The 80s on 8
Encyclopedia
The '80s on 8 is a commercial-free, satellite radio
station on the Sirius XM Radio platform, broadcasting on XM Satellite Radio
and on DirecTV
channel 805. As a result of the Sirius/XM merger on November 12, 2008
, the channel was merged with the Big '80s
channel on Sirius
8 and Dish Network
6008, and took its current name. As of February 9, 2010
, DirecTV
has dropped the Sirius XM programming in favor of using SonicTap. The channel plays hit music from the 1980s. Artists played include Duran Duran
, the Culture Club
, The Go-Go's
, Styx
, Madonna
, Bruce Springsteen
, John Mellencamp
, The Police
, Prince
, and Michael Jackson
.
The channel was created in 2000/2001 and programmed by Bruce Kelly
, a veteran radio program director
and morning drive/afternoon personality in Phoenix, Miami, Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh and Boston. Kelly's morning show was one of XM's highest rated programs. He was also featured on many XM Artist specials and live reports from the Cream
reunion and Live 8
shows from London
in Spring/Summer of 2005, plus was on-camera host with Bon Jovi
for the launch of AOL
AEG Network Live from the Nokia Theater, Times Square, NYC. Kelly also became a regular character on the Opie and Anthony
show on XM Channel 202 - "The Virus (XM)". In late 2005, Kelly resigned from XM in order to care for his ailing father and has yet to resurface at another radio job. The channel is currently voice-tracked by the four living original VJs on cable network MTV
, Nina Blackwood
, Mark Goodman
, Alan Hunter and Martha Quinn
, who record their programs from their homes. There are no live announcers at any time on this channel.
Much like the other decades channels, The 80s on 8 attempts to recreate the feel of 1980s radio. It uses JAM Creative Productions
' "Warp Factor", "The Flame Thrower," "Skywave" and "Turbo Z" packages (made popular in the '80s by Z100
in New York and other stations) for jingles, as well as similar DJ habits, '80s slang, news updates, and an occasional vintage commercial (which is presented this way in order to retain the commercial free status). The channel was also used for XM's annual pop music chronology, IT
.
XM's 80s channel is the third most listened to station on the XM service, with an Arbitron
-estimated cume of 698,300 listeners per week.
For rare songs from the '80s played on this station, each song is played and described as an American Bottom 40, a parody of the American Top 40 program until April 2008, when it changed its tagline to Another '80s Lost Hit, which is currently introduced by Less Headroom, Max Headroom
's brother, and picked by his Commodore 64
. Since the Sirius/XM merger, the aircheck was most recently changed to that formerly aired on Sirius' Big '80s channel.
music and talk channels occurred on November 12, 2008, Rick Stacy was named the channel's program director, and the airstaff consisted of the four surviving original MTV
"veejays" - Nina Blackwood
, Mark Goodman
, Alan Hunter and Martha Quinn
, carrying over the lineup of Sirius's Big '80s
channel. '80s on 8 was simulcasted on both XM and Sirius, and channel imaging was revised to include the phrase "Sirius XM Radio". It also became Sirius XM Radio's first and only channel to phase out the apostrophe (like on most decades channels on Sirius XM), as they changed their logo entirely (other channels such as The 50s on 5
and The 90s on 9
did so, but the rest of the logos were updated). However with the recent reintroduction of the VJ big 40, the 80s on 8 is starting to sound more like the Sirius channel the big 80s complete with a schedule somehow reminiscent of the former Sirius channel.
Satellite radio
Satellite radio is an analogue or digital radio signal that is relayed through one or more satellites and thus can be received in a much wider geographical area than terrestrial FM radio stations...
station on the Sirius XM Radio platform, broadcasting on XM Satellite Radio
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...
and on DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
channel 805. As a result of the Sirius/XM merger 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."...
, the channel was merged with the Big '80s
Big '80s
Big '80s was an all 1980s music channel on Sirius Satellite Radio channel 8 and Dish Network channel 6008. It was replaced by XM's The 80s on 8 on November 12, 2008, as part of the Sirius XM Merger. It featured all four living original MTV VJs who are now on The 80s on 8 channel. Big '80s was...
channel on Sirius
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...
8 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...
