SIRI - Sector: Services---Industry: Broadcasting & Cable TV

[setravis]

Alan Jackson's Freight Train Radio to Launch on SIRIUS XM Radio
CMA® and Grammy Award®-winning country superstar to host his own limited-run SIRIUS XM channel in celebration of his new album, "Freight Train"


Press Release Source: SIRIUS XM Radio On Wednesday April 7, 2010, 11:08 am EDT
NEW YORK, April 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SIRIUS XM Radio (Nasdaq:SIRI - News) announced today that it will launch Alan Jackson's Freight Train Radio, a seven-day long, commercial-free music channel celebrating the music and career of one of country music's biggest stars.

(Logo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080819/NYTU044LOGO )

The channel will launch on Friday, April 9 at 12:00 pm ET and will run until Thursday, April 15 at 11:59 pm ET on SIRIUS channel 61 and XM channel 17.

Alan Jackson's Freight Train Radio will feature the award-winning country superstar talking about and playing music from his 18-album career, including from his first album, Here in the Real World, to his most recent release, the critically-acclaimed, Freight Train. Freight Train features "It's Just That Way," the first single, "Hard Hat and A Hammer", an ode to the working man, and the moving tribute to Vern Gosdin, "Till The End," which Jackson recorded with Lee Ann Womack. Jackson will personally introduce each song and share stories and personal anecdotes about writing, recording and performing some of the most popular country hits of all time.

In addition to hearing non-stop Alan Jackson music, listeners will hear Jackson introducing and playing songs by his favorite artists, both traditional and contemporary, including George Strait, Randy Travis, Lee Ann Womack, Hank Williams Sr., Hank Williams Jr. and George Jones.

Listeners will also hear Jackson offer an inside look into his personal life as he talks about family life — how it's changed over the years with his success — personal stories about his father and what it means being a father.

Alan Jackson's Freight Train Radio is an example of SIRIUS XM's limited-run artist-branded channels dedicated to iconic musicians. In addition to the current broadcast of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Radio, SIRIUS XM has previously offered limited-run channels such as The Who Channel, Mandatory Metallica, Paul McCartney's Fireman Radio, Rolling Stones Radio, AC/DC Radio, Led Zeppelin Radio, Miles Davis Radio, The Spectrum of John Mellencamp, Radio R.E.M., Coldplay Nation, ABBA Radio, Neil Diamond Radio, Jay-Z Nation, Garth Brooks Radio and Duran Duran's Red Carpet Radio, among many others.

For more information, please visit http://www.sirius.com/ or http://www.xmradio.com/

About SIRIUS XM Radio

SIRIUS XM Radio is America's satellite radio company delivering to subscribers commercial-free music channels, premier sports, news, talk, entertainment, and traffic and weather.

SIRIUS XM Radio has content relationships with an array of personalities and artists, including Howard Stern, Martha Stewart, Oprah Winfrey, Rosie O'Donnell, Jamie Foxx, Barbara Walters, Opie & Anthony, Bubba the Love Sponge®, Bob Edwards, Chris "Mad Dog" Russo, Jimmy Buffett, The Grateful Dead, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan and Tom Petty. SIRIUS XM Radio is the leader in sports programming as the Official Satellite Radio Partner of the NFL, Major League Baseball®, NASCAR®, NBA, NHL®, and PGA TOUR® and major college sports.

SIRIUS XM Radio has arrangements with every major automaker. SIRIUS XM Radio products are available at shop.sirius.com and shop.xmradio.com, and at retail locations nationwide, including Best Buy, RadioShack, Wal-Mart and independent retailers.

SIRIUS XM Radio also offers SIRIUS Backseat TV, the first ever live in-vehicle rear seat entertainment featuring Nickelodeon, Disney Channel and Cartoon Network; XM NavTraffic® service for GPS navigation systems delivers real-time traffic information, including accidents and road construction, for more than 80 North American markets.

