XM Radio Programming Awarded Highest Honors at 2003 New York Festivals
XM Music, Talk, Kids and Comedy Program Channels Singled Out for Excellence
WASHINGTON, June 30 -- It was announced last week that XM Satellite Radio , America's leading satellite radio service, was awarded two Gold WorldMedals, one Silver WorldMedal and one Bronze WorldMedal in this year's 2003 New York Festivals competition for excellence in radio programming.
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The New York Festivals' International Radio Programming and Promotion Awards recognize the world's best work in news, information, entertainment and on-air talent programming & promotion. The judges are respected voices in the radio industry. Competing against radio programming from around the world, XM was the only satellite radio company recognized for achievements in programming. XM was awarded the following:
* Gold WorldMedal for XM's Black History Month programming, featuring some
350 hours of programs that appeared on 20 XM channels;
* Gold WorldMedal for "Weirdness on Special X" on XM's Special X, the
eclectic channel devoted to bizarre music and off-the-wall programs;
* Silver WorldMedal for Best Children's Program: XM Kids, the XM channel
featuring imaginative programming for children ages two through eight;
* Bronze WorldMedal for Best Talk Format: Sonic Theater, XM's channel
devoted to radio dramas, audio books and storytelling;
* Finalist Certificate for Best Music Special: Graham Nash With George
Taylor Morris and Sonny Fox at XM's Live Performance Studio.
"Clearly our dedication to delivering programming that consistently excites, educates and entertains has struck a chord. The prestigious awards are terrific recognition for the hard work of our programming staff. What matters most, of course, is continuing to win over our exploding base of subscribers who consider themselves more XM fans than XM customers," said Hugh Panero, XM President and CEO. "The Festivals' judges are confirming something that our more than 600,000 subscribers know very well; listening to XM is special."
About XM Satellite Radio
XM is America's #1 satellite radio service. With more than 600,000 subscribers today, XM is on pace to have more than one million subscribers later this year. Whether in the car, home, office or on the go, XM's loyal listeners enjoy 101 digital channels of choice: 70 music channels, more than 35 of them commercial-free, from hip hop to opera, classical to country, bluegrass to blues; and 31 channels of premiere sports, talk, comedy, kid's and entertainment programming.
XM's strategic partners are leaders in the automotive, retail, consumer electronics and media industries. Currently available on 25 of General Motors' 2003 models, XM will be featured on 44 of GM's most popular Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Pontiac, Buick and Saturn models beginning later this year. Honda is making XM available on the Honda Accord, Honda Pilot and Acura RL, Acura TL and Acura MDX models. Toyota, Isuzu, Infiniti, Nissan, Audi and Volkswagen will offer XM to their customers. Consumers can also purchase XM's leading-edge car, home and portable audio receivers, including the critically- acclaimed Delphi XM SKYFi Radio, at Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Circuit City and other major retailers nationwide. XM's strategic investors include General Motors, American Honda Motor Co. Inc., Clear Channel Communications and DIRECTV. For more information about XM, visit our web site at www.xmradio.com.
About The New York Festivals
For 46 years, The New York Festivals has honored excellence in communications media which touch the hearts and minds of readers, listeners and viewers worldwide. Industry acceptance and participation are symbolized by the Festivals' prestigious Board of Distinguished Judges and Advisors, comprising a veritable "Who's Who" of world leaders in communications.
The New York Festivals (NYf) is a privately owned company based in Manhattan. It oversees and runs six international awards competitions: Film & Video, Television Programming and Promotions, Radio Programming and Promotions, Television and Radio Advertising, Print Advertising and Design, and Interactive. Entries to each of the competitions are judged in the United States and around the world by panels of peers in their respective industries. Gold, Silver and Bronze WorldMedals are awarded to the highest scoring entries in each category. Grand Awards for each competition are selected by the blue ribbon panel of judges and advisors. In addition, NYf also oversees three stand-alone international competitions: The Midas Awards for financial services communications; the Global Awards for healthcare communications; and the AME Awards for advertising and marketing effectiveness. Founded in 1957, NYf now has representation in more countries than any other media competition. In 2002, it received over 16,000 entries from companies in 64 countries. For more information, contact Anne White, Director of Marketing, email awhite@newyorkfestivals.com, phone 212-643 4800 or visit www.newyorkfestivals.com.
Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements in this press release include demand for the company's service, the company's dependence on third party vendors, its potential need for additional financing, as well as other risks described in XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc.'s Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on 3-31-2003. Copies of the filing are available upon request from XM Radio's Investor Relations Department.
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