6008, and took its current name. As of February 9, 2010
2010 in radio
The following events occurred in radio in 2010.-Events:*Date Unknown: CHOI/Quebec City flips from Alternative Rock to News/Talk.*January 4: KJCS/Lufkin, Texas goes silent....
, DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
has dropped the Sirius XM programming in favor of using SonicTap. The channel plays hit music from the 1980s. Artists played include Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
, the Culture Club
Culture Club
Culture Club are a British rock band who were part of the 1980s New Romantic movement. The original band consisted of Boy George , Mikey Craig , Roy Hay and Jon Moss...
, The Go-Go's
The Go-Go's
The Go-Go’s are an all-female American rock band formed in 1978. They made history as the first all-female band that both wrote their own songs and played their own instruments to top the Billboard album charts....
, Styx
Styx (band)
Styx is an American rock band that became famous for its albums from the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Chicago band is known for melding the style of prog-rock with the power of hard rock guitar, strong ballads, and elements of American musical theater....
, 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...
, Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
, John Mellencamp
John Mellencamp
John Mellencamp, previously known by the stage names Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American rock singer-songwriter, musician, painter and occasional actor known for his catchy, populist brand of heartland rock that eschews synthesizers and other artificial sounds...
, The Police
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
, Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
, and 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...
.
The channel was created in 2000/2001 and programmed by Bruce Kelly
Bruce Kelly
Bruce Kelly is an American radio personality.According to Alexander Zaitchik at Salon.com, "Kelly is a flamboyant master of publicity stunts as well as a top-rated morning jock".-Career:...
, a veteran radio program director
Program director
In service industries, such as education, a program director or programme director researches, plans, develops and implements one or more of the firm's professional services...
and morning drive/afternoon personality in Phoenix, Miami, Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh and Boston. Kelly's morning show was one of XM's highest rated programs. He was also featured on many XM Artist specials and live reports from the Cream
Cream (band)
Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker...
reunion and Live 8
Live 8
Live 8 was a string of benefit concerts that took place on 2 July 2005, in the G8 states and in South Africa. They were timed to precede the G8 Conference and summit held at the Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, Scotland from 6–8 July 2005; they also coincided with the 20th anniversary of Live Aid...
shows from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in Spring/Summer of 2005, plus was on-camera host with Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...
for the launch of AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
AEG Network Live from the Nokia Theater, Times Square, NYC. Kelly also became a regular character on the Opie and Anthony
Opie and Anthony
Opie and Anthony are the hosts of The Opie & Anthony Show, a talk radio program airing in the United States and Canada on XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio. Since the merger of the two satellite companies, this is now called Sirius/XM...
show on XM Channel 202 - "The Virus (XM)". In late 2005, Kelly resigned from XM in order to care for his ailing father and has yet to resurface at another radio job. The channel is currently voice-tracked by the four living original VJs on cable network MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, Nina Blackwood
Nina Blackwood
Nina Blackwood is an American disc jockey and music journalist, who was the first of the original five MTV VJs. She has also been an actress and model.-Early life and career:...
, Mark Goodman
Mark Goodman
Mark Goodman is a radio DJ, TV personality, and actor. He is best known as one of the original five VJs on MTV, from 1981-1987. He was supposed to be the first of the five to be broadcast at MTV's premier on August 1, 1981...
, Alan Hunter and Martha Quinn
Martha Quinn
Martha Quinn is best known as one of the original video jockeys on MTV .-Early life:...
, who record their programs from their homes. There are no live announcers at any time on this channel.
Much like the other decades channels, The 80s on 8 attempts to recreate the feel of 1980s radio. It uses JAM Creative Productions
JAM Creative Productions
JAM Creative Productions, Inc., is an American company that produces radio jingles, promo music for television, and commercial jingles for advertisers. It has made more radio jingles than any other jingle company and has become part of American pop culture....
' "Warp Factor", "The Flame Thrower," "Skywave" and "Turbo Z" packages (made popular in the '80s by Z100
WHTZ
WHTZ — branded Z100 — is a commercial pop/contemporary hit radio radio station licensed to Newark, New Jersey serving the New York metropolitan area. The station is currently owned by Clear Channel Communications...
in New York and other stations) for jingles, as well as similar DJ habits, '80s slang, news updates, and an occasional vintage commercial (which is presented this way in order to retain the commercial free status). The channel was also used for XM's annual pop music chronology, IT
IT (XM)
"IT: The History of Pop Music" is the name of a special program that XM Satellite Radio aired annually from 2002 to 2007, in which a majority of charted pop songs from the 1930s to the 2000s were aired in chronological order on seven of the platform's channels...
