Southwest Virginia Blogs

Sirius XM has released screen shots of its iPhone app for the radio service. The iPhone software will be free, but there will be a $3/month fee to listen to a select group of Sirius XM channels. In other words, for a very modest $36/year, you get Sirius XM on your phone.

Some pundits are pooh-poohing the development, but the iPhone software opens up new possibilities for Sirius XM subscribers without the requirement to buy the specialized hardware. The most likely new subscriber base will come from home-based listeners who want access to Sirius XM in the house but don't want the bother of buying the radio add-ons. If you have an Internet connection, in home WiFi, and some sort of iPod/iPhone stereo (there are hundreds of them), you can drop your iPhone in the base and listen to your favorite Sirius XM channel. This is already being done, using some of the Internet streaming services, but Sirius XM's paid content brings a lot of content you can't get for free.

This gets Sirius XM out of the car and into homes, at a reasonable cost. And it begins to move the company away from dependence on the satellite distribution model, which has always been a limiting factor.

Hulu continues to push the envelope. The popular streaming video site has a lot of TV shows on it, and it just released a Macintosh application so that you can watch TV shows on Hulu without the bother of using a Web browser. It means a better viewing experience with higher quality.

It also means that the disintermediation of the TV business is well underway. The Internet is forcing out costly middle man businesses that were vital and necessary parts of the distribution chain in the old days, ten years ago, but are no longer needed. The rise of broadband and Apple's iTunes store was the end of the music store on Main Street--there are hardly any left.

In the TV business, the cable and satellite TV companies are the middle man. They don't own the content, they just pass it along. But if you can watch American Idol on Hulu via your Internet connection, why pay $60/month for cable TV service? We've been here before. The Internet is relentless, and the new is forcing out the old. The cable TV companies could remain viable, but they can only do so by changing their business model and becoming an open access transport system. They could actually make more money by doing so. But so far, none of them seem willing to even consider it. So they will likely go the way of the music store. In ten years, cable TV will be completely gone.

A few hours ago I arrived here in Richmond for the Republican Convention.  The Convention starts on Friday and ends on Saturday with the nomination of candidates for Governor, Lt. Governor, and Attorney General.  Also a new RPV chairman will be elected.

Bob McDonnell is unopposed for Governor.  Current Lt. Governor Bill Bolling is being challenged for re-nomination by Patrick Muldoon, a patent attorney from Northern VA who is originally from Giles County in the 9th District.  I have no idea why Patrick Muldoon is running such a side show in challenging our sitting Lt. Governor.  He certainly isn’t gaining anything other than ill-will.  Patrick is a smart person, but this has been such a royally pathetic and ill-advised maneuver.  He should suspend his campaign immediately because nothing good is coming out of the process.

Early on I threw my support to former U.S. Attorney John Brownlee for the Attorney General nomination.  I think Brownlee has all the experience and personality to make a great AG.  Also in the nomination race are Ken Cuccinelli, state senator and patent attorney from Fairfax County, and Dave Foster,a lawyer and school board member from Arlington.  All three of the candidates are superb with their credentials.  However, I think Brownlee stands out above the rest.  Cuccinelli and Foster have been mostly civil lawyers while Brownlee has been a criminal and civil prosecutor, managing large budgets, investigations, and many staff members.  This is the type of experience needed to run the VA AG’s office.

On Wednesday evening I along with a few other delegates from Smyth County had the pleasure of having a dinner meet-and-greet with current RPV chair Pat Mullins.  The meeting went extremely well and all of us had a good time discussing politics and other issues.  Pat is such a great person and seems to have things at RPV under control and getting back on track.  I see no reason to remove him, so I will support Pat Mullins for a full term as RPV Chair.  I hope he is in it for the long haul as the revolving chairman’s door at RPV must be removed.

Regardless of the vote outcome, I hope that all the candidates supporters come together and go forward toward November as a unified force.  We must win all 3 statewide offices and show America that Virginia isn’t ready to be counted in the reliable Democrat column.

In the last few weeks I have sensed a major enthusiasm among Virginia Republicans, something I haven’t really seen at this level in years.  Republicans seem to think that we have such great candidates and are going to march to November and put Virginia back on the right track.  I think the candidacy of Bob McDonnell for Governor can be compared to that of George Allen in 1993 in many ways.  McDonnell is going to be picking up the mess that Democrats Warner and Kaine have made of Virginia in the last 8 years and take us forward to better days in Virginia.  Maybe a new Virginia Renaissance?