Bobbing and Weaving at Sirius XM…

Tuesday, September, 16, 2008 by Mel Phillips.

The old adage ‘Timing is everything’ has never been more appropriate.  When Mel Karmazin presented his “Best of Both” Sirius XM option for subscribers at a Merrill Lynch Media conference, how many ML employees ya think, were listening to him?  Do you get the idea that just maybe those people had other things on their mind like, oh I don’t know - jobs?  Murmurs like “so what’s the deal with BOA?” must have been running rampant at that press conference while the Mel-Man was describing his new B.O.B menu…

The new Sirius XM a la carte menu allows consumers to pick and choose programs from 50 stations for a reduced fee of $6.99 a month.  Starting October 6th XM subscribers can receive Howard Stern and NFL football.  Sirius subscribers can get Oprah, NBA and NHL programming at $4.00 a month more than they paid previously.  One sports flaw in the B.O.B. plan is that apparently Sirius listeners will not be able to receive Major League Baseball.  In addition to programming options, XM will introduce a new wearable portable widget for later this year…

It’s not all smooth sailing for Sirius XM with word that US Electronics filed a claim with the District of Columbia U.S. Court of Appeals for a “review and remand” placed on the Sirius XM merger on certain points.  US Electronics claimed the July FCC merger ruling failed to “put teeth” in it’s stipulation that Sirius XM adopt an open sourcing policy allowing any qualified supplier to produce its products…     

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1630] What’s Your Name?: The original Native American name of Shawmut is changed to Boston…
2. 1949] Premiered on this date: The “Road Runner” “beep-beeps” for the 1st time in the WB cartoon “Fast and Furry-ous“ (Mel Blanc does the sfx)…1953] “The Robe“ premieres at The Roxy Theater in Manhattan. It’s the 1st movie filmed in wide-screen CinemaScope…1965] “The Dean Martin Show“ debuts and runs through 1974…1966] The Metropolitan Opera opens its new opera house in Lincoln Center…1972] “The Bob Newhart Show“ debuts with Bob playing a shrink. It runs until 1978…1984] “Miami Vice“ changes the way men dress and runs for 5 seasons…
3. 1968] Curtains: One of the best comedy series of all-time, “The Andy Griffith Show“ bows out after 8 seasons (but will continue in reruns forever)…
4. 1968] Sock it to me: Richard Nixon makes his famous “sock it to me” walk-on appearance on “Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In“.  This clip contains a conversation between Nixon and the show’s producer...
5. 1973] Record-breaking: Buffalo running back O.J. Simpson becomes the first NFL player to gain 250 yards in a game with his slashing ground game against the Patriots.  In this clip Simpson gains his 2,000th yard of the season…
6. 1974] A grant from the Prez: President Gerald Ford grants a conditional amnesty program for draft evaders and deserters during the Vietnam War…
7. 1977] “Happy Trails”: Marc Bolan a.k.a. T. Rex dies in a car accident at 29…
8. 1981] Just like sugar: Sugar Ray Leonard rallies to beat Thomas“Hitman” Hearns, winning by a TKO to win the welterweight title. It’s Hearns first professional loss…
9. 1988] Perfecto: Tom Browning of the Cincinnati Reds pitches a perfect game, a 1-0 shutout of the Dodgers…
10. 2004] Ivan the terrible: Hurricane Ivan plows into the Gulf Coast with 130 mph winds and is blamed for at least 115 deaths, 43 in the U.S…

Music Memories:

• Released on this date: 1963] “She Loves You“ - Beatles…1979] “Rapper’s Delight“ - Sugar Hill Gang (most feel, me included, that this was the 1st rap hit)…
• Number One on this date: 1985] “Money for Nothing“ - Dire Straits…

Commentary:

David Hinckley wrote a nice piece on Neil McIntyre’s passing in his Daily News column this morning with comments from former disc jockeys who worked for Neil.  You can read it by clicking this link… 

“Happy Birthday…happy birthday”:

Amy Poehler (37), Marc Anthony (39), Molly Shannon (44), Richard Marx (45), Mickey Rourke (52), Mark McEwen (54), David Copperfield (52), Ed Begley Jr. (59), Anne Francis (78), Rex Trailer (80), Peter Falk (81), B.B. King (83), Lauren Bacall (84) and Janis Paige (86)…

Timeline Countdown: 6 days until autumn in New York, 12 days until the end of the regular major league season and 14 days until the playoffs…

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