Friday, March 30, 2007

Sidak - 23,000 Hours of Content

March 30, 2007

More for the C3SR file.

In his Criterion Economics report Sidak states the following:

"In 2006, Sirius announced it's acquisition of the rights to 23,000 hours of Stern programming, which it intends to air unedited"

Mr. Sidak........Why did you neglect to tell where that programming was from? Why did you neglect to state that the VAST MAJORITY of that programming could air on terrestrial radio TODAY. The fact is that that 23,000 hours of programming represents the terrestrial radio days of Howard Stern. Do these facts not suit your stance?

Today some of that content was on the air, and there was nothing in that show that couldn't have been broadcast on terrestrial radio.

The facts are this. Terrestrial radio could not air the content without the consent of Stern. Stern was not going to allow that to happen, considering that he was being sued by CBS at the time. Sirius bought the rights to the content for $2,000,000. CBS could have stuck to their guns had they found the content so compelling. They did not, and sold their rights for $2,000,000.

Labels: c3sr, criterion economics, sidak, stern

3/30/2007 10:15:00 AM

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Sidak Makes Yet Another Blunder

March 30, 2007

Mr. Sidak, the author of the Criterion Economics (supported by C3SR and the NAB)report against the Sirius and XM merger makes yet another error.

In the report Sidak states:

"Playboy radio, which requires subscribers to opt-in, reportedly drew 1,000,000 customers to Sirius over a three month period."

Mr. Sidak......once again I guess you need to be corrected. Perhaps you are unaware, and did not do the research, or perhaps you are simply trying to be misleading, but here are the facts:

1. Playboy radio did not draw 1,000,000 customers to Sirius. The bulk of those that opted-in were ALREADY subscribers to Sirius. If that was the case, we would already have a Penthouse channel, a Hustler channel, etc.

2. The opt-in is FREE. Consumers tend to take anything that is given to them free. By example, I opted into the FREE Playboy Radio channel. I have listened to the stream for about 15 to 30 minutes when it first launched, and have not tuned in since.

3. There are perhaps a few people who cite specifically Playboy Radio as their reason for subscribing, but I would venture to say that the number is very small. In fact, most studies indicate that consumers cite commercial free music as their reason for subscribing......IMAGINE THAT

Mr. Sidak.....are we having fun yet?????

Labels: c3sr, criterion report, merger, sidak

3/30/2007 10:03:00 AM

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C3SR Criterion Report - Opie and Anthony

March 30, 2007

Wow, the Criterion Economics report is a goldmine for debate. Sidak, the author of the report, seems to have holes in nearly every page.

we all know that there are two sides to every debate, and I am not professing that my viewpoint is the final solution. I am simply pointing out other factors that those reading the report should consider.

In yet another section of the report Sidak states:

"Broadcast radio has also faced sizable fines as recently as April 8, 2004, including a $495,000 NAL against Clear Channel Communications for an episode of the Howard stern Show, a $755,000 NAL against Clear Channel for a broadcast by radio host "Bubba The Love Sponge", and $357,000 in liability against Infinity Broadcasting for an episode of the Opie and Anthony Show. Notably, all of these controversial radio hosts are now offered on satellite radio"

SSG Comments:

Mr. Sidak........please correct me if I am wrong, but isn't Opie and Anthony available of terrestrial radio????? I could swear that I have heard that duo on Boston radio station WBCN. In fact Mr. Sidak, you have offices in Cambridge Massachusetts, so perhaps you have heard them. They were on the air this morning in fact. I also have seen WBC Billboards featuring this duo on FM radio stations. HMMMMMM. You have an office in Washington if I am not mistaken......Seems they are on terrestrial radio there as well. In case you missed it Mr. Sidak, here is a list of terrestrial radio stations offering Opie and Anthony:

