SiriusXM to Provide Live Coverage of Beatification of Pope John Paul II on The Catholic Channel

NEW YORK, April 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI) announced today that it will offer listeners nationwide live coverage of the beatification of Pope John Paul II from the Vatican this Sunday, May 1, on The Catholic Channel (Sirius channel 159 and XM channel 117).

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The Catholic Channel's Father Dave Dwyer and Father Rob Keighron will anchor the live coverage, starting at 4:00 am ET, of the Beatification Ceremony, celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI, in St. Peter's Square.  Pope Benedict will designate his predecessor "Blessed John Paul II," a title bestowed on Christians to whom a miracle has been officially attributed, and thereby bringing him a step closer to sainthood.  In addition to airing live, the Catholic Channel's coverage of the event will replay Sunday at 1:00 pm ET and again at 7:00 pm ET.

Earlier this year, Pope Benedict decreed that a French nun, Sister Marie Pierre Simon, had been miraculously cured of Parkinson's disease thanks to John Paul's intercession.  A Vatican-appointed committee of cardinals, bishops, doctors and theologians determined that the recovery was "scientifically unexplainable," clearing the way for his beatification.  With the confirmation of a second miracle, John Paul could then be declared a Saint.

One of the most popular and longest-serving pontiffs in history, John Paul II has been acclaimed as one of the most influential world leaders of the 20th century. Leading up to and throughout the weekend, The Catholic Channel will devote itself to remembering and honoring his life and papacy.

On this week's edition of his weekly show, A Conversation with the Archbishop, airing Thursday, April 28, at 1:00 pm ET, New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan will talk with his predecessor, Edward Cardinal Egan, and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich.  Cardinal Egan's life as a priest and bishop was greatly influenced by John Paul II, who made him a bishop, an archbishop and a cardinal.  The Cardinal will tell many personal and behind-the-scenes stories of Pope John Paul, who the Cardinal knew and worked closely with during the more than 26 years that John Paul II served as pope.

Former Speaker Gingrich will discuss his documentary, Nine Days That Changed The World, on John Paul II's historic 1979 trip to Poland, which many credit as the beginning of a groundswell that led to the fall of Communism.

On Friday, April 29, Lino Rulli's popular daily program, The Catholic Guy, will air from the Vatican from 4:00 to 7:00 pm ET with a special show devoted to the beatification.  On Saturday, April 30, The Catholic Channel will present a full day retrospective on John Paul II, featuring remembrances by the Catholic Channel's many hosts and other special guests whose lives were affected by him.

For more info please visit www.siriusxm.com/thecatholicchannel.

About Sirius XM Radio

Sirius XM Radio is America's satellite radio company.  SiriusXM broadcasts more than 135 satellite radio channels of commercial-free music, and premier sports, news, talk, entertainment, traffic, weather, and data services to 20.2 million subscribers. SiriusXM offers an array of content from many of the biggest names in entertainment, as well as from professional sports leagues, major colleges, and national news and talk providers.

SiriusXM programming is available on more than 800 devices, including pre-installed and after-market radios in cars, trucks, boats and aircraft, smartphones and mobile devices, and consumer electronics products for homes and offices. SiriusXM programming is also available at siriusxm.com, and on Apple, BlackBerry and Android-powered mobile devices.

SiriusXM has arrangements with every major automaker and its radio products are available for sale at shop.siriusxm.com as well as retail locations nationwide.

This communication contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements about future financial and operating results, our plans, objectives, expectations and intentions with respect to future operations, products and services; and other statements identified by words such as "will likely result," "are expected to," "will continue," "is anticipated," "estimated," "intend," "plan,"  "projection," "outlook" or words of similar meaning.  Such forward-looking statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of our management and are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond our control.  Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements. 

The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from the anticipated results or other expectations expressed in the forward-looking statement:  our competitive position versus other forms of audio and video entertainment; our ability to retain subscribers and maintain our average monthly revenue per subscriber;  our dependence upon automakers and other third parties; our substantial indebtedness; and the useful life of our satellites, which, in most cases, are not insured.  Additional factors that could cause our results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010, which is filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and available at the SEC's Internet site (http://www.sec.gov).  The information set forth herein speaks only as of the date hereof, and we disclaim any intention or obligation to update any forward looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this communication.

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Media contact:
Andrew FitzPatrick
SiriusXM
212-901-6693
[email protected]

SOURCE Sirius XM Radio

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