SiriusXM Celebrates Black History Month with Special Programming Across Talk and Comedy Channels

NEW YORK, Feb. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SiriusXM announced today that it will celebrate Black History Month by offering listeners a wide variety of programming across SiriusXM's talk and comedy channels. Beginning today, the specials will highlight the lasting contributions of Black Americans in history, culture, business, and our society.

SiriusXM's Urban View (channel 126) is the home for dynamic discourse from prominent Black voices, dedicated to around-the-clock coverage of the Black experience. Urban View takes on even more significance each February, and this year the channel is amplifying Black voices at a vital moment in the country's history. Some of the specials which can be heard on the channel include: 

Joe Madison, leader in the cause for social justice, human and civil rights activist, and member of the NAACP's national board of directors, uses his SiriusXM program as a platform for inspiring change and demanding action. In honor of Black History Month, "The Black Eagle" will host a virtual event with the Ford Men of Courage National Leadership Forum in partnership with Morehouse College. The panel will include Morehouse President Dr. David A. Thomas; author Shaka Senghor, and others who will share stories of inspiration, sacrifice, and success. The special will air mid-February on "The Joe Madison Show."

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, professor, publisher and SiriusXM host Karen Hunter will feature an original content series, "Black History Changemakers," weekdays in February showcasing Black heroes and hidden figures in history, science, law, banking, politics, sports, TV, film, music, and more. This special daily segment can be heard on "The Karen Hunter Show" beginning on Monday, February 1.

Clay Cane, award-winning journalist, author, lecturer, filmmaker and host of "The Clay Cane Show," will host a virtual panel, "Mixtape & AAAG Present: Black Experiences in Arts, Media & Entertainment." This will highlight current modern-day Black professionals within arts, media, and entertainment who are breaking down barriers, and serving as inspiring advocates for the advancement of Black people within their given fields. Featured guests will share their unique experiences and perspectives on diversity, inclusion, and equality within their areas. The special is scheduled to include orchestra conductor Jeri Lynne Johnson; ABC News Anchor and award-winning TV journalist, Tim Pulliam; and CEO of SheChef, food stylist, and the first Black woman to be featured on PBS' cooking show America's Test Kitchen, Elle Simone Scott. The special will air on "The Clay Cane Show" on Friday, February 5 at 2:00 pm ET.

Inspired by the #sharethemicnow movement that took over Instagram this summer where prominent figures handed over their accounts to young and inspiring individuals, the hosts of Progress (channel 127) will turn over their shows and "pass the mic" each hour to fresh Black voices on Friday, February 12. The guest hosts will discuss and highlight the stories and issues that are important to them and which they feel are underrepresented in the mainstream media.

SiriusXM's Doctor Radio (channel 110) presented by NYU Langone Health will feature special live programming incorporating how various health-related topics affect minority populations, focusing especially on Black health issues. The channel will also host a special day-long marathon over the final weekend of the month featuring highlights from the previous weeks. All programming can be heard beginning on Monday, February 1.

Throughout the month, SiriusXM's Business Radio (channel 132) will spotlight specials featuring Black entrepreneurs and leaders in business, as well as those helping to advance diversity and inclusion initiatives:

Entrepreneur, investor, best-selling author and SiriusXM host Randi Zuckerberg will spotlight Black entrepreneurs and their influence in corporate America. Guests will include Megan Rose Dickey, senior reporter at TechCrunch who focuses on diversity and inclusion in tech, and the intersecting worlds of tech and social justice activism; Ron Williams, founder, chairman and CEO of RW2 Enterprises, former President and CEO of Aetna Inc.; and others. The special will air on "Randi Zuckerberg Means Business" on Wednesday, February 3 at 12:00 pm ET.

Business Radio will also broadcast a "Wharton Business Daily" special on "The History of Black Business in America" including everything from pivotal moments in Black business history to current executives who are breaking barriers and celebrating historic Black entrepreneurs who have helped pave the way. Guests joining the conversation include Carla Harris, Vice Chairman, Managing Director and Senior Client Advisor at Morgan Stanley former chair of the National Women's Business Council during the Obama administration, and Fortune's "50 Most Powerful Black Executives in Corporate America." The show will air on Wednesday, February 3 at 11:00 am ET. 

