By Brandon Matthews
In a sickening media blitz that belongs in Iran rather than the United States, it appears that the most trusted news agencies are conspiring and search engines are being manipulated to eliminate any and all news of Sirius XM’s new Apple iPhone application, unless of course it deals with programming that is not available with the new application.
Nowhere on a Google (GOOG) search will a user see a single announcement of the most anticipated Apple (AAPL) application in history. Instead, only headlines that read that the application is missing Howard Stern will be found. The same Howard Stern that the same media has been writing about for the last two years as being insignificant. Nowhere will you find the company’s press releases through PR Newswire nor Dow Jones Newswire, not to mention the thousands of blogs that have written about the story since it debuted at Midnight on June 18, 2009.
What you will see is re-published articles from last July that have been re-released this morning through the Associated Press as news that brings issues of Sirius XM debt to the top of search results. Debt mind you that was laid to rest back in February of this year. Did I mention this is from LAST JULY? A similar news story had been released through Fidelity on Sirius XM’s last run to recent stock price highs. Investors would like to know when the SEC might actually DO THEIR JOB? This type of flagrant media manipulation continues to go unchecked. The Atlanta Journal Constitution responded to complaints stating:
“There is clearly some sort of technical problem today on either our end or Google News’ end. Our top tech folks are investigating because many of our old stories on a wide variety of topics are suddenly showing up toward the top of Google News results. This normally doesn’t happen, and we don’t WANT it to happen. I assure you we don’t deliberately promote old news as if it’s new. It doesn’t serve us or our readers.
Thanks again for alerting us to the problem with the Sirius story.”
Other “news” articles topping the search engines list of current news stories include 3 week old news that the company will be passing on royalty increases to subscribers; that Sirius XM “neutered” its iPhone app; and headlines that include the phrases “Are you Sirius?” or “Why am I still invested in Sirius.” AJC goes on to state:
“Oh, thank you for the screenshot! That’s very helpful.
This may tie into another problem we’re wrangling, which is why a 2008 story about Tiger Woods is suddenly showing up among our most popular. I’ll pass your screenshot along to the folks who are investigating that one.We want Google News to be able to find our content, but not like this!
Thanks again for the help. I assure you there was no deliberate attempt on our part to disseminate old news; this just falls into the category of “Something odd is happening.“”
Just as the movie Stock Shock demonstrates, there seems to be a concerted effort on the part of Wall Street criminals in collusion with the mainstream media to put roadblock after roadblock in front of the Satellite Radio provider. Perhaps the recent legislation proposed by President Barrack Obama can be worded in such a way to include severe penalties for these intentional perpetrators of fraud on the American investor.
Position: Long SIRI
There’s a reason why Sirius gave Howard a $500 million contract, and we’re seeing his level of influence today. He’s the biggest thing in all of radio.
Brandon,
Great Article….so True. These acts by the media will be exposed as we tell the Stock Shock Story. The Story, one day will be told in the near future and believe me, these people will be exposed. The truth is going to prevail in the end and the end is near for this news media collusion and the corruption that has taken place on wall street. Just keep the faith. All we can do is call them out on it. Hopefully Sandra gets enough recognition. Put me on TV and I will shake up the entire World to what the news media has done. Our Story will be told. Relmar says it best in the movie. These old technolgies and old ways of doing things will not lay down and just die, they will fight to the end. Today, the newspapers and media just came one step closer to non-existance and the Story and the Movie Stock Shock will be told. The biggest story of the year goes well beyond the movie. The movie Stock Shock just initiates the story and educates the world about this media collusion and Wall Street Corruption. Telling the entire World about this will be my goal.
Dick
What needs to be done is a purchased air time spot during prime time on all major news outlets telling our story. Unfortunately, I don’t believe we have the money to pull this off.
Im sorry..I read a lot of your articles and I like them but this is just being paranoid.
There is manipulation that happens to this stock but to say the media is involved is too much. That would require a grand conspiracy that goes all the way to the White House. And really Google is so automated and has guidlines for how you will be ranked on a search engine.
This story is a big stretch.
Positition long siri.
Why don’t we start an investers pool to pay for an ad in a national newspaper to set the record straight and counter all this biased junk. I would contribute $50.
Frankrizzo, sorry I had not read your comment. One ad in USA Today, or similar publication, might do it. Maybe the Financial reforms coming will address the stock manipulation. Shorting is fine, but shorting something that doesn’t exist seems like manipulation.
Brandon, PM or email me if you want the whole set of emails that I sent/received from the AJC.
Why don’t you spend as much time trying to figure out WHY they left Howard off the new app, and let us know who to blame. Is it Howard not getting enough money out of the deal??