.
XM's 80s channel is the third most listened to station on the XM service, with an Arbitron
Arbitron
Arbitron is a consumer research company in the United States that collects listener data on radio audiences. It was founded as American Research Bureau by Jim Seiler in 1949 and became national by merging with L.A. based Coffin, Cooper and Clay in the early 1950s...
-estimated cume of 698,300 listeners per week.
For rare songs from the '80s played on this station, each song is played and described as an American Bottom 40, a parody of the American Top 40 program until April 2008, when it changed its tagline to Another '80s Lost Hit, which is currently introduced by Less Headroom, Max Headroom
Max Headroom (character)
Max Headroom is a fictional British artificial intelligence, known for his wit and stuttering, distorted, electronically sampled voice. The character was created by George Stone, Annabel Jankel, and Rocky Morton in the mid nineteen eighties, and portrayed by Matt Frewer as "The World's first...
's brother, and picked by his Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
. Since the Sirius/XM merger, the aircheck was most recently changed to that formerly aired on Sirius' Big '80s channel.
Weekdays
- 11:00PM-12:00A: Nina Blackwood (Tuesday-Friday, music only on Monday)
- 12:00AM-02:00A: Alan Hunter (Tuesday-Friday, music only on Monday)
- 02:00AM-05:00A: Music only (Tuesday-Friday, Big 40 Countdown on Monday)
- 05:00AM-09:00A: Mark Goodman
- 09:00AM-12:00P: Martha Quinn
- 12:00PM-03:00P: Nina Blackwood
- 03:00PM-06:00P: Alan Hunter
- 06:00PM-08:00P: Mark Goodman
- 08:00PM-10:00P: Martha Quinn (Monday-Thursday, Big 40 Countdown on Friday)
- 10:00PM-11:00P: Nina Blackwood (Monday-Thursday, Big 40 Countdown on Friday)
Saturday
- 11:00PM-01:00A: Alan Hunter
- 01:00AM-10:00A: Music only
- 10:00AM-01:00P: Big 40 Countdown
- 01:00PM-06:00P: Nina Blackwood
- 06:00PM-08:00P: Mark Goodman
- 08:00PM-11:00P: Alan Hunter
Sunday
- 10:00PM-01:00A: Big 40 Countdown
- 01:00AM-05:00A: Music only
- 05:00AM-08:00A: Big 40 Countdown
- 08:00AM-10:00A: Music only
- 10:00AM-02:00P: Alan Hunter
- 02:00PM-07:00P: Nina Blackwood
- 07:00PM-10:00P: Big 40 Countdown
- 10:00PM-11:00P: Music only
Current Programs
- 80s on 8 Big 40 countdown - Beginning with the weekend of October 10–11, 2009, the American Top 40 flashbacks were replaced by a reincarnationReincarnationReincarnation best describes the concept where the soul or spirit, after the death of the body, is believed to return to live in a new human body, or, in some traditions, either as a human being, animal or plant...
of "The Big 40 Countdown" which aired on Sirius Big 80s prior to the November 12, 2008 Merger. Nina BlackwoodNina BlackwoodNina Blackwood is an American disc jockey and music journalist, who was the first of the original five MTV VJs. She has also been an actress and model.-Early life and career:...
, who hosted the original version on SIRIUS' Big '80sBig '80sBig '80s was an all 1980s music channel on Sirius Satellite Radio channel 8 and Dish Network channel 6008. It was replaced by XM's The 80s on 8 on November 12, 2008, as part of the Sirius XM Merger. It featured all four living original MTV VJs who are now on The 80s on 8 channel. Big '80s was...
channel from 2005–2008, also hosts this version, along with Mark GoodmanMark GoodmanMark Goodman is a radio DJ, TV personality, and actor. He is best known as one of the original five VJs on MTV, from 1981-1987. He was supposed to be the first of the five to be broadcast at MTV's premier on August 1, 1981...
