Edition #19: The latest from SiriusXM.
A Howard Stern-related lawsuit is thrown out, Mack joins SXM, Dave LaGreca stays at SXM, tons of events, and more.
Friday, October 7th, 2022
Welcome to another weekly edition of the SeriousXM newsletter. Every week, its the latest news, notes, and happenings inside the SiriusXM service. For those of you returning, welcome back, and thank you for your continued support. For those who are new, welcome aboard!
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All righty. Without further ado, here’s the latest from this past week.
The Latest News
Howard Stern’s former sidekick loses appeal.
Legendary shock jock King of All Media Howard Stern has had many sidekicks throughout his show’s long, illustrious, and sometimes controversial, history.
One of those sidekicks was a former sidekick, John Melendez, who was better known as Stuttering John. He was one of those sidekicks from 1988-2004 and was even an announcer for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno for a time.
Well, unfortunately for him, he lost his appeal this week in a lawsuit that claimed that Sirius XM Holdings, Inc. (the parent company of SiriusXM and Pandora) improperly exploited his celebrity on channels dedicated to Howard Stern (Channels 100 and 101; both XL).
Reuters reports that in a 3-0 decision, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan rejected Melendez's claim that Sirius owed damages for using his name, persona, and voice from old recordings in advertising without permission, in order to add and retain listeners. The judge said that Melendez failed to plausibly allege that Sirius (this was before Sirius and XM were merged) "usurped his identity" by using his name or likeness independent of airing excerpts from old episodes, meaning that federal copyright law preempted his "right of publicity" claims.
He left Stern's show the same year Stern struck a five-year, $500 million agreement to jump to New York-based Sirius from conventional airwaves, beginning in 2006. That agreement included airings of old shows, which included 13,000 hours of episodes that featured Melendez.
This past Tuesday's decision on the lawsuit upheld a June 2021 ruling by U.S. District Judge Paul Crotty in Manhattan.
Mack joins SXM and is on-air doing two channels.
Mack is one of the newest on-air personalities at SiriusXM. He’ll be on two of its pop music channels. First, he’s on The ‘10s Spot (Channel 11) from 6am-12pm ET (3-9am ET), and then on their flagship channel, SiriusXM Hits 1 (Channel 2) from 12-5pm ET (9am-2pm PT).
Mack joins SXM from 93.9 WMIA-FM Miami (my home market) where he was hosting mornings (how ironic that he’s hosting mornings on SXM too). But he’s been in Miami radio for a long time as he did nights and afternoons at 100.7 WHYI-FM Fort Lauderdale for more than a decade. He’s also worked in Jacksonville (WFKS, now WKSL Neptune Beach), Chicago (WKSC), Philadelphia (WIOQ), and Harrisburg (WHKF).
Mack will be taking over from Spyder Harrison who’ll continue to host his weekend countdown show on SiriusXM Hits 1, but will now also host right after Mack from 12-6pm ET (9am-3pm PT) on The ‘10s Spot and then continue as his alter-ego JJ Walker from 6pm-12am ET (3-9pm PT) on ‘70s on 7.
The channel is being hosted for the first time, and as of now, includes this lineup…
6am-12pm ET - Mack
12-6pm ET - Spyder Harrison
6pm-12am ET - Catherine Haley (she’ll also remain on TikTok Radio; Channel 4)
Dave LaGreca is sticking around at SiriusXM.
Dave LaGreca has signed a new multi-year contract extension with SiriusXM this week to remain with the company and host SiriusXM Fight Nation (Channel 156)’s Busted Open, one of the most popular shows covering the world of pro wrestling.
LaGreca:
“I am very happy to cement my relationship with SiriusXM. The platform will continue to be the home for Busted Open and I appreciate every SiriusXM team member who has made the show a success. As always and most importantly, I am able to live my dream because the Busted Open Nation is right there beside me. The Nation’s passion and energy are the lifeblood of this show and it’s been amazing to grow with you all.”
LaGreca is one of the co-hosts and the founder of the program, having launched in 2009. It airs every Monday-Saturday from 9am-12pm ET (6-9am PT) on SiriusXM Fight Nation. They deliver the latest news, analysis, and interviews from the world of pro wrestling. The show is also available as a podcast with some of the best moments from every day’s show.
New Channels
This is not a new permanent one, but a temporary one that’ll be heard this upcoming week on Channel 104, one of SiriusXM’s four pop-up channels on traditional car radios (alongside 14, 105, and 106).
