James Carville and Luke Russert to Host New Sports Talk Show
Exclusively for XM Satellite Radio
WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- XM Satellite Radio
(Nasdaq: XMSR), the nation's leading satellite radio service with more than six million subscribers, announced today it will launch a new sports-themed talk show hosted by Democratic political strategist, commentator and passionate sports fan James Carville. Known for his animated and colorful debate style, the outspoken Carville will co-host the program with Luke Russert, his regular off-air sparring partner for all things sports and son of Carville's frequent interrogator, NBC journalist Tim Russert.
"This show will be another opportunity for me to engage in the back-and-forth debates on sports that, until now, Luke and I have limited to the stadium," said James Carville. "I talk about sports the same way I talk about politics, so it's safe to assume that Luke will be wrong most of the time."
The concept for the program was born from the heated exchanges between Carville and Russert during various Washington Nationals home games. This new show will feature the two discussing the top sports stories of the week with the same sense of humor and camaraderie experienced at the ballpark or at home. Scheduled to debut in March 2006, the hour-long show will air weekly on XM Satellite Radio. Additional program details will be announced prior to the show's debut.
"James and Luke's amazing chemistry and energy will entertain XM's millions of listeners, even those that don't count themselves as die-hard sports fans," said Eric Logan, executive vice president of programming for XM Satellite Radio. "As the leader in sports programming on satellite radio, we welcome James and Luke to the XM family and are proud to add them to the growing list of renowned commentators, journalists, coaches and athletes who contribute to XM's unprecedented offering of sports content."
James Carville is a political commentator for CNN and noted Democratic political strategist who emerged onto the national political scene after his consulting firm, Carville & Begala, helped elect President Bill Clinton in 1992. For his work on the Clinton campaign, the American Association of Political Consultants named him Campaign Manager of the Year in 1993. He went on to serve as a senior political adviser to the president. Often referred to as the "Ragin' Cajun" for his spirited debating style, Carville began managing political campaigns in 1982. Before entering politics, he worked as a litigator at a Baton Rouge, La., law firm, and also had brief stints in the U.S. Marines and as a high school teacher.
Luke Russert is currently a sophomore at Boston College. An avid sports fan, by the time he was 16, he had attended two Super Bowls, a World Series, five Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star Games, an NBA final, four NBA All-Star Games, two NCAA Final Fours, an NHL Stanley Cup Final, a U.S. Open and The Preakness Stakes. A graduate of St. Albans School in Washington, D.C., where he played football and baseball, Russert worked for the highly-rated ESPN program "Pardon the Interruption" during the summer of 2005.
About XM Satellite Radio
XM is America's number one satellite radio service with more than 6 million subscribers. Broadcasting live daily from studios in Washington, DC, New York City, the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Toronto and Montreal, XM's 2006 lineup includes 160 digital channels of choice from coast to coast: the most commercial-free music channels, plus premier sports, talk, comedy, children's and entertainment programming; and 21 channels of the most advanced traffic and weather information.
XM, the leader in satellite-delivered entertainment and data services for the automobile market through partnerships with General Motors, Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, Nissan and Volkswagen/Audi, is available in more than 130 different vehicle models for 2006. XM's industry-leading products are available at consumer electronics retailers nationwide. For more information about XM hardware, programming and partnerships, please visit http://www.xmradio.com.
Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements in this press release include demand for XM Satellite Radio's service, the Company's dependence on technology and third party vendors, its potential need for additional financing, as well as other risks described in XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc.'s Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on 11-7-05. Copies of the filing are available upon request from XM Radio's Investor Relations Department.
SOURCE XM Satellite Radio
