Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Sinatra Gets Sirius

February 7, 2007

SIRIUS Satellite Radio and Frank Sinatra Enterprises to Create Exclusive New Radio Channel

Siriusly Sinatra to Feature a Show Hosted by Nancy Sinatra, Rare Live Concert Performances, Special Archives

Frank to Host His Own Show, The Chairman's Hour

NEW YORK, Feb. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SIRIUS Satellite Radio (Nasdaq: SIRI - News) today announced a partnership with Frank Sinatra Enterprises to create a new, exclusive radio channel dedicated to the music, time and spirit of Frank Sinatra.

Siriusly Sinatra, the 24-hour, seven-day-a-week, commercial-free channel, will air recordings spanning the entire spectrum of Sinatra's career, as well as other artists from the big band, swing and traditional pop genres. In addition to featuring regular blocks of Sinatra's music, Siriusly Sinatra will also feature a weekly show hosted by Nancy Sinatra, rare live concert performances, and special programs of archived material. SIRIUS and the Sinatra family will create The Chairman's Hour, hosted by Frank himself, based on archival material both spoken word and music.

Siriusly Sinatra, scheduled to launch soon on SIRIUS, will be the only channel available on radio that is produced by the Sinatra family. The channel will be unveiled officially today at SIRIUS' studios in Rockefeller Center more than twenty years to the date after Sinatra gave New York its signature song (Feb. 7, 1985 "New York, New York" became the official anthem of New York City).

Nancy Sinatra said, "America discovered my father on the radio. Now his earliest audience and his newest audience can hear his music, live performances, and exclusive interviews everywhere in North America. My family's arrangement with SIRIUS gives us the opportunity to create unique and broad programming never heard before on radio. Siriusly Sinatra brings my dad's voice into the future of audio entertainment."

"We've seen SIRIUS become the programming leader in satellite radio with a name and reputation that represents the best there is in radio content. We want to take advantage of the promise of satellite radio that allows you to create in-depth, focused and exclusive programming, and so we've made a SIRIUS choice," said Ms. Sinatra.

"We look forward to Siriusly Sinatra on SIRIUS. It's a wonderful outlet for people to hear my father's musical legacy and other Sinatra surprises, many of which you have never heard," said Frank Sinatra Jr.

"As a young child I remember the first time I heard my father's voice on the radio; Dad was driving and said, "That's what I do for a living." How thrilling to now launch Siriusly Sinatra where I can hear his voice anytime," said Tina Sinatra.

Scott Greenstein, SIRIUS President, Entertainment and Sports, said, "This is a unique and unparalleled musical collaboration with the Sinatra family that makes SIRIUS the radio home of Frank Sinatra. Frank's music is a vibrant and living treasure, and with the help of the Sinatra family, SIRIUS will create programming that millions of SIRIUS subscribers will not want to miss." Greenstein added, "Sinatra was the first to create concept albums and amassed a tremendous body of recorded work that our unique format and partnership with the family allows us to fully explore."

Frank Sinatra's career is unmatched in American popular music. A recipient of 13 GRAMMY® awards, Sinatra holds the distinction of singing on the first Billboard No. 1 single, "I'll Never Smile Again" (1940), which sold 900,000 copies. From his first released single in 1940, as the singer with Tommy Dorsey's band, to the 1980 release of "Theme From New York, New York," Frank Sinatra had more than 200 hits on Billboard's pop singles chart. Reprise, the record company founded by Sinatra, recently released Sinatra: Vegas, the critically-acclaimed and best-selling box set of previously- unreleased, legendary Sinatra Las Vegas performances. Sinatra, a multi-media production, concluded a five-month engagement at the Palladium in London last year, and is scheduled to tour Europe and parts of Asia in the coming year.

Labels: sinatra, sirius