Sirius XM Drops Candace Bushnell, 'Maxim' Radio

This hasn't been Candace Bushnell's week. First NBC canceled Lipstick Jungle, the series based on her follow-up to Sex and the City, and now comes word that Sirius XM is discontinuing her weekly satellite-radio talk show, Sex, Success and Sensibility.

A source says that the struggling, debt-burdened company, which is paring down its programming budget dramatically following the completion of Sirius and XM's merger, had offered to renew her contract, but only if she agreed to a pay reduction of around 50 percent. Bushnell -- who recently signed a deal to write two young-adult novels based on Sex and the City's main character, Carrie Bradshaw -- said no thanks. (It looks like Bushnell's name has already been scrubbed from the web page for Sirius Stars, the channel that featured her show.)

Also getting the ax at Sirius XM is Maxim Radio, the channel launched four years ago as a companion to the young-men's magazine Maxim. It won't be going away completely, though: Covino & Rich, the channel's most popular show, will remain on Sirius 108, according to a different source.

A Maxim spokeswoman confirmed that Maxim Radio will no longer exist as such, saying, "This change made sense for both sides given Sirius XMs change in channel lineup." Representatives for Sirius -- which earlier this week reported a $4.88 billion loss for the third quarter -- didn't respond to multiple requests for comment.