In addition, "Wharton Business Daily" will also feature a special show highlighting "The Business of Diversity and Inclusion In The Workplace". Host Dan Loney will talk about what employers can do to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace and will highlight companies with strong initiatives in this area. Business Radio will also cover the role of venture capital and the issues surrounding access to capital for minority business owners. This will air on "Wharton Business Daily" on Thursday, February 18 at 11:00 am ET.

And throughout the month the show will be hosting spotlight interviews with noted Black entrepreneurs and leaders to celebrate the profound role African Americans have played in shaping U.S. business.

Additional Black History Month in talk and comedy programing will include: 

• Kevin Hart's Laugh Out Loud Radio (channel 96): The channel is celebrating Black History Month all February long with themed blocks of stand-up content honoring some of the most influential African American comedies and comedians of all time. From groundbreaking legends like Redd Foxx, Dick Gregory, and Richard Pryor, to the comedians of the film and television institutions that shaped our culture, every day brings a new one-hour block of curated stand-up comedy -- each with its own unique theme.
• TODAY Show Radio (channel 108): On Monday, February 1 at 1:00 pm ET, Hoda Kotb will discuss Black History Month through the lens of children. She's scheduled to speak with author Vashti Harrison about teaching kids valuable history lessons through art, and will later be joined by actor Ernie Hudson and fellow SiriusXM host Bevy Smith.
• CNN Originals (channel 121): Marathons of United Shades of America hosted by W. Kamau Bell will air every Saturday in the month of February from 7:00 am-7:00 pm ET.
• P.O.T.U.S. (channel 124): Throughout the month, SiriusXM host and CNN Senior Legal Analyst Laura Coates will speak with experts in Black history and also leaders in politics, as well as spotlight documentaries and lesser-known stories in Black history. The special programming can be heard on "The Laura Coates Show" beginning on Monday, February 1.
• Kids Place Live (channel 78): Kids Place Live will play family-friendly songs from Black artists of today and throughout history – from classics by Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin to modern-day stars Ziggy Marley, The Roots, and independent artists alike. The channel will also spotlight Black artists making family music, with messages and songs from indie artists such as Aaron Nigel Smith, SaulPaul, Genevieve Goings, Jazzy Ash, and more. Hear the special Saturday, February 6th at 5:00 pm ET on SiriusXM Kids Place Live channel 78 or stream it on the SiriusXM App.

For more information on Black History Month Programming visit: siriusxm.com/black-history-month

SiriusXM Subscribers are able to listen to Black History Month programming online, on-the-go with the SiriusXM mobile app, and at home on a wide variety of connected devices including smart TVs, devices with Amazon Alexa or the Google Assistant, Apple TV, PlayStation, Roku, Sonos speakers and more. Go to www.siriusxm.com/ways-to-listen to learn more.

About SiriusXM

Sirius XM Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI) is the leading audio entertainment company in North America, and the premier programmer and platform for subscription and digital advertising-supported audio products. Pandora, a subsidiary of SiriusXM, is the largest ad-supported audio entertainment streaming service in the U.S. SiriusXM and Pandora's properties reach more than 150 million listeners, the largest addressable audience in the U.S., across all categories of digital audio – music, sports, talk, and podcasts. SiriusXM's acquisitions of Stitcher and Simplecast, alongside industry-leading ad tech company AdsWizz, make it a leader in podcast hosting, production, distribution, analytics and monetization. SiriusXM, through Sirius XM Canada Holdings, Inc., also offers satellite radio and audio entertainment in Canada. In addition to its audio entertainment businesses, SiriusXM offers connected vehicle services to automakers. For more about SiriusXM, please go to: www.siriusxm.com.

This communication contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements about future financial and operating results, our plans, objectives, expectations and intentions with respect to future operations, products and services; and other statements identified by words such as "will likely result," "are expected to," "will continue," "is anticipated," "estimated," "believe," "intend," "plan," "projection," "outlook" or words of similar meaning. Such forward-looking statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of our management and are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond our control. Actual results and the timing of events may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements.

