O&A? Out. POTUS? In. (Abbreviation Guide Below)
Yesterday, XM announced it had reached an agreement with C-SPAN (throat clear—both Public Eye topics last week) to start a radio channel devoted entirely to the 2008 presidential race.
As the Associated Press reported:
XM Satellite Radio announced plans Monday to launch a station devoted completely to coverage of the 2008 election.So there you have it, Mr. And Mrs. XM Nation. Keep your 'record' buttons triggered for the next "Bomb, Bomb Iran"Dubbed "POTUS '08," the station will debut next month with a sort of sneak preview format that will include original programming as well as rebroadcasts of candidate debates. The station will formally launch in September and remain in place through November 2008.
The station will be located at channel 130, sandwiched between Bloomberg radio and BBC radio in the middle of a dry programming valley. Which is all well and good, but seeing as XM has all those different tiers of programming, why not take advantage of niches? Perhaps John Edwards could do a DJ stint at channel 18, in the country music neighborhood, so that demographic could hear his drawl. Or Joe Biden could sit for an interview at channel 51, where he could discuss foreign policy -- and classic rock. And you know Sam Brownback would love to be spolighted on one of those channels in the low 30s, where they play the Christian rock. (Add'l note to XM: "Public Eye Radio" … I'm just sayin', is all.)
All this, of course, is in good fun. What C-SPAN and XM are doing is good for public discourse, even if only point oh oh oh oh whatever percent of America will be listening. And while little known presidential candidates like Mike Gravel and Ron Paul may not win the presidency, an appearance on XM might at least help them launch their radio careers.