# Satellite Radio and the Stern Effect By Greg Ponesse | Published 2006-01-09 | Pop Culture Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/satellite-radio-and-the-stern-effect References: [nytimes](http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/09/business/media/09stern.html) Last week, Sirius announced that it had granted Mr. Stern and his manager more than 34 million shares of common stock, currently worth about $225 million, because certain subscriber levels had been reached. That is on top of the $500 million that Sirius had already agreed to pay Mr. Stern for his salary and production costs. Mr. Stern now holds more shares than any other single investor, according to David J. Frear, Sirius's executive vice president and chief financial officer. Whether or not Mr. Stern's show, which begins at 6 a.m., is a success, his decision to jump from [free broadcast](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/lg-radio) to [subscription radio](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/radiocast) has bestowed legitimacy to a medium that many had regarded with skepticism. Sirius's number of subscribers has jumped from 660,000 at the time Mr. Stern's deal was announced in October 2004, to 3.3 million today. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 2.8/10 - Popularity: 64% | Activity: 12% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 90% men, 10% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Pop Culture](https://www.trendhunter.com/popculture) > [Media](https://www.trendhunter.com/media) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Satellite Radio:** Opportunity to capitalize on the growing popularity of subscription-based radio services like Sirius. - **Subscription Radio:** Disruptive innovation opportunity to challenge traditional free broadcast radio through exclusive content and higher quality programming. - **Celebrity Influencers:** Leveraging celebrity partnerships to legitimize and promote emerging technologies and platforms like satellite radio. ### Who This Affects Most - **Entertainment Media:** Potential for growth and innovation in the satellite radio industry as subscription-based services gain traction. - **Broadcasting:** Opportunity for broadcasters to explore partnerships with celebrity influencers and adapt to changing consumer preferences for subscription-based radio services. - **Technology:** Innovation opportunities in the development of satellite radio technology and infrastructure to support the expansion of subscription-based radio services. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Satellite Radio TV Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/vizio-tv-app.md) - [Satellite-Powered Telecom Services](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tmobile-tsatellite.md) - [Live Streaming Market Expansions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tunein-1.md) - [Seafarer Satellite Internet Services](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/starlink-maritime.md) - [Far-Reaching Internet Services](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/starlink1.md) - [Personal Internet Satellite Dishes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/starlink.md) - [Digital Radio Platforms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/radio-ocean.md) - [Satellite-Powered Telecom Partnerships](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tmobile-and-spacex.md) - [Sports Streaming Expansions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tunein.md)