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, SiriusXM has released a new temporary pop-up station called King of Bachata Radio, hosted by one of Latin music’s most recognized and influential singers, Romeo Santos. The channel is available on online streaming plans on the SXM app since the beginning of the month on Channel 503, one of SiriusXM’s twelve online Limited Edition channels. It will also start airing today until next Friday at 3:00 a.m. ET on Channel 104.
This temporary pop-up will feature Santos’ music, songs from his influences and favorite artists, and even play music from his new studio album, Formula Vol.3.
Artists included on this station will include himself of course, but also Bad Bunny, Justin Timberlake, Marc Anthony, Rosalía, Usher, Aventura (the band he used to be a part of as its former lead vocalist), Drake, Wisin y Yandel, and much more.
Events
Time to dish out all the events that’ll be taking place this week on the service, including new specials, new concerts, and all the sporting action you need to know.
Before we do, a look at events we already covered in the newsletter…
Lizzo had her Small Stage Series Concert from Detroit on Wednesday night. SiriusXM Hits 1 (Channel 2) will air it on Wednesday, October 12th at 9:00pm and 12:00am ET/6:00 and 9:00pm PT and The Heat (Channel 46) will have it next Friday, October 14th at 8:00pm ET/5:00pm PT.
SiriusXM honors Loretta Lynn this weekend.
For all of you country fans, this one hurts. We lost another legend in Loretta Lynn this week. She passed away at the age of 90 back on Tuesday, October 4th from her home in Hurricane Mills, Tenn., her family confirms in a statement.
SiriusXM is going all out this weekend on its country channels to honor, remember, and pay tribute to the Coal Miner’s Daughter. A career that lasted six decades, if not thousands of generations, she sold over 45 million albums with 24 No.1 singles, hundreds of songs, and way too many awards and honors to mention, one of which is just being a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
All this weekend, SiriusXM will be releasing special programs, concerts, and events devoted to Mrs. Lynn. It’ll be known as Coal Miner’s Daughter Memorial Weekend. It will be across various channels so here’s a list to make it easy for you.
Saturday, October 8th
9:00-10:00am ET (6:00-7:00am PT) - White Christmas Blue on Outlaw Country (Channel 60).
From 2017, Elizabeth Cook hosts this special that included live performances from Mrs. Lynn at Coal Miner’s Daughter Museum in Hurricane Mills, Tenn.
11:00am-3:00pm ET (8:00am-12:00pm PT) - Remembering Loretta Lynn on Willie’s Roadhouse (Channel 59).
NEW. Sunny Sweeney will host the program and will deliver songs, memories, and messages from Loretta’s friends, fans, and fellow artists.
9:00-11:00pm ET (6:00-8:00pm PT) - Grand Ole Opry at 97 and Salute to Loretta Lynn on Willie’s Roadhouse.
NEW. Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, Steve Wariner, Bill Anderson, Jeannie Seely, Chapel Hart, and others will honor and remember Mrs. Lynn plus celebrate the Opry’s 97th birthday (the birthday is actually not until November).
9:00-10:00pm ET (6:00-7:00pm PT) - The Steve Earl Show: Hardcore Troubadour Radio on Outlaw Country.
NEW. Its own tribute to Loretta Lynn.
10:00pm-12:00am ET (7:00-9:00pm PT) - The Buddy and Jim Show on Outlaw Country.
NEW. Its own tribute to Loretta Lynn.
Sunday, October 9th
9:00-10:00am ET (6:00-7:00am PT) - The Steve Earl Show: Hardcore Troubadour Radio on Outlaw Country (repeat).
10:00am-12:00pm ET (7:00-9:00am PT) - The Buddy and Jim Show on Outlaw Country (repeat).
11:00-11:30am ET (8:00-8:30am PT) - Me and Patsy on Willie’s Roadhouse.
From 2020, Dallas Wayne and Loretta Lynn discuss her relationship with the late singer Patsy Cline who died in a plane crash in 1963.
12:00-4:00pm ET (9:00am-1:00pm PT) - Jeannie Seely’s Tribute to Loretta Lynn on Willie’s Roadhouse.
NEW. A special episode of Sundays with Seely that’ll feature memories of Lynn from Vince Gill, Bill Anderson, John Conlee, and Rhonda Vincent.
4:00-8:00pm ET (1:00-5:00pm PT) - Remembering Loretta Lynn on Willie’s Roadhouse (repeat).
8:00-9:00pm ET (5:00-6:00pm PT) - White Christmas Blue on Willie’s Roadhouse (repeat), repeated again from 9:00-10:00pm ET (6:00-7:00pm PT) on Outlaw Country.
