XM Teams Up with NBC for 'Nashville Star Radio'

XM Teams Up with NBC for 'Nashville Star Radio'

Exclusive Weekly XM Show to Feature Interviews with Contestants and Judges, Live Performances, Behind-the-Scenes Stories and More Beginning June 12

The Sixth Season of 'Nashville Star' Will Premiere on NBC June 9 (9-11 p.m. ET)

NEW YORK and WASHINGTON, June 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- "Nashville Star Radio," a new, weekly show that will air exclusively on XM Radio in connection with the popular NBC music competition, will launch June 12, it was announced today by XM and NBC Universal. XM's "Nashville Star Radio" will feature interviews and special performances by the show's contestants, behind-the-scenes stories, and appearances by "Nashville Star" host Billy Ray Cyrus and competition judges Jewel, John Rich and Jeffrey Steele. XM's new series will debut Thursday, June 12, following the Monday night season premiere of "Nashville Star" on NBC June 9.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070313/XMLOGO )

"Nashville Star Radio" will premiere in its regular weekly timeslot on Thursday, June 12 at 8 p.m. ET on XM's new country hits channel "Highway 16" (XM 16), with additional encores airing throughout the week. Detailed programming information is available online at http://www.xmradio.com/nashvillestar.

"XM is known as an arbiter of the best in country music for fans of both new and established artists. The addition of 'Nashville Star Radio' is just another example of how XM is helping fans discover the best new artists in country music well before they become household names and is an excellent complement to the roster of dedicated country music channels and original shows already available to XM's millions of subscribers," said Eric Logan, Executive Vice President, Programming, XM Radio.

"XM is a proven platform for launching new artists in all musical genres and it embodies the same respect for the music community and the dedicated spirit in the search for true talent that 'Nashville Star' promotes," said Craig Plestis, Executive Vice President, Alternative Programming, Development and Specials, NBC Entertainment. "This is the ideal partnership for this competition series. 'Nashville Star Radio' is a unique complement to our efforts as a show and to the efforts of our host and judges/mentors to find the next 'Nashville Star.'"

The sixth season of "Nashville Star" will premiere on NBC Monday, June 9 (9-11 p.m. ET) followed by 90-minute live episodes each week. This year, the longest running cable reality competition series moves into the spotlight on NBC. With a bigger stage to play, the expectations become higher and the competition tougher as each contestant will turn to the celebrity panel that will not only judge them during the live shows, but will also provide a unique mentoring aspect to the series. Host Billy Ray Cyrus ("Hannah Montana") will join country music star, singer-songwriter and acclaimed producer John Rich and Multi-Platinum singer-songwriter and three-time Grammy nominee Jewel, along with acclaimed industry heavy weight and BMI Songwriter of the Year (2006) Jeffery Steele, to bring their unique insights and experience to the show and its contestants. The competition opens the doors for talent 16 years-of-age and older and welcomes not only solo artists to the stage, but also duos and trios who can compete as talented singers, songwriters and musicians. The winner or winners of this year's competition will receive a major recording contract with Warner Bros. Records and the performance of a lifetime when they take to the world's stage at the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.

"Nashville Star Radio" joins a broad range of XM country music programming, including original music shows hosted by Marty Stuart, Bill Anderson and Robert Earl Keen, among others, plus new and archived episodes of The Grand Ole' Opry. XM is also the leader is live broadcasts, bringing fans performances from the top music festivals and events across the country, including The CMA Music Festival, FarmAid, Bonnaroo, South by Southwest, Austin City Limits Festival, and many others.

More than 900 country performers have come through XM's Nashville studios for live performances, interviews and more. Currently, XM offers seven different country music channels: "America" (XM 10) for classic country; "X Country" (XM 12) for progressive country; "Willie's Place" (XM 13) for traditional country music; "Bluegrass Junction" (XM 14) for bluegrass music fans; "The Village" (XM 15) for folk music; "Highway 16" (XM 16) for current top country hits; and "U.S. Country" (XM 17) for 80's and 90's country hits.

About "Nashville Star"

"Nashville Star" is created by Reveille and produced by 495 Productions. Ben Silverman (NBC's "The Office"), Howard T. Owens ("American Gladiators"), Mark Koops ("The Biggest Loser") and Sally Ann Salsano ("Design Star," "A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila") serve as executive producers. Jon Small ("Garth Brooks Live in LA") is a producer.

About XM

XM is America's number one satellite radio company with more than 9.3 million subscribers. Broadcasting live daily from studios in Washington, DC, New York City, Chicago, Nashville, Toronto and Montreal, XM's 2008 lineup includes more than 170 digital channels of choice from coast to coast: commercial-free music, premier sports, news, talk radio, comedy, children's and entertainment programming; and the most advanced traffic and weather information.

XM, the leader in satellite-delivered entertainment and data services for the automobile market through partnerships with General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Porsche, Ferrari, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota is available in 140 different vehicle models for 2008. XM's industry-leading products are available at consumer electronics retailers nationwide. XM programming is also available through XM Radio Online, the exclusive home on the Internet for XM's commercial-free music channels; as downloads of original XM shows via podcasts from XM's Web site or the Apple's iTunes Store; and as streams of commercial-free XM music channels to AT&T and Alltel wireless customers through XM Radio Mobile. For more information about XM hardware, programming and partnerships, please visit http://www.xmradio.com/.

Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements in this press release include demand for XM Satellite Radio's service, the Company's dependence on technology and 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 2-28-08. Copies of the filing are available upon request from XM Radio's Investor Relations Department. All programming subject to change.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact: david.butler@xmradio.com

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070313/XMLOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com

Source: XM

CONTACT: Anne-Taylor Adams of XM, +1-212-708-6171,
annetaylor.adams@xmradio.com

Web site: http://www.xmradio.com/
http://www.xmradio.com/nashvillestar

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Profile: International Entertainment