This communication contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements about future financial and operating results, the combined company's plans, objectives, expectations and intentions with respect to future operations, products and services; and other statements identified by words such as "will likely result," "are expected to," "anticipate," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "intend," "will," "should," "may," or words of similar meaning. Such forward-looking statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of SIRIUS XM's management and are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of SIRIUS and XM. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements.

The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from the anticipated results or other expectations expressed in the forward-looking statement: general economic conditions; our dependence upon automakers and other third parties, the substantial indebtedness of SIRIUS and XM; the useful life of our satellites; and our competitive position versus other forms of audio and video entertainment. Additional factors that could cause SIRIUS' and XM's results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in SIRIUS' Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009 and XM's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009, which are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and available at the SEC's Internet site (http://www.sec.gov). The information set forth herein speaks only as of the date hereof, and SIRIUS and XM disclaim any intention or obligation to update any forward looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this communication.

P-SIRI


Contact for SIRIUS XM Radio:
 
Samantha Bowman
 
SIRIUS XM Radio
 
212 901 6644
 
[email protected]

[setravis]

What's Up With Sirius XM?

Sirius XM (SIRI) shares are flying high today, apparently on a new round of speculation about the long-term intentions for the 40% fully diluted stake in the company held by investor Liberty Media.

After the close yesterday, DirecTV (DTV) announced that it had reached a deal with Liberty's controlling investor, John Malone, to swap his super-voting stake in DTV in exchange for a higher number of regular common shares. Malone is stepping down from the DTV board, as are two other Liberty nominees, including Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei. The swap reduced Malone's voting position in DTV to 3% from 24.3%.

That news comes after the blogosphere dug up a March 31 Federal Trade Commission filing that shows the FTC granted early termination of its review of some matter involving Liberty and Sirius; the theory among some Sirius bulls is that Liberty might boost its stake in the company to the maximum 49.9% allowed under the terms of the deal between Liberty and Sirius, although it seems more likely to be connected with Liberty's participation in a Sirius debt offering announced in March.

I've got a call into Sirius to try to sort this out.

SIRI is up 6.8 cents, or 7.8%, to 93.7 cents.

[setravis]

Legendary run...
time left to buy


52wk Range: 0.30 - 1.18
Volume: 609,652,614
Avg Vol (3m): 117,849,000

Technicals
Close Above the 13-day MA
Most Actives
Percentage Gainer

Last Price Quote is:
9.86%above 13-day MA
10.51%above 50-day MA
RS Rating: 95 

Fundamentals
Earnings Expected on May 6

Key Data:
Market Cap (M): $3,263.51 
P/E Ratio: NA 
PEG Ratio: -0.233333 
Next Earnings: 05/06/2010
Last Analyst Rating: Hold


Below are the 6 month an 1 year charts...

[setravis]

updated chart look...

[setravis]

updated chart look.......

Below the 1 year chart

[setravis]

Sirius Short Squeeze...

The latest short interest numbers have been released, and if you are short Sirius XM Radio (SIRI), you had better take a look at what I found out. You are about to lose a lot of money on that bet, because a very slow and methodical short squeeze is underway. Sirius XM short interest hit a record low back in January of this year with just over 54 million shares reported short at the time. Short interest then rose until June, topping out at over 227 million shares. Currently, there are 176 million shares short, which suggests the holders of these short positions are severely underwater. It also appears that some of those short sellers are sneaking out the proverbial back door and closing out short positions, leaving their comrades to pay the price.

The following table shows that interest more than quadrupled through the first half of 2010. The most important aspect of this is that Sirius XM shares traded off a .60 low and ended the first half of the year at $1.03. As the price of Sirius XM stock rose, short bets increased. That's not the surprising part:



Before I go on, we need to consider that these short positions may in fact have been timely and highly profitable trades. The largest increases occurred from April 2010 to June 2010. In April, Sirius XM shares rose from .87 to 1.17, but short interest had already tripled since the bottoms of January. In April, 70 million new shares were added to the short tally and by early May, Sirius XM hit a 52 week high of 1.25 per share while short interest peaked at 227.77 million shares. The problem for the short sellers is that the majority of these positions remain open at prices much lower than the current price per share and Sirius XM, in their view, is going the wrong way.



