Washington -- C-SPAN has signed a carriage deal with CDRadio Inc., a nationally licensed provider of multichannel subscription-radio service thattargets mobile listeners, primarily drivers.
Under the deal, CD Radio will retransmit the radio feed ofWCSP-FM, the radio station that C-SPAN purchased in 1997 for $13 million from theUniversity of the District of Columbia. C-SPAN began operating the station in October.
CD Radio paid $83.3 million for its license in a FederalCommunications Commission auction. Starting in the third quarter of next year, CD Radioplans to beam 50 channels, 30 of which will be commercial-free music.
C-SPAN will be part of a 20-channel block consisting ofpublic-affairs and financial programming. C-SPAN and CD Radio have agreed to develop asecond channel of "custom programming," C-SPAN said in statement.
CD Radio spokeswoman Maria Rivers said the car antenna andradio adapter necessary to pick up the company's feed will cost around $200, andmonthly subscription fees will run about $10.
Rivers added that the terms of the C-SPANcarriage deals were not being discussed.