The following factors, among others, could cause actual results and the timing of events to differ materially from the anticipated results or other expectations expressed in the forward-looking statements:  the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is adversely impacting our business; our substantial competition that is likely to increase over time; our efforts to attract and retain subscribers and listeners, or convert listeners into subscribers, which may not be successful, and may adversely affect our business; our Pandora ad-supported business has suffered a loss of monthly active users, which may adversely affect our Pandora business; privacy and data security laws and regulations may hinder our ability to market our services, sell advertising and impose legal liabilities; we engage in extensive marketing efforts and the continued effectiveness of those efforts are an important part of our business; consumer protection laws and our failure to comply with them could damage our business; a substantial number of our Sirius XM subscribers periodically cancel their subscriptions and we cannot predict how successful we will be at retaining customers; our ability to profitably attract and retain subscribers to our Sirius XM service as our marketing efforts reach more price-sensitive consumers is uncertain; our failure to convince advertisers of the benefits of our Pandora ad-supported service could harm our business; if we are unable to maintain revenue growth from our advertising products, particularly in mobile advertising, our results of operations will be adversely affected; if we fail to accurately predict and play music, comedy or other content that our Pandora listeners enjoy, we may fail to retain existing and attract new listeners; if we fail to protect the security of personal information about our customers, we could be subject to costly government enforcement actions and private litigation and our reputation could suffer; interruption or failure of our information technology and communications systems could impair the delivery of our service and harm our business; we rely on third parties for the operation of our business, and the failure of third parties to perform could adversely affect our business; our business depends in part upon the auto industry; our Pandora business depends in part upon consumer electronics manufacturers; the market for music rights is changing and is subject to significant uncertainties; our ability to offer interactive features in our Pandora services depends upon maintaining licenses with copyright owners; the rates we must pay for "mechanical rights" to use musical works on our Pandora service have increased substantially and these new rates may adversely affect our business; failure of our satellites would significantly damage our business; our Sirius XM service may experience harmful interference from wireless operations; failure to comply with FCC requirements could damage our business; economic conditions, including advertising budgets and discretionary spending, may adversely affect our business and operating results; if we are unable to attract and retain qualified personnel, our business could be harmed; we may not realize the benefits of acquisitions or other strategic investments and initiatives, including the acquisition of Pandora; our use of pre-1972 sound recordings on our Pandora service could result in additional costs; we may from time to time modify our business plan, and these changes could adversely affect us and our financial condition; we have a significant amount of indebtedness, and our debt contains certain covenants that restrict our operations; our facilities could be damaged by natural catastrophes or terrorist activities; the unfavorable outcome of pending or future litigation could have an adverse impact on our operations and financial condition; failure to protect our intellectual property or actions by third parties to enforce their intellectual property rights could substantially harm our business and operating results; some of our services and technologies may use "open source" software, which may restrict how we use or distribute our services or require that we release the source code subject to those licenses; rapid technological and industry changes and new entrants could adversely impact our services; existing or future laws and regulations could harm our business; we may be exposed to liabilities that other entertainment service providers would not customarily be subject to; our business and prospects depend on the strength of our brands; we are a "controlled company" within the meaning of the NASDAQ listing rules and, as a result, qualify for, and rely on, exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements; while we currently pay a quarterly cash dividend to holders of our common stock, we may change our dividend policy at any time; and our principal stockholder has significant influence, including over actions requiring stockholder approval, and its interests may differ from the interests of other holders of our common stock. Additional factors that could cause our results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 30, 2020, which are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and available at the SEC's Internet site (http://www.sec.gov). The information set forth herein speaks only as of the date hereof, and we disclaim any intention or obligation to update any forward looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this communication.

Source: SiriusXM

Media contacts:

Danielle Lynn
Danielle.Lynn@siriusxm.com

Chelsea Kaufman
Chelsea.Kaufman@siriusxm.com

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SOURCE Sirius XM Holdings Inc.