XM Satellite Radio has lowered its subscriber forecast for the end of 2006 from nine million to 8.5 million, citing unexpected weakness in demand for its satellite radio service as well as potential legal losses from a recording industry lawsuit, writes the Wall Street Journal (subscription needed). XM had 6.5 million subscribers at the end of the first quarter.
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Mail industry software provider GrayHair Software has announced a new U.S. Postal Service rate comparison service, called GrayHair R-2006 Calculator, which allows mailers to proactively understand the effects of the proposed USPS R-2006 rates on their bottom line and future, writes DM News.
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An Arbitron/Edison Media Research study revealed that 77 percent of respondents expect to continue their AM/FM radio listening habits despite increasing advancements in technology, writes Radio Ink.
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More than one-third of respondents in a study by Arbitron/Edison Media Research are interested in HD Radio, with eight percent saying they were “very” interested, and another 27 percent saying they were “somewhat” interested, after reading a description of HD Radio, Radio Ink writes.
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Database giant infoUSA has announced its agreement to acquire New Jersey-based list broker and manager Mokrynskidirect, whose customer base is mainly consumer catalog-oriented, writes BtoB. Under the deal expected to close May 31, Mokrynskidirect’s existing management and name will continue and the company will run independently.
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Without a Trace With ABC’s Desperate Housewives on the decline since January and Grey’s Anatomy moving to Thursdays this fall, the network suddenly seems vulnerable, while three of the other four networks are posing very aggressive new challenges to Sunday night, writes Media Life.
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Nike and Apple have partnered to create a line of Nike+iPod products, the first of which is the Sport Kit, a wireless system that facilitates communication between Nike+ footwear and iPods via an in-shoe sensor and a receiver attached to an iPod, writes BrandWeek.
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Fueling the concern among advocacy groups about the effect that exposure to TV and commercials has on kids at an early age, “The Media Family” report released yesterday from the Kaiser Family Foundation revealed that parents might be using electronic media as babysitters for young children, with 80 percent of children under age six watching an average of two hours of TV each day, writes Adweek. Also, 60 percent of babies 1 year old and younger watch TV at least some of the time.
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Recognizing that electronic media are coming together across the nation, Barkley Evergreen & Partners, a full-service shop with clients like Paramount Parks and Sonic Drive-Ins, has rearranged its media operations, combining its online buyers with the TV and radio department, writes MediaPost. The program will full launch this summer.
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Hoping to hasten broadband internet use and lower prices by creating competition for the cable and telephone giants currently dominating the web, M2Z Networks has asked the FCC for permission to use free of charge a band of radio spectrum for its free high-speed, nation-wide wireless internet network, writes MediaWeek.
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Wall Street is apparently abuzz about a huge potential internet alliance - most likely a Yahoo-eBay partnership - but also possibly involving others, including Google and Microsoft, writes the New Zealand Herald (via MarketingVOX), citing a JP Morgan report. According to eBay spokesman Hani Durzy, the company works closely with the major search providers, but he would not address a potential Yahoo relationship. “We don’t comment on rumors and speculation,” Durzy is quoted as saying.
Behaviorally targeted online advertising network Tacoda announced that it has named online video solutions provider Klipmart its preferred provider of in-page video ads across the Tacoda Audience Networks of more than 3,000 sites, MarketingVOX reports. In addition, Tacoda and Klipmart will work on integrating Tacoda behavioral insights into Klipmart solutions to extend the value of the relationship for advertisers, the companies said.
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Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. is jumping on the social network bandwagon by starting a network aimed at women aged 25 to 45 where photographs, scrapbooks, recipes and similar projects can be shared, Reuters reports.
In an effort to overcome the hype given to Amazon.com bestseller Philips Norelco Bodygroom electric razor, Procter & Gamble Co.’s Braun has launched an unbranded viral campaign from Digitas, Boston, that aims to jokingly scare men clean-shaven by showing them the consequences of growing hairy stubble, writes Ad Age.
The U.S. Postal Service canceled an old law that denied businesses the ability to place ads or logos on any kind of currency, including postage, Ad Age writes. The cancellation comes as part of the USPS’ effort to boost income, as more consumers turn from so-called snail mail to correspondence via the internet.
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Many automakers are looking to close advertising deals with popular auto websites - in what has become a de facto online upfront - before the second quarter comes to a close, while some auto execs are spending their time this month negotiating upfront network TV agreements in New York, writes BrandWeek.
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