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XM nominates Eddy Hartenstein and John Mendel to board


Sumner Redstone banked some 56M dollars in 2004, and the total of his compensation added to that of co-presidents Tom Freston and Leslie Moonves came to some 160M dollars. Redstone's package included a 16.5M bonus, approximately 34.4M in stock options, almost 5M in salary and about 135K in the "other" category. Freston's package broke out approximately at 16M/4.2M/32M, and Moonves weighed in with 14M/5.77M/32M. Analysts who spoke with the New York Times thought the compensation packages, which were said to dwarf those of execs at similar companies, were extremely large in a time when the company's stock prices were declining. However, a Viacom spokesperson said the compensation packages were based on overall operating performance of the company, not just its performance on Wall Street.

Beer jeers OK'd by federal regulators

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, a part of the Treasury Department, has ruled in favor Miller Brewing Company over Anheuser-Busch, saying that its Miller Lite ads which claim "...more taste and half the carbs of Bud Light" are perfectly legal. A Miller spokesperson hailed the ruling as confirmation of a sound selling point. A-B said that it still feels negative ads are counter-productive. According to the Associated Press, Miller has made slight gains in market share in 2004, going from 18.4% to 18.5%, while A-B dropped slightly more, going from 49.6% to 49.4%.

Viacom and get it

XM Satellite Radio, the nation's leading satellite radio provider with 3.77 million subscribers, today announced that Eddy W. Hartenstein and John W. Mendel have been nominated for election to its board. Elections will be held at the upcoming annual shareholders' meeting.

Hartenstein served as the vice chairman and member of the board of directors of The DIRECTV Group until his retirement on December 31, 2004. Mendel is SVP/Automobile Pperations of American Honda Motor Co.

DG Systems buys Media DVX

DG Systems announced it has acquired the assets of Media DVX, a subsidiary of the Lenfest Media Group (LMG), for 10 million. Total consideration paid for the assets of Media DVX included a 6.5 million promissory note to the seller, 1.5 million in cash and the issuance of approximately 2 million of DG Systems common stock.

Commenting on the transaction, Scott Ginsburg, Chairman and CEO of DG Systems said, "The acquisition of Media DVX is consistent with our strategy to grow through a combination of new business initiatives and strategic acquisitions. Together, DG Systems and Media DVX will leverage our individual resources while maintaining separate sales and management identities for both organizations and their defined marketplaces. With a customer-centric approach to expanding our business, we plan to offer our clients both the Media DVX and DG Systems networks, thereby providing even further redundancy and service options. Additionally, the transaction positions DG to benefit from Media DVX's valued sales operations and strategic partnerships, which will further expand our footprint of TV stations, cable systems and broadcast and cable network destinations."

JRN's Lia delivers baby girl

Jones Radio Networks announces that Lia Knight has given birth to her first child, at 10:28p.m. on Thursday, April 14th. Knight and her husband, Chad Douglas, named the healthy baby girl Olivia Grace, who they welcome as the fourth of the family's children. Congratulatory notes can be sent to Lia Knight at P.O. Box 2048, Seattle, WA 98111.

Boston, meet Mike!

More expanded playlists with generic male names: At 2 p.m. 4/14, Boston met Mike. Mike-FM is Entercom Boston's new format, which replaces Star 93.7, playing hits from the 1960s to the present, drawn from a broad range of styles: Pop, rock, disco, rhythm and more. Based on an extensive survey of 600 Boston radio listeners, the DJ-less format is short on banter and long on tunes.



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