9:00-11:00pm ET (6:00-8:00pm PT) - Grand Ole Opry at 97 and Salute to Loretta Lynn on Willie’s Roadhouse (repeat).
Monday, October 10th
12:00-4:00am ET (9:00pm-1:00am PT) - Jeannie Seely’s Tribute to Loretta Lynn on Willie’s Roadhouse (repeat).
John Lennon’s birthday is celebrated on SXM.
This weekend and right into next week, SXM’s The Beatles Channel (Channel 18) will be celebrating John Lennon’s birthday on October 9th (Sunday) with exclusive programming, and more. The programs have already or will soon debut on the channel. Here’s a list of what to expect.
Across The Universe (A show devoted to the life and music of John Lennon).
Today at 11:00am ET (8:00am PT; premiere) and 9:00pm ET (6:00pm PT).
Tomorrow, Saturday, October 8th at 3:00pm ET (12:00 Noon PT).
Sunday, October 9th at 11:00am ET (8:00am PT).
Tuesday, October 11th at 4:00pm ET (1:00pm PT).
Thursday, October 13th at 11:00pm ET (8:00pm PT).
Saturday, October 15th at 1:00pm ET (10:00am PT).
Sean Ono Lennon’s Guest DJ Mix (The only child of John Lennon and Yoko Ono will join host David Fricke in a two-part series sharing memories of his dad and playing his favorite solo tracks from his father and the other Beatles.)
Saturday, October 8th: Part 1 at 1:00pm ET (10:00am PT; premiere) and Part 2 at 5:00pm ET (2:00pm PT; premiere)
Sunday, October 9th: Part 1 at 8:00am ET (5:00am PT; premiere) and Part 2 at 9:00pm ET (6:00pm PT; premiere)
8 Songs A Week Times Two (This will feature 16 favorite songs sung by John Lennon from listeners, instead of the usual 8.)
Today, Fri., Oct. 7th at 2:00pm ET (11:00am PT; premiere).
Tomorrow, Sat., Oct. 8th at 10:00am ET (7:00am PT).
Sun., Oct. 9th at 3:00pm ET (12:00 Noon PT).
Mon., Oct. 10th at 1:00pm ET (10:00am PT).
Fab Fourum (The channel’s weekly live talk show)
Tomorrow, Sat., Oct. 8th at 7:00am ET (4:00am PT).
Sun., Oct. 9th at 6:00pm ET (3:00pm PT).
Way Beyond Compare (Alternate takes, live performances and versions of Beatles recordings you might never have heard of before. This week, rare songs by John and his family).
Today, Fri., Oct. 7th at 4:00pm ET (1:00pm PT).
Sun., Oct. 9th at 10:00am ET (7:00am PT).
Apple Jam (A show about Apple Records.)
Today, Fri., Oct. 7th at 11:00pm ET (8:00pm PT).
Mon., Oct. 10th at 12:00am ET (9:00pm PT).
Northern Songs (A themed playlist of hits and rarities by The Beatles.)
Tomorrow, Sat., Oct. 8th at 7:00pm ET (4:00pm PT).
Sun., Oct. 9th at 6:00am ET (3:00am PT).
Dark Horse Radio (A weekly show focusing on music that George Harrison wrote, produced, sang, and loved.)
Tomorrow, Sat., Oct. 8th at 11:00pm ET (8:00pm PT).
Sun., Oct. 9th at 4:00pm ET (1:00pm PT).
Wed., Oct. 12th at 7:00am ET (4:00am PT).
The ACL Music Festival on SiriusXM.
From having its own show on PBS to now having its own music festival. But its been that way for 20 years now.
Nonetheless, the Austin City Limits Music Festival is back for another year and SiriusXM will have live coverage all weekend across its spectacle of channels, with the majority of the coverage being on The Spectrum (Channel 28). Live sets, interviews, and more will be aired.
Friday, October 7th
3:30pm ET/12:30pm PT - Noah Cyrus on The Spectrum.
7:00 and 11:00pm ET/4:00 and 8:00pm PT - Nathaniel Rateliff on The Spectrum.
8:00pm ET/5:00pm PT - Billy Strings on Jam On 309.
9:00pm ET/6:00pm PT - The Chicks on The Spectrum.
Saturday, October 8th
2:00 and 10:00pm ET/11:00am and 7:00pm PT - Nathaniel Rateliff on The Spectrum.
6:15pm ET/3:15pm PT - The Manchester Orchestra on The Spectrum.
8:15 and 11:00pm ET/5:15 and 8:00pm PT - The War on Drugs on The Spectrum.
