Xm Satellite Radio Holdings Inc

In a once-abandoned printing factory that used to churn out National Geographic magazines, 82 immaculate, gleaming radio studios stand at near-silent attention, waiting for a master switch to be thrown in late summer. XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. is gearing up to go on the air in a big way: 100 channels of digital music and talk radio beamed to your car, broadcasting everything from rock, pop and country to news, comedy and evangelical programming.

Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. completed its purchase of XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. in an all-stock takeover valued at $2.76 billion. Sirius shares dropped 30 cents, or 16%, to $1.58 on investor concern over new stock and debt offerings.

XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. said the Federal Communications Commission had given it the go-ahead to sell three radio models after concerns about whether they met regulations. Shares of the subscription-based satellite radio provider rose as much as 9% after the Washington company said manufacturers could resume making the radios it described as key products. XM closed up 59 cents, or 4.6%, at $13.49.

Shares in satellite radio broadcaster XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. fell almost 31% on heavy volume after the company said a flaw in the two satellites at the heart of its newly launched service could cause them to be retired ahead of schedule. The decline in XM shares was the largest single-day loss since the company went public in October 1999 and took the shares from an opening price of $6.28 to a session low of $4.02 before closing at $4.30 on Nasdaq, down $1.90.

Sirius Satellite Radio Inc., the No. 2 U.S. pay-radio company, will begin selling its first portable device to compete with larger rival XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. and products such as the iPod. The Sirius S50, which will be available for $359.99 in October, will store and play back as many as 50 hours of radio or music files, New York-based Sirius said. The device, about the size of a deck of cards, can be strapped on an arm or clipped to a belt.

XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc., the largest U.S. pay-radio company, said its quarterly loss widened as it boosted spending on programs and marketing. Sales surged as it lured 65% more subscribers than a year earlier. The fourth-quarter net loss was $188.2 million, or 93 cents a share, compared with a loss of $162.9 million, or $1.12, a year earlier, Washington, D.C.-based XM said. Revenue more than doubled to $83.1 million, helped by holiday sales. XM Satellite shares rose 50 cents to $31.

XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. more than doubled its customers to 76,000 in the first quarter, exceeding its forecast by 6,000 subscribers. The company said it added more than 48,000 customers in the period ended Sunday. XM, whose $10 monthly service has 100 channels with fewer commercials than standard radio, said it is on target to have 350,000 customers by year's end. XM shares fell 67 cents to $13.10 on Nasdaq.

The Federal Communications Commission began a regulatory review of Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.'s proposed $4-billion purchase of XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. after a delay of more than one month. The agency is seeking public comment on the proposed merger of the only two pay-radio services, the FCC said. XM and Sirius announced their planned combination Feb. 19 and filed papers with the FCC more than two months ago. Typically, the FCC begins its review within three weeks of such filings.

XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. is raising the ante in its programming battle with rival Sirius Satellite Radio Inc., reportedly signing an 11-year programming deal with Major League Baseball. Such a deal could be worth even more than the $500-million pact Sirius recently made with shock jock Howard Stern.