XM Reshapes Its 100-Channel Lineup
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NEWS RELEASE XM Reshapes Its 100-Channel Lineup 7/23/2002 Adds Channels for Neo-Soul, Books & Drama, Old-Time Radio Dramas, Folk Music, Hip Hop/R&B Hits, Other Formats; Offers First Premium Channel Washington D.C., July 23, 2002 -- XM Satellite Radio, America's leading national satellite radio service, will reshape its 100-channel lineup, adding channels for neo-soul, books & drama, old-time radio dramas, folk music, easy listening and other formats. The new lineup takes effect Aug. 26, 2002. Playboy Radio, XM's first premium channel, will be available Sept. 3. "We constantly strive to offer the most comprehensive, compelling, cutting-edge programming available on radio," said XM President and CEO Hugh Panero. "After nearly a year of delivering America's first nationwide digital satellite radio service, we've learned a lot about our listener's tastes and preferences. Based largely on subscriber feedback, we're making a number of enhancements to XM's 100 channel lineup." XM will add a number of new formats and channels, including: The Flow (ch. 61) - The nation's first dedicated Neo Soul channel focuses on artists fusing the best of today's R&B, jazz, funk, hip-hop and soul. Jill Scott, Alicia Keys, Tweet and Macy Gray. The City (ch. 67) -- The hottest hip-hop and R&B hits. Jay-Z, Usher, Ludacris and Missy Elliot. The System (ch. 82) -- A mind-altering electronica mix with trance anthems, big beat, breakbeat and down- tempos. The Chemical Brothers, Paul Oakenfold, The Crystal Method and Fatboy Slim. Sonic Theater (ch. 163) -- Audio books and radio dramas for all tastes. RadioClassics (ch. 164) -- Relive the magic from the Golden Age of Radio. The Shadow, Abbott & Costello, Dragnet and The Lone Ranger. The channel is produced in partnership with MediaBay, Inc. The Village (ch. 15) - A celebration of folk music. Woody Guthrie, Tom Paxton, Pete Seeger and The Chieftains. 1 Sunny (ch. 24) -- Easy listening instrumental and vocal favorites creating the most soothing sounds of your day. Percy Faith, Roger Williams, Barbra Streisand and Herb Alpert. Nashville! (ch. 11) - The top hits from today's platinum country stars. Trisha Yearwood, Brooks and Dunn, Randy Travis and Alan Jackson, Playboy Radio (ch. 205) - This adult entertainment premium channel, available for an additional $2.99 per month, will debut on XM on Sept. 3, 2002. For a limited time, a one-time transaction fee of $4.99 will be waived for current subscribers who wish to add XM's Playboy Radio premium service, which is only available upon request by the XM account owner. In order to make room for this exciting new programming, Open Road will move from ch. 168 to ch. 171 and XM will no longer carry Club 82 (ch. 82), C-Wave (ch. 105), Highway 15 (ch. 15), Lite (ch. 24), Radio Taj (ch. 104), WSIX (ch. 11) and XM News (ch. 120). XM's channel lineup is grouped into different categories (e.g., Rock, Country, News). XM is re-categorizing the following channels and adding a new category as well: On the Rocks (ch. 33) will move from Hits to Jazz & Blues (ch. 76). Ethel (ch. 34) will move from Hits to Rock (ch. 47). Fine Tuning (ch. 111) will move from Classical to World (ch. 104). ABC News & Talk (ch. 164) will move from Variety to News (ch. 124). The Torch (ch. 31) and The Fish (ch. 32) will move into a new "Christian" music category. All these details, including new channel numbers, are listed on XM's website at lineup.xmradio.com. XM (Nasdaq: XMSR) had approximately 137,000 subscribers as of June 30, 2002. XM is transforming radio, an industry that has seen little technological change since FM, almost 40 years ago. XM's programming lineup features 100 coast-to-coast digital channels: 71 music channels, many of them commercial-free, from hip hop to opera, classical to country, bluegrass to blues; and 29 channels of sports, talk, children's and entertainment. XM was named 2001 "Product of the Year" by Fortune, an "Invention of the Year" by Time and won Popular Science's 2001 "Best of What's New" Grand Award in the electronics category. XM won several awards at the 2001 CES, including "Best of CES" in the automotive category, and received a coveted "A" rating from Entertainment Weekly. XM radios are available at major electronics retailers nationwide. Leading manufacturers such as Sony, Alpine and Pioneer offer a broad array of XM radios that easily enable any existing car stereo system. General Motors recently began factory-installing XM radio across 25 different 2003 models including household brand names such as: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Oldsmobile and Pontiac. Isuzu dealers now offer XM radios to buyers of their Axiom and 2 Rodeo models. XM will be available as an option this coming fall on six Infiniti and Nissan 2003 models as well as future Audi and Volkswagen models. XM's strategic investors include America's leading car, radio and satellite TV companies -- General Motors, American Honda Motor Co. Inc., Clear Channel Communications and DIRECTV. For more information, please visit XM's web site: http://www.xmradio.com. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements in this press release include demand for the company'tms service, the company's dependence on third party vendors, its continuing need for additional financing, as well as other risks described in XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc.'s Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on 4-8-2002. Copies of the filing are available upon request from XM Radio' s Investor Relations Department. Press Contacts: Charles Robbins 202-380-4316 Phone [email protected] Ildiko Novak 202-380-4317 Phone [email protected] 3.