XM snags Oprah Winfrey
Sirius may have secured The King of All Media in what was perhaps the biggest media personality buy of our time (as well as the watershed moment for satellite radio and new digital mediums), but XM isn't without its own tricks. In addition to Stern's exact diametrical opposite, Dr. Laura, they're adding America's richest and most beloved daytime talk show host to their ranks. That's right, Oprah's headed to XM with her new channel "Oprah And Friends," (scheduled for launch in September -- not to be confused with her own broadcast network / magazine / etc., Oxygen), which will feature an Oprah program, and programs of her, um, friends. No word on what role Dr. Phil's gonna play in all this chaos, but XM did get her for a song compared to what Sirius had to pay out to get Stern: $55 million for three years exclusively, to Stern's $500 million in cash and stock for five years.
