Cousin Brucie Gets Sirius In Another Sign Of The Altered Radio Landscape

It took less than a week for Sirius to convert the WCBS format change to its own advantage, signing rock radio icon “Cousin Brucie” aka Bruce Morrow to a three-show deal. He debuts with a July 4 special from the Rock and Roll hall of Fame in Cleveland.
This rings a few chimes: it gives Sirius another signature destination for its satellite broadcast and streaming internet radio; it spotlights the ability of satellite and internet radio to target audiences without disenfranchising other listeners or forcing format swaps; and it underscores just how dramatically the radio universe is changing as new players have entered the market..
The online aspect doesn’t have to stop with streaming; why not offer subscribers (like my household) the chance to download shows as podcasts?
I had a draft in the works suggesting that internet radio /music services like Yahoo, Rhapsody and MusicNet view format changes as an opportunity to woo affected listeners, taking a cue from the kind of competitive ad campaigns cable companies and satellite operators have been running for years. Sirius did just that this morning in the New York market even before announcing Cousin Brucie’s new family.

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