New York City: 92.3 FreeFM WFNY (online stream available)
Philadelphia: 94.1 FreeFM WYSP (online stream available)
Dallas: 105.3 FM KLLI (online stream available)
Boston: 104.1 FM WBCN
Pittsburgh: 93.7 FM WRKZ
Cleveland: 92.3 Fm WXRK (show airs from 3pm - 6pm)
West Palm Beach: 103.1 FM WPBZ
Detroit: 97.1 FreeFM WKRK (show airs from 6am - 9am)
Columbus: 107.1 FM WAZU (show airs from 3pm - 6pm)
Rochester: 94.1 FM WZNE (show airs from 2pm - 5pm)
Washington, DC: 106.7 FreeFM WJFK (show airs from 10am - 1pm)
Chicago, IL - 105.9 Free FM WCKG (online stream available)
San Francisco, CA - 106.9 Free FM KIFR (show airs from 10am - 1pm) (online stream available)
Providence, RI - WSKO 790 AM and 99.7 FM
New London, CT - WMOS 104.7 FM
Grand Rapids, MI - WKLQ 107.3 FM
Albuquerque, NM - KBZU 96.3 FM (show airs from 4pm - 7pm)
Portland, ME - WCYY 93.9FM & 94.3FM
Buffalo, NY - WEDG 103.3 FM
Baton Rouge, LA - KRDJ 93.7 FM
Tucson, AZ - 107.5 FM KHYT (online stream available)
Cape Cod, MA - 102.9 FM WPXC Pixy 103
Las Vegas, NV - 107.5 FM KXTE XTXREME ROCK RADIO (show airs from 10am - 1pm)
Flint, MI - 1330 AM WTRX Sports Xtra (show airs from 6am - 9am)
Syracuse, NY - 95.7 FM WAQX 95X (online stream available)

Wow, that is an impressive listing. So the question is this......Are Opie and Anthony indecent, and therefore excluded from terrestrial radio, or are they able to broadcast over the air in all of these markets? I know the answer.....The question is whether you know the answer.

Mr. Sidak, Please forgive my obvious sarcasm, but frankly I tend to get sarcastic when I am being fed a line of BS.

Labels: c3sr, criterion report, merger, sidak

3/30/2007 09:32:00 AM

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C3SR Criterion Report - Mores Holes Exposed

March 30, 2007

More on the C3SR/NAB sponsored Criterion Economics report.

In the report, authored by Sidak, he states:

"As I demonstrate below, the marquee content offered by SDARS is generally prohibited on broadcast terrestrial radio due to indecency standards. The demand for indecent content is widely considered to be inelastic. For example, evidence indicates the demand for adult oriented content is highly price inelastic. Pay-Per-View adult entertainment on cable systems, for instance, garners some of the highest profit margins of any programming. Some analysts claim the margins for cable or direct broadcast satellite operators of up to 80% on each purchase. Other studies show price inelastic demand for indecent content on the internet. This inelastic demand means that most current consumers of indecent content are "inframarginal" consumers who will tolerate a price increase. Although such content may compete weakly against playboy magazine and other indecent content consumed in the privacy of one's home, indecent content over radio is distinguishable because it can be consumed in the car, while driving, and in remote geographical locations."

SSG Comments:

Nice outline of your point, but are you neglecting to remember that consumers have access to a wide variety of content delivery systems????? Did you forget about I-Pods, MP3 Players and CD's? What you term as indecent content can be delivered via those methods as well. Why did you leave these important categories out of your report in this section? Is it that you are slanting this report to terrestrial radio and failing to consider the other competition that consumers have access to?

How does the profit margin of Pay-Per-View television equate to the current model of satellite radio? Do you really want us to believe that if Sirius charged $2.00 for Howard Stern that $1.60 of that money would translate to the bottom line for Sirius????? Come now Mr. Sidak....surely you know the cost of the Howard Stern deal.

Ever see a George Carlin CD? Ever see other CD with warning labels on them? Can those CD's with indecent content be played in the car? Ever see the kinds of programming that can be downloaded to an I-Pod? Do you want us to believe that out of the 90,000,000 I-Pods sold that no one is using them in their car?

Another note......Local content. Why is it that your clients want terrestrial radio to have the monopoly on local content??????? Does that provide an advantage to terrestrial radio?

Mr. Sidak.......your report is generating many questions. Surely someone with your experience and background can provide answers.

Labels: c3sr, criterion report, sidak