Sirius: NAB is ‘Muddying Water’ on FM Modulator Issue; Planning Stiletto, Video Rollout

Like XM, Sirius executives say they’re in daily contact with the FCC over the FM modulator issues. Sirius President/CEO Mel Karmazin said, “We continue to believe we have enough supply in the marketplace to meet near-term demand.”
The company hopes to solve the problems quickly and is evaluating “cost-effective engineering solutions,” he said.
Several of the analyst questions were related to the NAB’s request for a product recall; Karmazin noted that NAB was lobbying the issue aggressively and is “looking to muddy waters.” He said there have been few complaints from consumers over the FM modulated products. Both Karmazin and other Sirius executives reminded analysts that other devices, such as iPods, use FM modulators as well.
Sirius expects to release its first live wearable, the Stiletto, by the end of the month and its children’s back seat video product by the end of the year.
Howard Stern will round out the year for Sirius with a marketing campaign to garner fans who didn’t follow him to satellite radio.