Edition #38: A special edition.
Looking back at the headlines from late January/early February.
Wednesday, April 26th, 2023
Surprise!!! You didn’t think I’d be showing up today, did you? Well, I thought I’d come in a bring you a special edition of the newsletter that takes a look back at what happened in late January/early February.
For those who may or may not remember, I didn’t post an edition of the newsletter during that time as I was mourning the death of a family member that required much more time, attention, and my presence to be in.
As a result, I really didn’t post much, if any at all, in the month of February. However, I’ve saved those stories because I thought they were still important enough to mention so, here you go. No events are mentioned here since any events that would’ve taken place in February have already taken place. No point in mentioning past events here.
Headlines
SXM warned us of economic challenges ahead. It came to light.
SiriusXM warned us back in February that there were some tough economic challenges ahead as a result of a lot of economic uncertainty. Boy were they right.
Some subscriber revenue has fallen and its CEO Jennifer Witz has said that they expect to lose customers this year. While all of that may seem to happen, one thing has definitely already happened as a result of the uncertainty… job cuts.
We FIRST broke it to you in early March (via Twitter) and told you about it here too that the economic uncertainty has forced SiriusXM to cut 475 jobs or about 8% of its workforce.
There could be even further uncertainty this year due to the tight auto market in which fewer and fewer consumers are buying new or used vehicles, which makes it tough for SiriusXM to sell its biggest product out there: satellite radio in traditional in-car plans. Whether or not that’ll remain the call for the rest of this year and next year remains to be seen.
Gail Berger is now a part of the SXM team.
Also back in February, SiriusXM welcome aboard Gail Berger who succeeded Rodney Pickett as Senior Vice President and General Manager of Automotive Partnerships following Pickett’s planned retirement. Berger now oversees SiriusXM’s Automotive Partnerships, Automotive Remarketing, and Automotive Field Operations teams responsible for growing and expanding SiriusXM’s presence in new and used vehicles. In other words, traditional in-car plans.
She’s been with SiriusXM since 2012 and was previously the Senior V.P. of Automotive Remarketing. Prior to that, she spent 15 years with G.M. with includes leading the development of the famous OnStar program.
Nicole Ryan got injured in a scooter accident.
For the record… she’s okay, doing all right, and back at it. However, there was a time where The Morning Mash Up’s Nicole Ryan wasn’t.
Earlier in February, she got hospitalized after getting hit by a car while on her scooter. Her team said that she was “seriously injured” by the accident, with broken bones and a bruised ego. However, she has since made a full recovery.
She hosts The Morning Mash Up with Stanley T. and Ryan Sampson on weekday mornings from 6:00 a.m.-12 Noon ET (3:00-9:00 a.m. PT) on SiriusXM Hits 1 (SXM 2).
New hosts and shows on SXM.
Also back in February, there were several new shows and hosts who were ready to make their mark on the SXM platform.
First off, SiriusXM Urban View (SXM 126) has added three new shows to its programming lineup with new hosts Shermichael Singleton, Reecie Colbert, and Dr. Rashad Richey.
On Saturdays from 2:00-3:00pm ET (11:00am-12:00pm PT), there’s The Shermichael Singleton Show, hosted by the political consultant, writer, and commentator. His show focuses on the biggest issues in culture, entertainment, media, and politics.
After that from 3:00-4:00pm ET (12 Noon-1:00pm PT) is The Reecie Colbert Show, hosted by the best-selling author, advocate, speaker, and strategist. She helps break down complex topics in an easy-to-understand way and her call-in talk show is similar to Singleton’s in which it also covers politics, culture, current events, entertainment, and lifestyle talk.
Finally, on Sundays from 1:00-2:00pm ET (10:00-11:00am PT), its The Dr. Rashad Richey Review, hosted by the (this is a long list of credits) Emmy-nominated broadcaster, news analyst, business executive, college dean, university professor, lecturer, entrepreneur, and advocate (I told you). Its mean to provide all things political, social, and economic empowerment.
