Recently I stumbled across the site of Radio Wars, a documentary on the development of satellite radio in the United States.
It’s difficult not to be suspicious of grandiose claims, such as these: “[F]ew of radio’s struggles have been as dramatic as satellite radio’s battle in the stars. This clash turned traditional radio business models upside down, redefined free speech, and put over one million investors on a billion dollar rollercoaster ride as companies Sirius and XM fought to survive.”
It would be interesting to see “behind the scenes of the Sirius XM satellite radio story,” but the service’s impact on the practice of broadcasting is a bit overblown.
A little sleuthing finds that Radio Wars is a production of Sandra Mohr and Rick King. Mohr is a published author who runs a creative public-relations shop “for a variety of Fortune 500 companies, ad agencies, nonprofits and other organizations.” King founded Kingofalltrades.com, “an online community of investors & financial experts,” and who is (not coincidentally) a long-term investor in Sirius XM radio.
In fact, Radio Wars appears to be a re-do of Stock Shock: this flick “follow[s] the wild ups and downs of the American stockmarket through the eyes of Sirius XM investors. [It] reveals the down and dirty schemes behind the glitter of Wall Street. It is a must see for anyone who has ever lost money in stocks…or fears they’re about to.”
King, who apparently also runs the “official” Radio Wars “fan site,” blogged about the documentary’s progress in July: “Interviews from a variety of sources seem to be going extremely well and the popularity of this production seems to be shaping up much better than the previous attempt (Stock Shock).” King and his “crew” also appear to be prominent characters in both films.
I’d be interested in a documentary that properly situates satellite radio within the context of U.S. broadcasting history. I’d also be interested in a documentary that illuminates the victimization of satellite radio as an industry by short-sellers and uses that story as a parable about speculative investing in a 21st century finance-capitalist economy.
But I’m dubious about a documentary that claims it can pull off both, especially now that I know more about the project’s genesis. It would be a shame if Radio Wars isn’t more than a puff piece with Howard Stern featurette and a side of investor gripes.
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