PR WAR OVER SATCAST MERGER SPAWNS NAB WEB SITE Although not approved by federal regulators, the proposed $13.6 billion all-stock merger between satellite radio broadcasters Sirius and XM has kept public relations machines in high gear since the plan was hatched on Feb. 19.
On Wednesday (June 13), the NAB slapped a banner across the front of its 1771 N Street NW headquarters in Washington, D.C., that has the look of a graffiti artist who has written “You Do the Math. XM + Sirius” atop a line with the word “monopoly” underneath. Readers are encouraged to “Voice Your Opposition at: www.xmsiriusmonopoly.org,” an NAB-created Web site that has an archive of every accusation the lobbying group has leveled against the proposal since the satcasters announced they wanted to marry on President’s Day.
On the flip side of the proposal, the satcasters on Tuesday (June 12) continued promoting their plan when the Hispanic Federation, which describes itself as “one of the nation's largest Latino advocacy organizations,” issued the statement: "We encourage actions that will provide our community with the benefits of competition, lower prices and more choices in a fair and equitable manner," said Lillian Rodriguez-Lopez, Hispanic Federation president. "We believe that the XM-Sirius merger will achieve these objectives and, as such, we urge the Federal Communications Commission to grant a speedy approval."
The group added that “satellite radio provides an important new source for news, information and entertainment for Hispanic Americans. With an emphasis on Latino programming unheard of on commercial radio, including CNN en Espanol, ESPN Deportes and Mexico Canta, Sirius and XM have both shown an innovative and dedicated approach to reaching Hispanic listeners.”
Rodriguez-Lopez added that “mainstream media companies offer very limited music and entertainment programming targeted to the Hispanic community." She believes satellite radio provides expanding and vibrant platforms for news and entertainment for Hispanic-Americans. HF is just the latest in a series of ethnic groups that have endorsed the merger proposal.
The satcasters on Wednesday also stepped up their efforts to gain overall public support for their merger plan by placing an advertisement in influential Capitol Hill publications Communications Daily, The Hill and Roll Call, and with The Politico, a D.C.-based political journalism organization that distributes its content via television, the Internet, newspaper and radio.
The ad claims that, “The people who support our merger are as diverse as our programs," and adds that among the groups that have voiced their support are the League of Rural Voters, National Consumers League, National Black Chamber of Commerce, Hispanic Federation, the Latino Coalition, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), New York State Federation of Hispanic Chambers of Commerce and the Women Involved in Farm Economics (WIFE). |