Perhaps the most interesting thing about this chart, is unlike earlier in the year as short interest rose in tandem with the price of SIRI shares, this time short interest is falling as Sirius XM shares rise. That is a reversal that needs to be especially noted.



The above chart shows that since topping out in June, short sellers are helping to squeeze SIRI shares higher, as those deep red losses are being covered. Those that sold short and held on the word of some shady hedge fund manager, might want to check if his or her firm remains short. Clearly, Sirius XM is going up as short interest decreases, suggesting a slow exodus from short positions and a slow short squeeze.

If in fact Sirius XM shares rise above $1.50 as I think they will in the coming days or weeks, panic stricken shorts are likely to force Sirius XM shares even higher. All it may take is for someone to figure out what is happening and report on it. Oh wait....seems I just did that.

Disclosure: Long SIRI

[setravis]

Sirius XM Radio About to See Hard Work Pay Off...

There's a reason why the stock of Sirius XM Radio (SIRI) is moving up. The recent refinancing of some of its debt has left the company in a much more favorable position going forward with significantly reduced interest on its debt. That, along with the fact that more money stands to hit the bottom line as CAPEX will be reduced for the next several years, has left the company primed for success. There will be substantial differences, tangible ones on future quarterly balance sheets after 2010. With Sirius XM beginning to show it will be routinely profitable, those $ 8 billion dollars in NOLs will really have some positive effect on the bottom line going forward.

The market believes that Sirius XM is more valuable at the moment than Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX). Not a surprise since there are only 3.9 billion shares being traded and available right now and not really the 6.4 billion shares outstanding constantly quoted. Liberty Media (LINTA) owns preferred shares with the potential to convert into another 2.5 billion or so common. Those shares are attributed to Liberty Capital (NASDAQ:LCAPA), and while that value percentage of the company has to be accounted for, it also makes the available shares not so available. Sirius still has another $3 billion in debt, but it is much more manageable debt. Sirius XM commands an enterprise value of roughly $11.7 billion. But let's take a closer look at that. Enterprise value is calculated by adding a corporation's market capitalization, preferred stock, and outstanding debt together and then subtracting out the cash and cash equivalents found on the balance sheet. The reason the cash is subtracted is that once you have acquired complete ownership of the company, the cash becomes yours. I will come back to this part of the article a little later.

Sirius XM has kept monthly churn down and has reported churn of 1.8% latest quarter. Not a surprise really since Sirius XM subscribers receive significant discounts for pre-paying their subscriptions. Let's talk growth. Sirius XM's subscriber base has grown from 1.6 million subscribers in 2003 to 20 million strong in 2010 just 7 years later, with no signs of stopping as the Auto industry recovers. We know and understand that OEM radios are the driver so far for subscribers, but the company has been smart, if not aggressive, in leveraging their content over the internet and portable devices as well.

Some very vocal critics continue to knock Sirius XM's media market share, by thinking squarely within the confines of limiting the service to American and Canadian commuters and consumers. Worldspace satellite radio was a disaster abroad so they figure it stands to reason that there will not be any expansion by Sirius XM radio outside the Continental US and of course Canada. "Besides," they say, "Sirius XM doesn't have the necessary satellites or infrastructure." Well, with the recent launch of XM 5, there is no doubt that things are going to change and the company is going to evolve. As a matter of fact, recent petitions related to XM 5 and its launch also include permission to relocate certain XM assets. It doesn't mean much short term, but there definitely seems to be some sort of expanded coverage area emerging. Everyone seems to have forgotten that even though Worldspace failed in execution of its business model, it did have plans to cover Asia, Africa, Europe, North America and South America with fewer satellites than Sirus XM combined now has in orbit.