, Alan Hunter, and Martha QuinnMartha QuinnMartha Quinn is best known as one of the original video jockeys on MTV .-Early life:...
.
Former Programs
- '80s WannaBe's - The Lost/Forgotten/Misplaced/Spaced Out from the '80s... The songs you know, that you forgot you know, but that we know, ya know? "Ohhh WOW! I remember that one, dude!" Now known as 80's lost hits.
- '80s Alive - Your front row seat to live, legendary performances as they happened in the '80s. Crank it up the max, the amps are turned up. Listen for... All Day.
- American Top 40 - The original American Top 40 shows hosted by Casey Kasem from the '80s, aired weekly, taking snapshots of the biggest hits at various periods of time in the '80s. It aired Sundays 7:00 AM ET to about 10:15 AM ET and then again at 8:00 PM ET to about 11:15 PM ET. Before the merger it used to also air on Thursdays 10:00 PM ET to about 1:15 AM ET. (Originally the Thursday show was a repeat of the one run on Sunday, but as of October 2006 they are running two different episodes per week; this has since reverted back to the Thursday show being a repeat of the Sunday show.) Aired until October 2009.
- Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 - 80's editions of the Rick Dees countdown aired Saturdays until December 2008.
- Martha Quinn Presents... - Prior to November 12, 20082008 in radioSeveral 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."...
, this program was carried on Sirius' Big '80sBig '80sBig '80s was an all 1980s music channel on Sirius Satellite Radio channel 8 and Dish Network channel 6008. It was replaced by XM's The 80s on 8 on November 12, 2008, as part of the Sirius XM Merger. It featured all four living original MTV VJs who are now on The 80s on 8 channel. Big '80s was...
channel. Martha plays the songs that defined a decade, and bringing her own personal perspective on the biggest pop and rock artists that she experienced firsthand. Airs: Saturdays at 8:00 AM ET and 9:00 PM ET, Sundays at 11:00 AM ET and 4:00 PM ET, and Wednesdays at 9:00 PM ET.
Post Sirius XM Merger
When the merge of XM and Sirius Satellite RadioSirius 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...
music and talk channels occurred on November 12, 2008, Rick Stacy was named the channel's program director, and the airstaff consisted of the four surviving original MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
"veejays" - Nina Blackwood
Nina Blackwood
Nina Blackwood is an American disc jockey and music journalist, who was the first of the original five MTV VJs. She has also been an actress and model.-Early life and career:...
, Mark Goodman
Mark Goodman
Mark Goodman is a radio DJ, TV personality, and actor. He is best known as one of the original five VJs on MTV, from 1981-1987. He was supposed to be the first of the five to be broadcast at MTV's premier on August 1, 1981...
, Alan Hunter and Martha Quinn
Martha Quinn
Martha Quinn is best known as one of the original video jockeys on MTV .-Early life:...
, carrying over the lineup of Sirius's Big '80s
Big '80s
Big '80s was an all 1980s music channel on Sirius Satellite Radio channel 8 and Dish Network channel 6008. It was replaced by XM's The 80s on 8 on November 12, 2008, as part of the Sirius XM Merger. It featured all four living original MTV VJs who are now on The 80s on 8 channel. Big '80s was...
channel. '80s on 8 was simulcasted on both XM and Sirius, and channel imaging was revised to include the phrase "Sirius XM Radio". It also became Sirius XM Radio's first and only channel to phase out the apostrophe (like on most decades channels on Sirius XM), as they changed their logo entirely (other channels such as The 50s on 5
The 50s on 5
The '50s on 5 is a commercial-free, satellite radio station on the Sirius XM Radio platform. It plays mostly Top 40 pop, doo wop, and rock and roll hits from the 1950s and early '60s, although they occasionally play historically signifficant songs from the late '40s and mid '60s...
and The 90s on 9
The 90s on 9
The '90s on 9 is the name of Sirius XM Radio's 1990s music channel. The service signed on September 25, 2001 and broadcasts on both XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio channel 9, as well as on Dish Network channel 6009. It was also on heard DirecTV channel 806 until February 9, 2010...
did so, but the rest of the logos were updated). However with the recent reintroduction of the VJ big 40, the 80s on 8 is starting to sound more like the Sirius channel the big 80s complete with a schedule somehow reminiscent of the former Sirius channel.