StarLite (Sirius)
Encyclopedia
StarLite was an Adult Contemporary station on Sirius Satellite Radio
channel 2 and Dish Network
channel 6002.
The channel played music from such artists as Phil Collins
, Elton John
, Michael Bublé
, Madonna
, Rod Stewart
, Faith Hill
, and The Backstreet Boys. StarLite leaned very hot AC and rhythmic AC, as a result, and only played music from the 1980s
, 1990s
and 2000s
, with Michael Jackson
's Rock With You as the only 1970s
song on the playlist. StarLite was the only satellite radio channel to lean hot AC. The 1960s and 1970s songs not played by StarLite could be found on its sister The Bridge
channel.
StarLite also played holiday music from Thanksgiving Day through January 2 each year.
The channel was scrapped on November 12, 2008
as a part of the merger between Sirius and former rival XM
, with XM's similarly-formatted The Blend occupying channel 2 in the Sirius lineup. However, The Blend is musically different from StarLite, having a somewhat softer format than StarLite, and playing more 1970s songs. The harder-edged 1980s and 1990s songs formerly played by StarLite moved to the '80s on 8 and '90s on 9 channels. This was mainly due to Sirius not having an all-1990s channel prior to the merger.
Many subscribers were unhappy with the change and, in September 2009
, the playlist was changed, closely resembling the former StarLite playlist. In mid-September many of the old StarLite jingles returned, changed to accommodate the new channel's name. The Blend also relocated its studios from XM's Washington, D.C.
studios to Sirius XM's New York City
headquarters at the former broadcasting location for StarLite. The S002-FM callsign for the former StarLite channel is still discarded, as the new Blend still uses the old X025-FM callsign.
Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Radio.Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of...
channel 2 and Dish Network
Dish Network
Dish Network Corporation is the second largest pay TV provider in the United States, providing direct broadcast satellite service—including satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services—to 14.337 million commercial and residential customers in the United States. Dish...
channel 6002.
The channel played music from such artists as Phil Collins
Phil Collins
Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
, Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, Michael Bublé
Michael Bublé
Michael Steven Bublé is a Canadian singer. He has won several awards, including three Grammy Awards and multiple Juno Awards. His first album reached the top ten in Canada and the UK. He found worldwide commercial success with his 2005 album It's Time, and his 2007 album Call Me Irresponsible was...
, Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
, Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
, Faith Hill
Faith Hill
Faith Hill is an American country singer. She is known both for her commercial success and her marriage to fellow country star Tim McGraw. Hill has sold more than 40 million records worldwide and accumulated eight number-one singles and three number-one albums on the U.S...
, and The Backstreet Boys. StarLite leaned very hot AC and rhythmic AC, as a result, and only played music from the 1980s
1980s in music
For music from a year in the 1980s, go to 80 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 89For a history of music in all times, see Timeline of musical events....
, 1990s
1990s in music
For music from a year in the 1990s, go to 90 | 91 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99This article includes trends in popular music in the 1990s....
and 2000s
2000s in music
For music from a year in the 2000s, go to 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09This article includes an overview of the major events and trends in popular music in the 2000s....
, with Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's Rock With You as the only 1970s
1970s in music
For music from a year in the 1970s, go to 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 79This article includes an overview of the major events and trends in popular music in the 1970s....
song on the playlist. StarLite was the only satellite radio channel to lean hot AC. The 1960s and 1970s songs not played by StarLite could be found on its sister The Bridge
The Bridge (Sirius XM)
The Bridge is Sirius XM Satellite Radio channel devoted to gold-based soft rock and adult contemporary music. It is currently available on Sirius channel 32 and XM channel 32...
channel.
StarLite also played holiday music from Thanksgiving Day through January 2 each year.
The channel was scrapped on November 12, 2008
2008 in radio
Several events occurred in radio in 2008.- Events :* January 2: WWFT finished Christmas music stunting, rolling out the red carpet for Adult contemporary music branded as "Warm."...
as a part of the merger between Sirius and former rival XM
XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio is one of two satellite radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Radio. It provides pay-for-service radio, analogous to cable television. Its service includes 73 different music channels, 39 news, sports, talk and entertainment channels, 21 regional...
, with XM's similarly-formatted The Blend occupying channel 2 in the Sirius lineup. However, The Blend is musically different from StarLite, having a somewhat softer format than StarLite, and playing more 1970s songs. The harder-edged 1980s and 1990s songs formerly played by StarLite moved to the '80s on 8 and '90s on 9 channels. This was mainly due to Sirius not having an all-1990s channel prior to the merger.
Many subscribers were unhappy with the change and, in September 2009
2009 in radio
The following events occurred in radio in 2009.- Events :* January 1: Kurdish TV starts broadcasting in Turkey.* January: Michael Smerconish, morning host at talk radio WPHT Philadelphia, begins syndication of his morning show to WHFS in Washington and WOR in New York City.* January 17: Two well...
, the playlist was changed, closely resembling the former StarLite playlist. In mid-September many of the old StarLite jingles returned, changed to accommodate the new channel's name. The Blend also relocated its studios from XM's Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
studios to Sirius XM's New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
headquarters at the former broadcasting location for StarLite. The S002-FM callsign for the former StarLite channel is still discarded, as the new Blend still uses the old X025-FM callsign.