SIRIUS Satellite Radio and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia announced an exclusive four-year agreement to create and launch a Martha Stewart-branded satellite radio channel.
The channel, the first of its kind, will provide original programming specifically designed for women listeners and their families, 24-hours-a-day, seven days-a-week.
Martha Stewart Living Radio will leverage the company’s expertise in the lifestyle arena to create programming focused on topics such as cooking, entertaining, gardening, home-keeping, decorating, holidays, collecting, health and whole living, crafts, and weddings, as well as how-to projects for parents and children, and information and tips for owners and their pets. Martha Stewart will be a regular presence on the channel and will be actively involved with program development. Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia’s team of experts will also contribute. Martha Stewart Living Radio is expected to begin on SIRIUS later this year. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
“Martha Stewart Living is the premier brand in lifestyle and how-to programming for women and their families. Martha Stewart Living Radio on SIRIUS will have tremendous appeal to women, who are completely underserved by traditional radio programming,” said Mel Karmazin, Chief Executive Officer of SIRIUS. “We expect our partnership with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia to generate both significant subscriber growth and substantial advertising revenue, as sponsors will rush to embrace this huge, brand-loyal audience.”
“This will be the first ‘around the clock’ channel devoted entirely to areas of interest for women in particular. It has been our dream to bring our expertise in the life-style arena, and our vast library of how-to ideas, to radio programming. Just as we pioneered in the creation of the how-to lifestyle magazine and how-to television media categories, our new partnership with SIRIUS is breaking new ground in satellite radio,” said Martha Stewart, founder Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. “The combined strength of our two companies will enable our customers, as well as current and future SIRIUS subscribers to benefit from our company’s unique approach to how-to content. We are all about information and inspiration that is pertinent to every family’s everyday living, and we know that our new partnership will enable an even broader audience to partake of our brand of practical, useful, sensible and nurturing information.”
“Martha Stewart has an incredibly vibrant and active community of loyal readers and viewers who look for every opportunity to connect and learn from her. This new channel will deliver ideas and information, conversations and expert advice, whenever and wherever their busy lives take them,” said Susan Lyne, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia President and CEO. “We also see a tremendous opportunity to reach a new audience with programming that will be relevant, useful, and entertaining. “SIRIUS is a true innovator in this uniquely personal and interactive medium, and the company’s strong brand and phenomenal growth rate make them a perfect partner for this new venture.”
Editors and producers at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia have been regularly recognized for their work: the company has received 60 Emmy nominations for the daytime Martha Stewart Living television show, including three this year. Last week, Martha Stewart Living won two National Magazine Awards; Martha Stewart Weddings won in the general excellence category for magazines with circulation of 250,000 to 500,000. Kids: Fun Stuff To Do Together, won for best magazine design amongst all national magazines
“Through magazines, books, television, Internet, and merchandising, Martha Stewart Living has become the leader in women’s lifestyle as a brand that stands for quality and expertise around the world,” said Scott Greenstein, President of Entertainment and Sports Programming. “SIRIUS and Martha Stewart Living together create a one-of-a-kind combination that will provide women with the definitive complement to their lives and lifestyle.”
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