Tuned In: Radio: Sirius Launches New Streams

Sirius Satellite Radio went to Las Vegas for this year's Consumer Electronics Show with a spate of new audio streams tucked under its arm.

Billboard spoke with executive VP of programming Jay Clark and VP of music programming Steve Blatter about the new channels. They include Sirius Love (soft pop love songs spanning four decades), Classic Vinyl (classic rock from mid-'60s to late-'70s), Classic Rewind (classic rock starting in the late-'70s), Buzzsaw (hard rocking classic rock), Faction (a current-intensive mix of hard rock, hip-hop and punk) and Chill (mellow electronic music meets downtempo contemporary songs).

Many of the new channels target an older listener, and Clark says that the core demo is 32- to 38-year-olds. "But we still have a whole gaggle of younger people listening to the service," he says. "That's the reason for a channel like Faction."

Blatter says that focusing on the 32- to 38-year-old male buying the service meant "there is definitely a need for us to expand the way we play our classic rock. That's why we're narrowcasting it by decade.

"The overall goal is to give subscribers the classic rock experience they could not get anywhere else," Blatter continues. "Most markets have [only] one classic rock station."

Tucked into the gold-based formats are two intriguing prospects in Faction and Chill. The former breaks through the barrier that most active rock stations only flirt with, merging the hip-hop and rock cultures. Chill capitalizes on the trend of lounge and chill-out compilations, where Moby and Massive Attack can meet up with Coldplay and Dido.

While the latter offering is starting to take hold in terrestrial radio to a very limited extent (primarily in specialty programming), Clark says he would be happy to see both widely embraced as new radio formats. "That would be the greatest compliment to us," he says, but "the one thing they can't cop is that we're doing our music with no commercials."

And Blatter adds that the commercial-free appeal goes beyond the obvious listener benefit. The programmer can assemble a cutting-edge music mix without having to worry about scaring off potential advertisers.

Blatter says the Chill channel represents "the evolution of AC radio. It is the first new adult format using nontraditional AC-type songs to still provide the same experience you would get through AC."

Clark points out how another benefit of being commercial-free will impact the new Chill stream. "We can hold a mood. You're not stopping down four or five minutes for a commercial break every 20 minutes. This format is perfect for this kind of feel."

The ability to unveil so much new programming at once is one of the promises of satellite radio that Clark believes Sirius is fulfilling. "We want to be a moving force," he says. "We've got good programmers here. The thing that concerned me about commercial radio is that they haven't been able to do a lot of research and development and put a lot of new formats on the air. Here we are with this wonderful platform where we can do some experimentation."



BRIEFS: Jones Radio Networks has tapped Marie Osmond to host the afternoon drive show on its syndicated AC channel. "Marie Osmond and Friends" will air on affiliates weekdays from 2 p.m.-7 p.m. beginning Feb. 2 . . . Jonathyn Brown joins Zeo Radio Networks as show mixer. He was previously with SupeRadio.



Additional reporting by Phyllis Stark in Nashville.