XM Radio To Launch 2008 Presidential Election Channel 'P.O.T.U.S. '08' On September 24
WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- XM Satellite Radio will launch the nation's first radio channel devoted to a presidential election -- P.O.T.U.S. '08 -- on September 24.
The commercial-free, 24-hour radio channel will offer unprecedented coverage of the 2008 presidential campaign. XM listeners across the continental U.S. can tune in to P.O.T.U.S. '08 (XM Channel 130) for news and opinion from both traditional media and unconventional outlets, such as political bloggers and podcasters. Presidential candidates will be offered free time each day to speak to listeners across the country.
The P.O.T.U.S. '08 channel will air radio shows produced by XM and a broad variety of content partners, including C-SPAN; leading political publications such as National Journal, Slate, and Washington Monthly; the polling group Zogby International; liberal voices from the political blog DailyKos; conservative voices from the Heritage Foundation; the National Press Club; George Washington University; and the TV networks CNN, ABC, and FOX News.
"We want this to be a town square where people can come to hear the candidates, listen to the debates, get the news, and gather opinions from all sides," said Kevin Straley, senior vice president of news, talk, and sports programming, XM Satellite Radio. "You can hear diverse views across the political spectrum, including voices you don't typically hear on traditional media. There's an enormous amount of interest in this particular election, and people across the country can tune in anytime, wherever they are, as the campaign unfolds."
Award-winning journalist Rebecca Roberts will serve as managing editor and on-air host for the P.O.T.U.S. '08 channel. Roberts comes to XM from NPR News. She will anchor the program "1600" at the XM studios in Washington D.C. weekdays from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm ET (12:00 pm to 3:00 pm PT)
In addition to Rebecca Roberts' "1600," XM-produced shows on P.O.T.U.S. '08 include "Morning Briefing" with XM senior director of news programming Scott Walterman, "P.O.T.U.S. Press Pool" with XM senior director of talk programming Tim Farley, and "P.O.T.U.S. '08 Live" hosted by the channel's program director Joe Mathieu, who comes to XM from Marketwatch Radio.
Sunday programming on P.O.T.U.S. '08 will offer audio broadcasts of the FOX News shows "FOX News Sunday" and "Beltway Boys," ABC News' "This Week with George Stephanopoulos," CNN's "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer," and the Chicago-based radio program "Beyond the Beltway with Bruce DuMont."
As a public service, XM is offering P.O.T.U.S. '08 as a "free-to-air" channel, which means people who have XM radios, but do not subscribe to the service, will receive the P.O.T.U.S. '08 channel for free.
The channel's name (pronounced POH-tus) is an abbreviation used by government officials for President of the United States. More information about the P.O.T.U.S. '08 channel is available online at http://www.xmradio.com/potus.
About XM
XM (NASDAQ: XMSR) is America's number one satellite radio company with more than 8.2 million subscribers. Broadcasting live daily from studios in Washington, DC, New York City, Chicago, the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Toronto and Montreal, XM's 2007 lineup includes more than 170 digital channels of choice from coast to coast: commercial-free music, premier sports, news, talk radio, comedy, children's and entertainment programming; and the most advanced traffic and weather information.
XM, the leader in satellite-delivered entertainment and data services for the automobile market through partnerships with General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Porsche, Subaru, Suzuki, Toyota, and Ferrari, is available in 140 different vehicle models for 2007. XM's industry-leading products are available at consumer electronics retailers nationwide. For more information about XM hardware, programming and partnerships, please visit http://www.xmradio.com/.
Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements in this press release include demand for XM Satellite Radio's service, the Company's dependence on technology and third party vendors, its potential need for additional financing, as well as other risks described in XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc.'s Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on 3-1-07. Copies of the filing are available upon request from XM Radio's Investor Relations Department. Programming is subject to change.
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SOURCE: XM Satellite Radio
CONTACT: David Butler of XM Satellite Radio, +1-202-380-4317,
david.butler@xmradio.com
Web site: http://www.xmradio.com/