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Radio News
A lot more americans are traveling by car these days, and the trip is always more pleasant with a great station on the radio. Two new companies are hoping drivers will be willing to pay a fee to make sure the music never fades. For $10 to $13 per month, satellite radio providers XM Radio and Sirius are each offering 100 channels of music, news, talk and sports that can be accessed anywhere in the country. "You can drive from New York to Seattle and never change the channel," says XM's spokesman Charles Robbins. "We are doing for radio what cable and Direct TV did for television." Most of the programming is original, but the companies also simulcast the sound from TV news channels so business travelers can tune into CNN's Lou Dobbs or Maria Bartiromo of CNBC, shown above. Several car brands--including Mercedes, BMW and Cadillac--will offer factory-installed satellite radio receivers by the end of next year.
BANKRUPTCY 101
With so many U.S. companies seeking Chapter 11 protection, their overseas subsidiaries are getting a crash course in American bankruptcy laws. Whereas bankruptcy in most countries means a company must liquidate its assets, U.S. laws allow the company to continue to operate. But in this age of instant communication, companies sometimes have a problem getting the right message to their employees--and customers and suppliers--abroad. Employees "hear about a filing being made and think, 'Oh, my God, I'll lose my job,'" says Michael Sitrick, CEO of Sitrick & Co., a communications firm that specializes in crisis management. "You have to make sure that overseas managers understand the filing beforehand so they can explain it."
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