Echo Star amasses Sirius XM shares

Wall St. Journal: "Charles Ergen's EchoStar Corp. has quietly accumulated a substantial portion of Sirius XM Satellite Radio Inc.'s maturing debt in what could be the first salvo in an attempt to take control of the embattled company, according to people familiar with the matter.

• Mr. Ergen, who controls a satellite-television empire around Dish Network Corp. and EchoStar, has recently acquired part of a $300 million tranche of Sirius debt that matures on Feb. 17, according to the people. Sirius recently converted part of the debt to equity, reducing the total debt outstanding to about $175 million."...(remainder is subscription)

Marketwatch: "EchoStar, for its part, faces stagnant growth in Dish Network, the No. 2 U.S. satellite-TV provider. The addition of Sirius might provide EchoStar a new source of revenue growth or a means to generate economies of scale by combining satellite assets." via Radio Daily News

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