At XM, Boldly Going
Under Hugh Panero, Satellite Radio Is a Hit. Just Ask Howard Stern And Mel Karmazin.

By Annys Shin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, November 29, 2004; Page E01

Hugh Panero has never had much patience for naysayers.

As a young man, after being turned down for a job reporting on the cable industry for a trade journal, Panero created his own version of the publication, complete with original stories and a mock cover. He sent it in and was hired, said Doug Panero, one of three younger brothers.

As one of the early pioneers in pay-per-view TV, Panero overcame doubts that consumers would ever pick pay-per-view over the video store.

Six and a half years ago, he believed in subscription radio service when few others did. Secure in that belief, Panero turned a staff of fewer than a dozen working out of a windowless basement office in downtown Washington into the leading satellite radio service, with more than 500 employees and 2.5 million subscribers. Its only direct competitor, Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. of New York, has 800,000 subscribers.

Satellite radio has now come into its own, and competition is sizzling.

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[Click here for a description of XM Radio's Vox channel.]

[Click here for a description of Sirius Satellite Radio's Classical Voices channel.]