9:15pm ET/6:15pm PT - Flume on Diplo’s Revolution (Channel 52).
11:00pm ET/8:00pm PT - Sofi Tukker on Alt Nation (Channel 36).
Sunday, October 9th
5:00pm ET/2:00pm PT - Spoon on The Spectrum.
6:00pm ET/3:00pm PT - Japanese Breakfast on SiriusXMU (Channel 35).
8:00pm ET/5:00pm PT - Marcus Mumford on The Spectrum.
8:00pm ET/5:00pm PT - Goose on Jam On 309.
Hispanic Heritage Month specials
Hispanic Heritage Month is starting to wind down but SXM still has specials right up until the end.
Caliente (Channel 151) has another Los Herederos special hosted by Marisol that’ll feature Luis Coronel on Sunday, October 9th at 7:00pm ET (4:00pm PT).
Also, you have Linda Ronstadt. Yeah, did you know she has Mexican-American roots? I had no idea. Therefore, Caricia (Channel 762; online only) will feature music from one of her iconic albums, Canciones de Mi Padre. It will air tomorrow, Saturday, October 8th at 12:00pm ET (9:00am PT).
Finally, Águila (Channel 761; online only) will have a Front Row special with sierreño romántico singer-songwriter Danny Lux on Thursday, October 13th.
Don’t forget, you also have Jesus Trejo hosting his weekly Thursday Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration specials every Thursday on Netflix is a Joke Radio (Channel 93), Comedy Greats (Channel 93) airing multiple rebroadcasts of a special celebrating the month with Latino/Hispanic comedians, and a health special devoted to Hispanics the entire month on Doctor Radio (Channel 110).
Sports
We have a JAM PACKED sports weekend ahead of us, which includes all kinds of preseason action plus the NFL regular season, the MLB playoffs, college football, soccer, Golf, NASCAR, and even Formula One.
Here are the most notable of those events, but please note that SiriusXM will be carrying all the action as it carries Every. Major. Sport. Ever.
⚾: MLB Playoffs
The MLB regular season for the year is over. Now, its time to focus on the upcoming playoffs which begin today with the Wild Card series. Here’s where you can hear the Best-of-3 game series for each matchup.
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Cleveland Guardians
Game 1: Friday, October 7th at 12:07pm ET/9:07am PT.
Game 2: Saturday, October 8th at 12:07pm ET/9:07am PT.
Rays: Channels 175 (traditional) and 866 (online).
Guardians: Channels 176 (traditional) and 847 (online).
National: ESPN Radio (Channel 80).
Game 3: Sunday, October 9th at 4:07pm ET/1:07pm PT (if necessary).
Rays: Channels 177 (traditional) and 866 (online).
Guardians: Channels 178 (traditional) and 847 (online).
National: ESPN Radio (Channel 80).
Philadelphia Phillies vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Game 1: Friday, October 7th at 2:07pm ET/11:07am PT.
Phillies: Channels 177 (traditional) and 860 (online).
Cardinals: Channels 178 (traditional) and 865 (online).
National: MLB Network Radio (Channel 89).
Espanol: Channels 181 (traditional) and 965 (online).
Game 2: Saturday, October 8th at 8:37pm ET/5:37pm PT.
Phillies: Channels 179 (traditional) and 860 (online).
Cardinals: Channels 180 (traditional) and 865 (online).
National: MLB Network Radio (Channel 89).
Espanol: Channels 181 (traditional) and 979 (online).
Game 3: Sunday, October 9th at 8:37pm ET/5:37pm PT (if necessary).
Phillies: Channels 175 (traditional) and 860 (online).
Cardinals: Channels 176 (traditional) and 865 (online).
National: MLB Network Radio (Channel 89).
Espanol: Channels 181 (traditional) and 965 (online).
Seattle Mariners vs. Toronto Blue Jays
Game 1: Friday, October 7th at 4:07pm ET/1:07pm PT.
Mariners: Channels 179 (traditional) and 864 (online).
Blue Jays: Channels 180 (traditional) and 868 (online).
National: ESPN Radio (Channel 80).
Game 2: Saturday, October 8th at 4:07pm ET/1:07pm PT.
Mariners: Channels 177 (traditional) and 864 (online).
Blue Jays: Channels 178 (traditional) and 868 (online).
National: MLB Network Radio (Channel 89).
Game 3: Sunday, October 9th at 2:07pm ET/11:07am PT (if necessary).
Mariners: Channels 175 (traditional) and 864 (online).
Blue Jays: Channels 176 (traditional) and 868 (online).
National: MLB Network Radio (Channel 89).
