The Next Satellite Campus May Be on Satellite Radio

The proposed merger of the nation's two satellite-radio networks, XM and Sirius, got a major boost this week from the federal government after the companies agreed to set aside 12 channels for noncommercial programming. College officials were quick to express interest in using the proposed channels.

The boost came from the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, who recommended the merger after XM Satellite Radio Holdings and Sirius Satellite Radio agreed to the channel set-aside, as well as some other concessions.

Lawrence M. Miller, a telecommunications lawyer at Schwartz, Woods & Miller who is tracking the issue, said there was precedent for broadcast companies promising to offer educational content in exchange for government approval. "This is comparable to what the commission requires in television," he said.

"It would certainly be open to higher education," he added, noting that if the merger goes through and the new radio channels materialize, "you would expect there to be some higher-education presence."

Lectures and 'U-Span'

Michael G. Freedman, vice president for communications at George Washington University, sent an e-mail message to officials at XM this week proposing two channels that the university would like to lead.

One would offer recorded lectures and events from Washington-based cultural institutions, such as the Smithsonian Institution and the Library of Congress. The other would be a channel modeled on C-Span, with public lectures from universities instead of recordings of Congressional proceedings. (Mr. Freedman tentatively referred to the proposed channel as "U-Span.")

"Why shouldn't the media be used for educational purposes?" asked Mr. Freedman. "It simply expands the role of distance learning if you think about it that way."

The university already produces three shows for XM—Politics From the Nation's Capital, American Jazz, and Beyond Category, a program featuring profiles of artists and educators.

Mr. Freedman, who previously served as the general manager of CBS Radio Network News, said the university announced plans on Thursday to create a Global Media Institute that will lead projects like U-Span, whether the content is broadcast on satellite radio, over the Internet, or by other means.

"This offers universities an opportunity for branding in the marketplace and doing it in the public interest," Mr. Freedman said.

Interest in Seattle

Tom Mara, executive director of KEXP-FM (90.3), a public radio station based at the University of Washington, said his organization was also interested in providing content for the newly proposed channels.

"Our listeners have been asking for this for quite a long time," he said. The station offers its content free online, as well as over the air waves, but teaming up with a satellite-radio company would allow more people outside the Seattle area to listen in their cars and other places where they cannot get access to the Internet.

"We'll be following this closely," he said.

The FCC must now vote on the proposed merger. In a written statement this week, the commission's chairman, Kevin J. Martin, said he was recommending the merger because "on balance, this transaction would be in the public interest."

The companies have also agreed to hold prices down, offer smaller packages at lower cost, use open technical standards, sell interoperable radios, and set aside channels for minority programming, he said in explaining his decision.

Officials from XM and Sirius could not be reached for comment.