Finally, I bring you Business Radio (SXM 132) for The Business Briefing, hosted by Janet Alvarez. A daily look into the biggest business headlines and trends of the day, the program is aired every weekday morning from 9:00-10:00am ET (6:00-7:00am PT).
She’s a 15-year veteran bilingual financial journalist, a CNBC/Telemundo contributor, a Harvard Visiting Nieman Fellow, and the Executive Editor at WiseBread.
She has invited a lot of guests within the first couple of months, from political figures like Andy Beshear (D; Gov.-KY) and Jim Justice (R; Gov.-WV) to Kevin O’Leary (best known from Shark Tank) and Anthony Scaramucci (founder of SkyBridge and best known for his brief tenure as the Trump administration’s press secretary).
Podcast News
It seems like SXM is coming out with new podcasts every single week or so. They did so back in February, but first, a renewal…
Let’s Go! has been renewed.
SiriusXM renewed its agreement to continue the Let’s Go! podcast that’s hosted by 7-time NFL Super Bowl Champion QB Tom Brady, former All-Pro WR Larry Fitzgerald, and Hall of Fame Emmy Award-winning broadcaster Jim Gray.
The podcast returns for season 3 this fall. In the meantime, previous episodes from the first two seasons are already available on the SXM app. The podcast focuses on the latest news from around the NFL and off the field.
Not only that, it will continue to air on SXM’s Mad Dog Sports Radio and SiriusXM NFL Radio channels.
New Podcast: Let’s Talk Off Camera.
In the first of three new podcasts that were announced in February, Kelly Ripa got a podcast of her own thanks to SiriusXM and husband Mark Consuelos’ production company Milojo Productions.
Let’s Talk Off Camera is her new place for edgy, and honest conversations with her and a celebrity guest taking a look at different topics with each episode unfiltered and uncensored.
The new podcast began in March and is available every Wednesday on the SXM app, Stitcher, and wherever you get your audio.
Scheduled guests that have already appeared, or are scheduled to be on include… Anderson Cooper, Andy Cohen, Carol Burnett, Holly Robinson Peete, Jimmy Kimmel, Joel McHale, Matthew McConaughey, and more.
New Podcast: Sauna Sessions.
So this one is an interesting premise: a podcast that’s done… from a sauna.
Yet, that’s how this one is with Sauna Sessions, hosted by spoken word artist, filmmaker, speaker, poet, rapper, and creator Prince EA (his real-life name is Richard Williams). The podcast focuses on long-form conversations focused on the mind, body, and spirit, done inside an infrared sauna, and how to apply everyday wisdom into our daily lives.
Episodes are already available now on the SXM app plus Stitcher and wherever you get your podcast audio.
New Podcast: How To Be Fine
One more here in three of three podcast news… another one called How To Be Fine, a self-improvement podcasted hosted by Jolenta Greenberg and Kristen Meinzer. Having launched two months ago on February 23rd, the podcast focuses on those who feel betrayed by the advice of wellness gurus, sick of being told to visualize their goals or adrift in a sea of betterment books offering empty productivity promises.
This podcast is a step up from their previous podcast By The Book, from which this podcast takes over the feed. The ladies will help listeners get a little bit closer to fine with self-improvement knowledge amassed over the years with a little bit of experimentation.
They’ll disseminate what’s real from what’s a real waste of your time so that promises are actually guaranteed, to help you live a more simpler and happier life.
The podcast is available on the SXM and Stitcher apps as well as wherever you get your audio. The episodes of the previous podcast are still available on the same feed.
And that’s it for this special edition. You’re now all caught up from what happened in February.
I’ll be back on Friday with a regular weekly edition of the newsletter so stay tuned for that. Until then, enjoy your day!
SeriousXM is a newsletter service of TheRolyPoly Productions.
