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HITS Daily Double
The service’s first broadcast was kicked off by ABC news anchor Sam Donaldson and his hair.

BUT SIRIUSLY FOLKS… NEW SATELLITE RADIO SERVICE BOWS

XM Competitor Ready To Roll Out in Denver, Houston, Phoenix and Jackson, MI

XM Satellite Radio was first out of the gate, but here comes Sirius Satellite Radio, the second major satellite broadcaster to launch its service.

The programming service began the first phase of its national rollout in Denver, Houston, Phoenix and Jackson, MI. To mark Sirius’ debut, the service treated Jackson to a special live concert featuring Randy Travis and a host of country artists. Yee-haw!

Competitor XM began rolling out their digital satellite service last September (see hitsdailydouble.com, 9/25), starting in Dallas and San Diego.

Said Sirius President/CEO Joseph P. Clayton: "This is an important day in Sirius’ history and we are thrilled to bring our premier satellite radio service to listeners in Denver, Houston, Phoenix and Jackson. Can Tuscaloosa, Pacoima, Jackson Hole and Rancho Cucamonga be far behind?"

The service’s first broadcast was kicked off by ABC news anchor Sam Donaldson and his hair. Listeners then heard Al Jarreau, who introduced a special musical overture performed by the National Symphony Orchestra, followed by a montage of artists and celebrities, including Shaggy, Sting, Nelly Furtado, Pink, Nickelback, Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Bennett, Emmylou Harris, Ray Manzarek, Jason Alexander, Nathan Lane, Bill Cosby, Dan Aykroyd, Grandmaster Flash, MC Lyte and others.

The service features 60 commercial-free music channels and 40 with commericals, with many exclusive live performances recorded at the company’s New York City studios. Excerpts from the first day of Sirius programming will be donated to the Museum of Television and Radio’s permanent collection. Click here for a press kit, which is far more informative than this story pretends to be.

Sirius costs $12.95 per month. They have agreements to install receivers in Ford, Chrysler, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, Volvo, Mazda, Dodge and Jeep autos.