It certainly is no leap to say that future expansion beyond the continental US and Canada may very well be in the cards. Additionally, Sirius XM has not even tried to really leverage its internet platform yet, and doing so could eventually include overseas availability. Could the wooing of Russell Brand this past summer have been a precursor to future expansion rather than a play for leverage with media icon Howard Stern? There are still several unknowns as far as the company and expansion are concerned including Howard's pending decision, but the possibilities sure are juicy. The fact that Sirius XM is dealing from a different position than Worldspace did also may help. Expanding into those overseas markets while you already have a solid base of subscribers from North America would certainly be a much better option, one which I am sure Noah Samara would have loved to entertain.

Getting back into Sirius XM's value, and looking forward a bit, what will they be worth with revenues of 3.5 to 4 billion dollars, subscriber numbers of 22 million or more, and EBITDA of more than 1 million, with debt of 2.5 billion or less? Mel Karmazin recently said that the company was at a historically low leverage ratio of 4.6 and that it would be improving. Certainly sounds bullish to me, and apparently those buying Sirius XM's most recent offering felt so too. In fact, the offering was increased almost 200 million dollars in size because it was so well received. Sirius XM has now cleared several financial hurdles and investors as well as the company could be getting ready to see their hard work and due diligence turned to reality over the next several Quarters as the stock price continues higher. With an increasing subscriber base, increased OEM penetration in new models, used car programs, satellite 2.0 on the horizon, decreasing expenses and debt, as well as exclusive content and information services, it's time for those who have not looked at this company to do so more closely, Liberty media certainly has.

[setravis]

Cramer Contradicts Himself About Sirius XM...
by Brandon Matthews

Once again, Jim Cramer has decided to bash Sirius XM (SIRI) and further separate himself from reality. In front of the student body of Tulane University, Jim Cramer decided to humiliate himself not only on National Television but to a captive audience of tomorrow's investors. While recommending that investors do homework on stocks they own, Jim Cramer apparently did not heed his own advice. Once again referring to Sirius XM as an overhyped stock, Jim Cramer pointed out that there are still no firms with a sell rating on Sirius XM. One of those happens to be Jim Cramer's own TheStreet.com, which most recently upgraded Sirius XM from Sell to Hold, and reaffirmed its rating on October 17, 2010.



Without naming names, Cramer took a shot at me and those of us with a bullish position in Sirius XM. Unfortunately for Cramer, his poke at Sirius XM gets even more embarrassing on a number of levels in that he recommended BUYING Sirius XM right up until the merger was approved. At just over 3.00 a share, Cramer stated that Sirius was a BUY on his Mad Money program while telling viewers they would have a FIVE DOLLAR STOCK when the merger was approved. Cramer failed to own up to his own shortcomings and placed the blame on anyone and everyone else. If that is not bad enough, it gets a lot worse for Jim.

For those Mad Money fans out there, you know that Jim's style includes the buying and selling of various positions. Cramer is averse to holding any stock and recommends taking profits and cutting losses when appropriate. In his blatant attempt to bash Sirius XM investors and those of us that may seem to promote the stock at times, Cramer actually went back and used an example of how astronomical the losses to investors had been since he recommended BUYING it! He explained how holding the stock, that he himself recommended, turned a $2000.00 investment into $440.00. A whopping 78% loss of principal!

Missing the mark yet again, Cramer decided to mock the investment of John Malone's Liberty Capital, stating that it was a good deal for Malone but not retail investors. Cramer failed to point out that since the bottom in 2009 when John Malone took a stake in Sirius XM, a $2000.00 investment in SIRI would now be worth nearly $45,000 today! For the bulk of these gains that Sirius XM investors have realized, Cramer has maintained his position on Sirius XM, while his company TheStreet.com rated Sirius XM a SELL.

Honestly...Why does anyone continue to give this man an audience?

[setravis]

Sirius Valuation Models, Like Netflix Valuations, Are Useless
By Brandon Matthews

I recently wrote a comparison of Sirius XM Radio (SIRI) to Netflix (NFLX), which made the point that valuations on these companies are meaningless based on fundamentals that are by and large based on improper projections. Netflix reported a quarter that seemed to blow away street expectations and the bulls chased the bears away (see earnings call transcript here). Netflix beat down its naysayers, leaving them looking a lot like Brock Lesner after Saturday night's fight and just as confused. You see, the numbers reported by Netflix are misunderstood.

