on Channel 982.
Erik Jones - #43 on Channel 983.
🎾: Serena’s last ride at the U.S. Open.
Well, folks, this is it. After a career that has spanned generations and decades of memorable moments on the Tennis court, this is Serena Williams’ last tournament before she “evolves” and steps away from the game. Not for good, but at least for a long while.
Next week, the last major tournament of the year on the Tennis calendar, the U.S. Open, will begin.
Every day, coverage will begin at 11:00 a.m. ET (8:00 a.m. PT) until play has finished for the day over on Channel 392 (one of the Sports Play-by-Play channels) until Wednesday, September 7th. At that point, coverage will then move to Channel 207 (another Sports Play-by-Play channel) until the tournament finishes on Sunday, September 11th.
And, just like that, another edition of the SeriousXM newsletter comes to a close. Thank you for reading this week!
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Have a great final weekend of August. I’ll talk to you again in September.
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