SIRIUS XM Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI) announced today that it has signed renowned sports talk personality Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, the former star of the Mike and the Mad Dog show, to a five-year contract to headline a new sports talk channel exclusively available on SIRIUS and XM. Mad Dog’s recent departure from the market-leading Mike and the Mad Dog has been national news in recent days – a dramatic reflection of his loyal fan base, huge popularity and strong name recognition. Mad Dog is known for having helped popularize the sports talk radio format across the country and speculation on his next step has been high.
“Mad Dog’s fans are passionate about their sports and passionate about where they get their sports news and commentary from – these are the listeners that any audio entertainment company would want,” said Scott Greenstein, President and Chief Content Officer, SIRIUS XM Radio. “Having Mad Dog on SIRIUS and XM will fuel subscriber growth and create new and exciting opportunities for advertisers. Choose whatever sports analogy you want – this is a big win. SIRIUS channel 123 and XM channel 144 will relaunch as Mad Dog Radio, a reformatted channel that will cover the spectrum of sports with engaging talk, high profile interviews, up-to-the-moment news and live remote broadcasts from the biggest sporting events.