Netflix made some changes that resulted in subscriber numbers being larger than they really are, and reduced churn to lower than what it would have been. Tyler Durden pointed this out and made a great case for the bears, yet like Sirius XM Radio's bears, he misses the point. The idea is simple. Cast a wider net, and you will catch more fish. Netflix did this by extending its free trial periods, and the stock and Wall Street is responding.

While CNBC and analysts such as RBC's David Bank wail at Sirius XM's valuation, our pal Jim Cramer is now screaming that valuations don't matter for Netflix. What's good for Netflix, is good for Sirius XM.

Sirius XM Radio has not only been doing this all along, but investors are about to discover that Sirius XM has found its own way to cast a wider net. To start with, you may have missed recent General Motors commercials, in which G.M. is now offering a full year of XM Radio. This is a big change from the previous model in which G.M. provided only a three month trial. Although the specific terms of the G.M./Sirius XM deal are unknown, these subscriptions will be counted as subscribers because General Motors is footing the bill. There is bigger news on the horizon however, which was revealed in a patent application released yesterday...membership.

Back in 2008, I first reported on a patented chipset that would allow for a tiered Satellite Radio service. When Liberty Capital (LCAPA) first discussed its Sirius XM investment, Liberty CEO Greg Maffei suggested that the company could provide both a subscription based service along with an advertising based service.

On April 22, 2008, the US patent office issued a new patent number 7,363,000. Here is an abstract:

A secondary satellite radio or broadcast channel is used to broadcast advertisement clips (e.g., audio clips) to a receiver for subsequent decoding and playback. The receiver is configured for different tiers of service, e.g., one that delivers substantially advertising-free content and another that delivers content that includes more significant amounts of advertising. The content delivered to both is the same content; however, for the service tier that includes more advertising, the advertisements broadcast on the secondary channel are interleaved into the content, preferably in such a way that the continuity of the content being delivered is not compromised. - source

A new XM patent revealed Tuesday and discovered by Rod Gunsauley, indicates that this secondary service is in the Sirius XM pipeline.

A system is provided for generating a remapped audio stream at digital audio broadcast radios from a first audio stream using content insertion to allow tiered subscription services. A remapped audio stream is rebranded by extracting segments from the first audio stream relating to channel identification segments and disk jockey talking segments and replacing them with stored audio items (e.g., commercials, different channel identification segments and different disk jockey talking segments). Stored audio items for insertion are broadcast to the radios with messages for controlling the scheduling of insertion at the radios, and the storage and deletion of these audio segments at the radios. Stored audio items and messages can be sent using a different, localized broadcast system from that used to transmit the source audio stream to permit market-specific commercial insertion. Group file format for delivery permits intermittently used radios to receive the stored audio items and messages. -Source

When you consider used car marketing, changes in the new car marketing, and the future ability for Sirius XM to earn revenue from every Satellite Radio whether it is subscribed to or not, Sirius XM valuation models, much like Netflix valuations, are useless.

[setravis]

With Sirius on Shaky Ground Conventional Broadcasters Look for a Rebound...

The Bedford Report Provides Analyst Research on Sirius XM & Entercom Communications
Press Release Source: The Bedford Report On Thursday October 28, 2010, 8:46 am EDT