Brandon ,
I am no basher , very frustrated 20k shares long. Frankly this piece makes you sound like a SIRI appologist. This was a wonderful opportunity to capture some positve press for a change. How about getting ticked off @ Mel and Co. for fumbling at the goal line. The fact that the app launched with out Howard is in-excusable. You never get the chance to remake a first impression. This company is not maneged well @ all , if I ever get close to break even I am out. Great product, horrible stock.
Did you expect the Sirius iPhone app to be breaking news on CNN and the Today Show? Are you kidding? No conspiracy, man…it’s just that nobody cares. News agencies don’t report on new, fairly minor strategies by small, not-very-important companies. The only people who care are those of us who have money invested in this shit-house stock.
Once again, Sirius/XM screws it up. Another case of their policy of NEVER, EVER giving the subscribers what they want. Shameful and inexcusable! They should be on every media outlet/news agency if for no other reason than for being the worst managed company on the planet. This app without Stern is like buying a BMW…. and being told that there is no engine. What a bunch of losers!
does anyone relize the apps can get updates and in the begining they did the same thing on the internet feed.its double exposure,fills more web searches and gives the people with the 7 day trial from today to have the app say to themselves im not getting it without howard then they get the update:adding howard stern ect ect and the trial person says let me give it a try
they might be dumb but there not stupid!
People: refocus.
AAPL wants the parthership with SIRI so subscribers can download songs on the various music stations to iTunes. That’s how AAPL will make their money on this, and that’s what they’re most concerned about. It’s what they’ve wanted all along in this deal and why the third party SIRI app was shut down. Meanwhile, Howard isn’t readily available as an iTunes-friendly download and not worth the cost today for AAPL to broadcast. Ditto baseball and football. Should the venture take off, look to Howard & the professional sports to join in, as part of the new app or under a self-branded & independent app.
The focus for investors shouldn’t be lamenting not hearing Howard Stern on your precious little iPhone or iPod Touch. It should be how many subscribers are picked up this weekend with the 3GS launch, including SIRI subscribers buying the 3GS as well as new SIRI listeners, both those downloading the free week and for fully subscribing. For those looking long, learn how many of these new adaptees are downloading songs they hear on SIRI via iTunes. Outside of a press release, look to the AAPL earnings statements; next one’s in July.
If the app is a moneymaker for AAPL, they’ll fight to make it freshly available to subscribers. Remember, Jobs&Co. have over $29B in free cash sitting around, and they invest in what works best.
it’s a good thing they silenced it because not including howard on the iphone app is the biggest mistake they could possibly have made.
just when you think they do something good, it turns out they FUCKED UP one more time.
A Mazing!
refocus reshmocus!
There is no positive twist here. they don’t need stock market manipulators. they do a fine job of driving the stock price down on their own!
Everyone needs to calm down, else you’ll have heart attacks. And dude above me, I’m not looking to spin this one way or the other, merely to discuss this stock as it goes forward. While you’re blaming outside agitators and Mel K, you should be asking how much revenue per SIRI subscriber AAPL gets when they download the app. I’m thinking up to 30%, depending on whether or not AAPL retains all revenues from the iTunes downloads.
You all need to realize …
SIRI is not the one driving here – AAPL is.
Dick Keane, you seem to need to promote your movie like people promote books. But how do you get on major networks if you’re banned. Maybe you have to start at college campuses and local tv or other unbiased platforms.Also am wondering how your movie is being recieved by Sirius Xm? Your overall message to correct the wrong doings in Wall Street is bigger than just Sirius Xm. It’s what has put this country on its knees. But as far as Sirius itself is concerned they need to fight fire w/ fire and promote themselves and what they offer the consumer. They also need to communicate to the public what their strategies are now and in the long run. They don’t seem to respect their listeners or their shareholders. This new I-Phone appl. is a disappointment and it’s not the Medias fault. They knew what everyone was expecting and it fell short so at least clearly explain the reasoning and what might also be in store for the future. I’m starting to feel they brought in the Nixon administration to run this company.
I think your observation on google is valid. I will tell you or a fact that the company I work for,which of course has google presence, as recently embroiled in a dispute as google was working on their business mapping, replaced phones numbers with other companies, in my situation, a personal cell phone number. Google is not without error…they are probably working on their RSS news feed, and somehow through some formula is trying to “categorize” news and is digging up old reports, probably based on the recent uptick in news on sirius. Difficult to understand as their systems are so secret
Brandon, I tried to send you an e-mail when satwaves was down so I’m not sure if you received it or not. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is owned by Cox Radio…you know the company that owns a mix of 80 AM/FM radio stations.