San Diego Padres vs. New York Mets
Game 1: Friday, October 7th at 8:07pm ET/5:07pm PT.
Game 2: Saturday, October 8th at 7:37pm ET/4:37pm PT.
Padres: Channels 175 (traditional) and 862 (online).
Mets: Channels 176 (traditional) and 857 (online).
National: MLB Network Radio (Channel 89; Game 1).
National: ESPN Radio (Channel 80; Game 2).
Game 3: Sunday, October 9th at 7:37pm ET/4:37pm PT (if necessary).
Padres: Channels 179 (traditional) and 862 (online).
Mets: Channels 180 (traditional) and 857 (online).
National: ESPN Radio (Channel 80).
🏀🏒: NBA and NHL preseason action.
The NBA and NHL are slowly coming back with preseason action (in other words, games that don’t count). Most, if not all, of these games, are being carried on online-only hometown broadcasts but there will be a select few on SiriusXM NBA Radio (Channel 86) and SiriusXM NHL Network Radio (Channel 91).
I will not mention them here so click the following links for the schedules…
I also want to mention that NBA Training Camp coverage continues, outside of preseason action, on SiriusXM NBA Radio as teams are getting set and ready for the upcoming NBA regular season. This week, they’ll have the following…
Friday, October 7th
7:00pm ET (4:00pm PT) - Houston Rockets
8:00pm ET (5:00pm PT) - Los Angeles Clippers
Monday, October 10th
7:00pm ET (4:00pm PT) - Miami Heat
8:00pm ET (5:00pm PT) - Oklahoma City Thunder
Tuesday, October 11th
7:00pm ET (4:00pm PT) - Detroit Pistons
8:00pm ET (5:00pm PT) - Atlanta Hawks
Wednesday, October 12th
7:00pm ET (4:00pm PT) - Boston Celtics
8:00pm ET (5:00pm PT) - Indiana Pacers
Thursday, October 13th
7:00pm ET (4:00pm PT) - Cleveland Cavaliers
8:00pm ET (5:00pm PT) - Orlando Magic
🏈: NFL Week 5 Action
Every week, I’ll be sharing a link to Matthew Keys from The Desk’s listings of all NFL games and where they can be heard on SiriusXM.
One of the notables is another London game this week: the New York Giants vs. the Green Bay Packers. Its this Sunday morning at 9:30am ET (6:30am PT).
Giants on Channels 387 (traditional) and 823 (online).
Packers on Channels 228 (traditional) and 811 (online).
National on Channels 229 (traditional) and 964 (online).
⛳🏁: Other Sports
This section is where all other sports lie, including
⛳
The PGA Tour is in Las Vegas this week for the Shriners Children’s Open at TPC at Summerlin. All weekend coverage is on SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio (Channel 92).
Today, Fri., Oct. 8th coverage begins at 2:00pm ET (11:00am PT).
Sat., Oct. 8th and Sun., Oct. 9th coverage begins at 3:00pm ET (12:00 Noon PT).
🏁
NASCAR is soon wrapping up its season as the playoffs are in its final stages. This week, the playoffs take them to Charlotte for its series of races. All coverage is on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
Saturday, October 8th
3:00pm ET (12:00pm PT) - NASCAR Xfinity Series: Drive for The Cure 250
Sunday, October 9th
1:00pm ET (10:00am PT) - NASCAR Cup Series: Bank of America Roval 400
Usually, SiriusXM mentions the in-race audio car drivers for the week, but they’ve elected not to on its site for some unknown I don’t know why reason.
Also fitting into the category of motorsports is Formula One. The season is taking a stop in Japan for the Japan Grand Prix from the Suzuka Int’l Racing Course in Suzuka, Mie Prefecture, Japan on Sunday, October 9th.
Because it will take place during the overnight hours, ESPN Xtra (Channel 81) will air it live at 1:00am ET (10:00pm PT) and then offer a second chance to hear it on repeat at 9:00am ET (6:00am PT).
Phew. That’s a lot and that’s it for this week’s newsletter.
You are now caught up with all the news and events taking place inside SiriusXM.
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A heads up that you need to know about: There may not be an edition of the newsletter next week as I’ll be on vacation. The key word is not because it depends on where I stay and whether or not I’ll have wifi to curate this newsletter.
Nonetheless, next week’s newsletter may be curated outside of our HQ for the very first time so stay tuned for news on that. If that’s the case, you’ll know about it first on Twitter.
Until then, whenever (and wherever) that may be, I thank you for subscribing, reading, and supporting the SeriousXM newsletter. Have a great weekend and a great upcoming week.
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