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - 10/28/10) - The Radio Broadcasting industry experienced significant headwinds during the recent economic downturn. With companies watching their budgets closer than ever, spending on radio advertisements have been eliminated or scaled back. While conventional radio broadcasters are optimistic that a rebounding economy will lead to expanded advertising budgets, recent data suggests that companies are spending an increased portion of their advertising budgets online and not on the air. Then of course, there is the satellite radio revolution. Satellite broadcasters garnered substantially better results than their standard radio peers during the economic downturn due in large part to its subscriber based service. Satellite radio is expected to drive demand going forward, as consumers value its commercial-free programming and exceptional sound quality. The Bedford Report examines the outlook for companies in the Broadcasting-Radio Industry and provides research reports on Sirius XM Radio, Inc. (NASDAQ:SIRI - News) and Entercom Communications Corp. (NYSE:ETM - News). Access to the full company reports can be found at:

www.bedfordreport.com/2010-10-SIRI

www.bedfordreport.com/2010-10-ETM

Satellite Radio kingpin, Sirius XM has been reporting impressive subscriber growth this year. In the first three quarters of 2010, Sirius says it has added 1.1 million net subscribers compared to a loss of 488,126 net subscribers in the first three quarters of 2009. At the end of the third quarter the company had 19.9 million net subscribers. The company's CEO, Mel Karmazin says he expects Sirius to close out the year at least 20.1 million subscribers.

The Bedford Report releases regular market updates on the Broadcasting -- Radio Industry so investors can stay ahead of the crowd and make the best investment decisions to maximize their returns. Take a few minutes to register with us for free at www.bedfordreport.com and get exclusive access to our numerous analyst reports and industry newsletters.

This is not to say Sirius doesn't face its own set of headwinds. One of the most publicized contract negations of the year has been that between the popular "shock jockey" Howard Stern and Sirius. Stern's five year, $500 million contract with Sirius is set to expire in December. While Sirius and Stern continue to negotiate, Mel Karmazin says the company is actively "exploring alternatives". According to Standard & Poors, Stern is responsible for adding about 2 million subscribers to Sirius XM since he moved to the satellite radio provider in January 2006.

The Bedford Report provides Analyst Research focused on equities that offer growth opportunities, value, and strong potential return. We strive to provide the most up-to-date market activities. We constantly create research reports and newsletters for our members. The Bedford Report has not been compensated by any of the above mentioned publicly traded companies. The Bedford Report is compensated by other third party organizations for advertising services. We act as an independent research portal and are aware that all investment entails inherent risks. Please view the full disclaimer at http://www.bedfordreport.com/disclaimer

Contact:
Contact: The Bedford ReportEmail Contact

[setravis]

Stick with SIRI as long as it doesn't go below .30

Sirius Bucks the Bears...
The break of the $1.00
The race to the dollar bill is over.

Shares of Sirius XM Radio (Nasdaq: SIRI) hit the $1 mark shortly after this morning's open. A buck may not seem like much, but this is the first time in 17 months that the satellite radio operator's stock has reached such lofty highs.

The $1 mark became an essential target for Sirius XM after it received a delisting notice last year. It has until mid-March to comply by closing above the $1 mark for 10 consecutive trading days.

Technicals
Record Price High
Most Actives
Percentage Gainer

Last Price Quote is:
7.64%above 13-day SMA
19.37%above 50-day SMA
RS Rating: 93

Quote from another trader... short this dog (Short Recommendation)
This is a dying business model. SIRI will be bankrupt soon. Unquote
I strongly disagree with this statement !

We can take a look at all the charts here,
6 months , 1 year , 2 year and 3 year charts.... do your own DD !

[setravis]

From another source.......

Sirius XM
I feel I have to join the witness protection program anytime I write critically about Sirius XM. Shareholders are fanatics, and they get fired up when challenged that their Sirius shares aren't rivaling the dollar as the world's next reserve currency.

But I'll take the risk. Here's how I view it: Sirius skirted bankruptcy last year, which is great -- because it came damn close. Then it slashed costs like no one's business -- which is also great, because your average lemonade stand had been more profitable. What's left is a viable company. But what's it worth? That's the issue at hand. Shares trade at 46 times 2011 projected earnings, and 20 times 2012's projected earnings. No thank you. Some counter that Sirius is a cash-flow story. Fine. The company generated $148 million in free cash flow over the past 12 months, which equals a 2.7% yield over its $5.4 billion market cap. Perfectly uninspiring.

[setravis]

Not everybody has to like SIRI, But most analysts do. Almost every analyst has given it a $1.50 - $1.60 target price, even those who are more skeptical. Why do you think that is?

