Chalk up another job for Westport homeowner Martha Stewart six weeks after being released from prison. Her media company has signed a four-year deal to start a 24-hour radio satellite channel worth $30 million to the company.
The new channel on Sirius Satellite Radio will be aimed at women and will feature Stewart’s trademark cooking, gardening and entertaining programming.
For Sirius, the deal with Stewart is the most recent effort to ramp up its programming slate to compete with its much larger rival in the satellite radio business, XM Satellite Radio Holdings.
Last year Sirius signed radio host Howard Stern to a five-year, $500 million deal starting in 2006.
Earlier this month XM reported it had 3.8 million subscribers, while Sirius’ most recent subscriber count was 1.2 million.
Martha Stewart Omnimedia Vice Chairman Charles Koppelman said the exclusive agreement with Sirius would be worth $30 million to his company.
Sirius will make payments of about $7.5 million each year to Martha Stewart Living.
The channel will be part of Sirius’s regular service, which costs subscribers about $13 a month.
Sirius, which has been recruiting top personalities such as rapper Eminem and cyclist Lance Armstrong to compete with XM, said it expects to boost subscriber growth and advertising revenue at its fee-based service by attracting women to the channel.
“It will have a great appeal to women, who are completely underserved by terrestrial radio,” said Sirius Chief Executive Mel Karmazin, who added that the channel could reap significant advertising revenue.
The companies plan to share ad revenue from the channel but declined to detail how the revenue would be split.
The channel is likely to launch later this year, after Stewart completes her sentence.
Martha I wish you well in your new venture with Siuus Satelite Radio.
Martha, I am so happy to see things going your way. I am wishing you great success. Your strength to endure has amazed me. For all the Martha fans, please join us at our Martha Stewart fan board at http://springmartha.proboards26.com.
Last fall, I went to Alderson when you were incarcerated. I am a former West Virginian and have Alderson friends. We planted snow crocus to support your effort to get your garden growing again. Those bulbs bloomed just like the ones I planted in my garden. Martha’s Spring Garden 2005 is dedicated to your effort to get your company blooming and growing again.
Best of luck,
Jackie Hord
East Hampton, New York
Martha’s Spring Garden 2005 has no commercial purpose whatsoever. It only exists as a statement of support for Martha Stewart. It has been difficult for those who wish to speak against the way that Martha was treated to do so. Maybe time will change that and more people, especially women, will stand up for her in the future. No e-mail addresses are stolen by anyone to my knowledge.
Don`t click on that website as Ms Hord steals your e-mail address and contacts you without your permission.