RURAL RADIO to Launch on SiriusXM
RURAL RADIO channel 147 will be the ultimate destination for the rural lifestyle, agribusiness news, outdoor living, western sports, and rural-themed entertainment
24/7 channel to be exclusive home of original radio programming dedicated to the needs and interests of rural America
Live coverage of Professional Bull Riders events and other Western Sports
Omaha, NE and New York, NY– June 26, 2013— Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI) and RURAL RADIO, L.L.C. today announced the creation of RURAL RADIO, a 24/7 channel devoted to providing a wide variety of programming for and about rural American life, the western lifestyle, and agribusiness interests.
RURAL RADIO, channel 147, will give SiriusXM listeners all over America, whether driving a tractor cab equipped with satellite radio or driving in city commuter traffic, an unprecedented connection to the rural community. RURAL RADIO will broadcast original programming for rural audiences exclusively for SiriusXM that spans commodity market reporting, lifestyle programming, original and classic entertainment, and western sports, such as rodeo and bull
riding.
Every weekday, RURAL RADIO will deliver extensive information for the rural community in North America, including rural news, weather, and market reports during weekday hours as grain, livestock and other commodity futures are being traded globally. Traders can tune in directly to reports from the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.
RURAL RADIO launches July 15 on Channel 80, and there will be an official launch celebration August 3, with an all-day event to be held at the finish line of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which will include an attempt to set the Guinness World Record for a Parade of Pickup Trucks on the historic track, with all their radios tuned to SiriusXM channel 147.
RURAL RADIO’s broadcast operations will be based in Nashville, Tennessee along with Rural Media Group, Inc., (RMG). Corporate offices, sales, and marketing will be headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. A complete broadcast program schedule will be made available on or before July 15, 2013 at www.facebook.com/RURALRADIO80 and on Twitter @RURALRADIO147.
“SiriusXM’s unparalleled programming and easy-to-use technology has been embraced by rural consumers in their cars, pickups, tractors and combines throughout North America,” said Patrick Gottsch, Founder of Rural Media Group, Inc. and RURAL RADIO, LLC. “RURAL RADIO is designed to fill the growing demand for more rural content that is being ignored by urban-based broadcasters. I want to publicly thank the SiriusXM executives for seeing this opportunity and stepping up to fill this void. RURAL RADIO will be a strong asset to the powerful SiriusXM lineup.”
“Rural Media Group has a proven track record of offering great programming for rural Americans and those drawn to the western lifestyle,” said Scott Greenstein, President and Chief Content Officer, SiriusXM. “In growing SiriusXM’s diverse programming lineup, we are excited to join with Rural Media Group to super-serve the rural audience, thereby further ensuring that SiriusXM, with its truly nationwide coverage, delivers the best audio content for listeners everywhere in America, from city skyscrapers to small towns and farms, from the Super Bowl to rodeos, from Wall Street to the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME).”
RURAL RADIO’s program schedule will provide a wide variety of original productions focused on agriculture, equine, hunting, fishing, western sports and living the country life in small towns and on acreages.
Veteran farm broadcasters Mark Oppold and Janet Adkison, the current and incoming presidents of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) will anchor three daily, weekday shows—Commodity Wrap, Rural Evening News and Market Day Report, a live 5-hour daily program featuring reports from dedicated news bureaus located at the CME, Chicago Board of Trade, as well as from USDA headquarters in Washington, D.C. Additional daily
ag-related programming will be provided through RMG’s strong affiliations with the leaders in rural America, including: Farm Journal Media, owners of AGDAY, U.S. Farm Report and AGRITALK, Meredith Corporation’s Living The Country Life, various state farm bureaus, and Ag PhD featuring the Hefty Brothers of South Dakota.
Equine enthusiasts will enjoy Horse Talk, a daily, one-hour call-in program that will showcase the leading clinicians and horse associations, and air live coverage from major horse shows that take place all around the world. Vets on Call, another interactive program, will be underwritten by Zoetis Animal Health, who will make its top veterinarians available to answer listener questions and calls on-air.
