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StockCall.com: Satellite, Internet and AM/FM Radios - Niche or Trend?
[January 18, 2013]

StockCall.com: Satellite, Internet and AM/FM Radios - Niche or Trend?


Jan 18, 2013 (Close-Up Media via COMTEX) -- StockCall.com announced that the broadcasting - radio industry has been garnering increased interest of late, as companies with different radio delivery methods, such as Sirius XM Radio Inc., Pandora Media Inc. and Emmis Communications Corp., have all been performing well.



According to a release, it remains to be seen if AM/FM, Internet or satellite radio will end up dominating the other broadcasting methods, but for now companies are doing what they can to get a leg up on the competition. Some have been focusing their efforts on getting their products into new vehicles, while others have been looking to reach out to smartphone and tablet users. Creating or providing desirable content has also been the focus of many in the industry of late. While a diverse range of radio broadcasters have been excelling, competition remains fierce, and those able to add new subscribers or listeners while still controlling margins could be best positioned to perform well in the long-run.

On the satellite side of things sits Sirius, the largest radio broadcaster in the world based on revenue. Sirius had an outstanding 2012, and finished the year just shy of 24 million subscribers, which included 2 million net subscriber additions for the year. Sirius has done well for itself via the auto industry, as many car makers are producing vehicles with factory-installed Sirius receivers. If the auto industry continues to surge forward like it did in 2012, Sirius could be well positioned to benefit.


Pandora is one of the major Internet radio players, and a company that is also tapping into the automobile radio market. Pandora Media Inc. is now available on over 1,000 integrations, which include automobiles and consumer electronics. The company newly announced that Chrysler Group has been added to the list of automobile brands that integrate Pandora in their vehicles. With more than 85 different car models including Pandora and over 1 million listeners to date having used Pandora via automotive integrations, the company is certainly establishing itself in the automotive market. For the month of December 2012, listener hours for Pandora increased 54 percent year-over-year to 1.39 billion. The company also managed to increase its share of total U.S. radio listening in December, with figures coming in at 7.19 percent, as compared to 4.71 percent in the prior year.

Emmis Communications occupies a top position on the more traditional side of radio. The company has 19 FM and 3 AM radio stations, making it the 9th biggest (in terms of total listeners), publicly traded radio portfolio in the U.S. Emmis has also done a stellar job of late, as in its newly reported third fiscal quarter domestic radio net revenues climbed 5 percent. The company has also done a good job lowering its expenses, as its recent refinancing efforts have led to a significant drop in interest expenses. Station operating income for the quarter was also encouraging, as it came in at $13.8 million, compared to $10 million during the same period last year.

StockCall.com is a financial website where investors can receive research and opinions on stocks making the headlines.

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