Raw Thoughts

If you’re a loyal listener of SiriusXM satellite radio, then you’re in for a treat with this blog post…

To Be (on the air) or Not To Be?

Earlier this month, a few of us from Raw Talent Guitar met with some executives at SiriusXM Radio.  We were even lucky enough to get a private tour of their studios, including our favorite channels, Howard100 and Howard101, where you may have heard our live reads and Raw Talent Guitar advertisements.

From the moment we stepped through the double glass doors of the SiriusXM lobby on the 36th floor of the McGraw Hill Building in Rockefeller Plaza, we felt the energy and excitement in the air.  Everyone is smiling, moving around, laid back, and feeling good.

A crowd began to gather, getting amped up for reggae legends Third World to perform in their glass encased room they call the “fishbowl.” And that was just the reception area.

Third World performs at the SiriusXM Fishbowl

Lining the hallway is a plexiglass head-to-toe mounted on the wall, covered in graffiti with autographs, doodles and friendly notes from all the celebrities and musicians who have graced these channels.

Photo-op? Yes, please.

Marc & Shaun at SiriusXM

We were promptly greeted by Angela, Director of Marketing and Media, who took us through the many hallways of glass studios, some on air, some not. Some blocked by curtains, most not.

One live show caught us by surprise: The Ron & Fez Show on the Opi & Anthony channel. I guess Marc’s guitar case intrigued Ron and within seconds we were on the air, promoting RTG to thousands of listeners.

It was amazing to find this kind of love and support from complete strangers. Especially ones who have the undivided attention of cult-like listeners like Ron & Fez. (Thanks for the free plug, guys! Hope you like the product.)

On to meet Jim McClure. You may remember Jim from the CRAPTACULAR II event. You may have heard Jim on the Greg Fitzsimmons show and/or Greg’s podcast, as he is Greg’s producer, as well as a Howard Stern producer and Director of Programming at SiriusXM.

And so our tour continued, straight into the Howard wing.

The photo-ops in the Howard wing were endless. Unfortunately, we were not granted permission to share them online. Guess you’ll have to get your own tour.

The Howard Stern wing is an entire area dedicated to all the Stern Show staffers, complete with a green room, offices, the infamous studio and, of course, the sibian. But I won’t explain what that is; that’s what Wikipedia is for.

The studio itself is much bigger than it appears on HowardTV, a long and narrow space with blue camouflage wallpaper. Robin’s roomy glass cage is along the left, directly looking out to the nonthreatening orange couch and Howard’s enormous command center. Fred’s station is behind the couch, while Benjy’s seat and “the Artie chair” are tucked away in the corner along the wall between Fred and Howard.

Toward the back of the studio is a more open area with mic stands and the sibian, as well as a large book case filled with props, chocolate syrup, Gary’s collection of masks, the Jackie a Gary Puppets, and the Wheel of Sex.

Exit the studio and we head toward what Gary likes to call “the back room.” An area of desks and cubicles where we met Jason Kaplan, Jon Hein, Will and others. Jason sprung into mini-Gary mode and charmed our pants off with a very warm welcome. Hopefully, he’ll like the product.

Onto Sal and Richard’s shared office. Halloween decorations and Fishy (VII?) along one wall, posters of hot chicks on the opposite.

We even popped our heads into JD’s little office. More like a mechanical closet, with stacks of DVR machines, a chair and surprisingly no foul odor.

Bottom line: we LOVE SiriusXM.

A great, approachable company who treats their customers well. This is something we strive for every day at Raw Talent Guitar as well. Keep an ear out for more of our ads on the SiriusXM channels for special promotions and discounts!