XM Chief Speaks As Service Tops 5 Million Subscribers

Interesting interview in USA Today with XM CEO Hugh Panero just as the satellite radio service hit 5 million subscribers:

"We’re reinventing radio the same way cabl reinvented television. So hitting 20 million subscribers by 2010 — some analysts say that satellite radio could be at 40 to 50 million by then — is really just a matter of us executing and expanding the places where satellite radio can go. We want to be everywhere…"

"…what people really love is music. We have 125 music directors dedicated to putting passion into our music channels. That’s different than our competitor, who treats it more like FM. And advertising is not part of our music lineup."

"…And now we’ve added MP3 capabilities to our devices. People who are very busy don’t have two hours to sort through a lot of music. They want someone to be their concierge service, which is what XM does."

Read the full USA Today interview here.