Western Sports will occupy a large block of programming on RURAL RADIO in late afternoon, in early evening hours, and throughout the weekends with the Western Sports Roundup (WSR). Hosted by Clint Adkins and Alexis Bloomer, WSR will cover Professional Bull Riding (PBR) and the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association (PRCA) events by interviewing the stars of each
association and providing standings. WSR will also cover and offer results from all western sports including cutting, reining, roping, barrel racing and both professional and amateur level bronc-riding, including High School & College Rodeo news, as well as Little Britches and Junior High competitions.
“SiriusXM’s coast-to-coast coverage gives us the ability to reach listeners nationwide. The line-up of programming we’ve developed and accumulated for this launch solidifies and expands our brand across North America. Rural is a way of life, and RURAL RADIO means listeners can tune into it from anywhere at any time,” said Randy Bernard, President/CEO, Rural Media Group, Inc.
For more information, visit www.siriusxm.com/ruralradio
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About RURAL RADIO, L.L.C.: RURAL RADIO is a 24/7 international satellite radio station
devoted to serving rural needs and interests. RURAL RADIO is slated to launch in the U.S. and Canada on SiriusXM channel 147. Broadcast operations for the station are located in Nashville, TN and corporate headquarters are in Omaha, NE. The channel is affiliated with Rural Media Group, Inc. RURAL RADIO’s program schedule revolves around original productions focused on agriculture, equine, hunting, fishing, western sports, and living the country life in small towns and on acreages. Details on SiriusXM at www.siriusxm.com/ruralradio. Facebook: www.facebook.com/RURALRADIO147 and Twitter @RURALRADIO147
About Rural Media Group, Inc. (RMG): Rural Media Group, Inc. is the world’s leading provider of multimedia content dedicated to the rural and western lifestyle. RMG is the parent company of RFD-TV, FamilyNet, RURAL TV, RFD-TV the Magazine and RFD-TV the Theatre. RFD-TV, the flagship network for RMG, launched in December 2000. RFD-TV is the nation’s first 24-hour television network dedicated to serving the needs and interests of rural America with programming focused on agriculture, equine and the rural lifestyle, along with traditional country music and entertainment. RMG acquired FamilyNet, America’s trusted entertainment network dedicated to providing wholesome and responsible viewing choices for today’s diverse family. RURAL TV produces rural business news covering commodity markets for both cash
and futures. Daily productions include Market Day Report and the Rural Evening News. RMG networks are distributed into more than 63-million homes worldwide by DBS, telco and cable systems including DISH Network, DIRECTV®, Comcast, Verizon FiOS TV, AT&T U-Verse, Mediacom, Charter, Optimum, Brighthouse, Suddenlink, Time Warner, Cox, and more than 600 independent rural cable systems. RFD-TV The Magazine is the print programming guide for the networks, which has attracted over 180,000 paid subscribers. RFD-TV The Theatre is a 2000 capacity soft seat venue in Branson, MO where entertainment programming is produced. Corporate headquarters are in Omaha, NE, and production operations are in Nashville, TN. For more information, visit www.rfdtv.com, www.myruraltv.com, and www.familynet.com. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook: @OfficialRFDTV @RURALTV @FamilyNet
CONTACT: Sarah A. Chase: sarahc@rfdtv.com, (Mobile)
402-889-5152
About Sirius XM Radio
Sirius XM Radio is the world’s largest radio broadcaster measured by revenue and has 24.4 million subscribers. SiriusXM creates and broadcasts commercial-free music; premier sports talk and live events; comedy; news; exclusive talk and entertainment; and the most comprehensive Latin music, sports and talk programming in radio. SiriusXM is available in vehicles from every major car company in the U.S., from retailers nationwide, and online at siriusxm.com. SiriusXM
programming is also available through the SiriusXM Internet Radio App for Android, Apple, and BlackBerry smartphones and other connected devices. SiriusXM also holds a minority interest in SiriusXM Canada which has more than 2 million subscribers. On social media, join the SiriusXM community on Facebook, facebook.com/siriusxm, Twitter, twitter.com/siriusxm, Instagram, instagram.com/siriusxm, and YouTube at youtube.com/siriusxm.
CONTACT: Hillary Schupf, 212.901.6739, hillary.schupf@siriusxm.com