Posted by madcityradio.com on October 14, 2008 at 13:59:50:
Karmazin Speaks
Never one to shy from bravado, Sirius XM CEO Mel Karmazin insisted that the satcaster is destined to become �the most successful company in the audio entertainment industry.
�Clear Channel is No. 1 now and we are No. 2,� Karmazin said during a one-on-one keynote interview at the Billboard Media and Money conference in New York Oct. 14. �We just need to keep growing our subscriber base and find new ways to put our content on other distribution devices. I believe we will be the single most popular audio entertainment company in the world.�
Answering questions from Mediaweek senior editor Katy Bachman, Karmazin distanced himself from building the Sirius XM coffers through advertising-�a view he has previously supported�-instead saying that the newly merged company�s focus is on its subscriber base. He estimated that 96% of revenue will come from subscriptions.
Karmazin scoffed at a recent FCC suggestion that future satellite radios be mandated to include HD Radio. �This is still America,� he said. �Car companies are having their own problems; it�s wrong to ask that anything be added to the cost of what people are paying for a vehicle. The consumer ought to decide. The government shouldn�t be requiring HD Radio just because the content is not compelling enough on its own to get people to buy these radios.�
(Chuck Taylor, Radio & Records)