XM to Offer Regional Talk Stations
One of the key advantages that over the air radio has over satellite radio is the ability to offer local talk programming. While the great majority of top syndicated talkers are available on satellite radio, over the air radio has maintained an exclusive franchise on a local and regional talk. Not anymore. A short while ago Clear Channel gave the okay to XM to add WLW in Cincinnati to its channel line-up. Most of the talkers on WLW do local/regional talk. They include the following personalities:
Scott Sloan
Gary Jeff Walker
Earl Pitts
Darryl Parks
Mike McConnell
Alan Cutler
Sterling
Bill Boshears
Tom Gamble
Richard Skinner
Now Clear Channel and XM have announced a deal to launch six more local/regional talk stations on XM. If those station offer as many talkers as WLW that would mean that XM subscribers will have access to 70 local/regional talkers. So much for over the air radio's advantage over satellite. And why would CC make such a deal? Oh yes, they are an investor in XM.
