Karmazin Speaks in DC
Sirius Satellite Radio CEO Mel Karmazin spoke at a packed National Press Club luncheon on Monday to make his case for the company's proposed merger with rival XM. Full coverage of his speech will appear in Technology Daily's PM Edition.
The National Association of Broadcasters, which opposes the consolidation, is "still the 800 pound gorilla in the audio entertainment market," he said. Terrestrial radio boasts 230 million weekly listeners and is capable of reaching "virtually every home and every automobile in America."
Karmazin also spent time talking about what he views as a broad, competitive market in which Sirius and XM compete. He noted that 116 million Americans enjoy iPods and other MP3 players and most new cars are including built-in jacks to accommodate them. In addition, about 72 million people listen to Internet radio each month. By contrast, satellite radio only has 14 million listeners, he said.
"There is every reason to believe that these and other technologies and services will continue to attract even more consumers in the years ahead." The competition brings important benefits to "consumers, programmers and society as a whole," he added.
Join the Discussion
The National Journal Group has the right (but not the obligation) to monitor the comments and to remove any materials it deems inappropriate.
Comments powered by Disqus