• April 10, 2007

XM, a national sponsor of Major League Baseball, is creating an online campaign that lets customers use the voices of Derek Jeter, David Ortiz and Cal Ripken, Jr. for customized voice messages.

The effort, "Call Stars," is intended to boost XM's status among consumers as MLB sponsor and content provider. XM broadcasts every game.

The program is run from XM's site, xmradio.com/mlb, where consumers can choose which ballplayer they want to create the message.

Then one enters the recipient's name, and other info such as hobbies and favorite team. Recipients get the voice messages on their phones, e-mail or by AOL Instant Messenger in English or Spanish. XM also has a 24-hour talk radio channel dedicated to Major League Baseball, MLB Home Plate.

--Karl Greenberg