1) It is a virtual monopoly.

2) Satellite Radio is now standard factory installed in almost all cars sold in the US. And 50% of those who get the radios in their car keep paying for their subscriptions.

3) Churn is at a all-time low.

4) Their Debt Load has been reduced and continues to go down.

5) Their Credit Rating has been continually upgraded several times over the last two years

6) Their subscriber rate has continued to increase despite a soft economy. In fact, they are now 2nd in the most subscribers to a paid media content provider, 1st being Direct TV.

7) They have quite a lot of tax write-offs in their pocket to use as their earnings continue to increase, even generation more profit.

Yes, you're correct. It did turn around from a near-bankruptcy (as did other companies 2 years ago). But it didn't go bankrupt, because the company has a good product and the fundamentals of the company are strong. It didn't need a government bail-out to save itself unlike other companies. Liberty Media saw that fundamentals of the company are strong and made a killing. Many other small investors saw that as well and bought it at the all-time lows and they made a killing. While you and other MF's decided to attack the stock for the last 2 years, many of us made stratospheric returns. And we continue to do so even as you wrote this article.

Have you picked a 30 bagger in the last 2 years? OK, how about a stock with a 60% gain made in the last 2 months? If you had told your fellow traders to buy SIRI over the last 2 years instead of putting it down. You would have been the "Hero" of the small investor. But instead, you can just keep your title of "Fool".

Of course SRI investors are fanatics. They're entitled to be. The stock has been very good to us over the last 2 years. I don't need to "attack" you for your criticism, the fundamentals do a better job than I could. I just laugh at you every day, as the stock continue to go up to new yearly highs. And yes, I've taken profits from my initial SIRI investment, so now I'm just playing with the house's money.

[setravis]

Let's be "clear" here. Clear Channel attempted to drive them into bk to clear the roadway for them to rule the world. Their pack of distortions and outright lies, assisted by a couple of FCC sheep, delayed the merger until almost all the money was gone. THAT WAS THE PLAN. Fortunately, Clear Channel was not successful and they will not be successful in the future since capitalism is still alive and well in this country. Now it's Clear Channel I watch under pressure. Their ad revenues they can blame on anyone or anything they want, but the line up at Sirius is really tough to beat even before the merger. Now it's impossible. I can wait around a couple of years for Mel to continue to work his magic.

[setravis]

Hard Choices October 28, 2010, 5:00PM EST
Hard Choice for SiriusXM's Mel Karmazin
After Sirius and XM merged, the chief had to winnow the workforces both radically and fairly...

When we completed the merger of Sirius (SIRI) and XM in 2008, there was a lot of redundancy: two CFOs, two general counsels, two heads of programming, and other roles where there were two people when we only needed one. For every position, I had to pick between two qualified people.

It was very hard: About 500 people had to lose their jobs. Not because they weren't good, but because we didn't need them. I decided that we weren't going to try to find the single best person for each job. The choice was between the Sirius person and the XM person. We didn't look at anyone outside. We didn't want more people losing their jobs than was necessary.

The first thing I did was get to know the people who were going to report to me: I interviewed them and had to decide who was better. Knowing someone well can cut both ways. You know their strengths, but you also know their faults. It's not a perfect science—and I probably made mistakes—but I don't look for qualities I might have. I'm more impressed with someone who's not like me. It's because of my own insecurity: My father was a cabdriver, my mother worked in a factory, and I was a C student.

There's no best way to do something. When I first became a manager, my inclination was to think my style was right because I was the one who had been promoted. I learned it's not about style. Some people get out of a huddle and walk to the line of scrimmage while others run. I don't think that matters. What matters is what happens when the ball is snapped.

I try not to be as hands-on as I would like. People need to feel they're running their own business. I'll offer up opinions, but I try not to tell them what to do. When I make a decision, I tend to consider the facts and make it quickly. You just have to focus on the endgame. I think about what's right for our shareholders and subscribers. If I can make these decisions, anyone can.