Oct. 14, the day the music died --- at XM

I didn't know CDs were free. Of course, I haven't bought a CD in about 5 years because I'm under the age of 50.

I've been an XM subscriber for about 6 months. I have a long commute to work and it's great for all the baseball games (I live 1,200 miles from my 'team'). It also has a ton of channels for every genre, so if Nickelback comes on, you can change it in a heartbeat and find something that doesn't make your ears bleed.

It also has several stations of stand-up comedy, which is a nice break from things.

Paying for radio is a strange concept, but you quickly see that it's worth it.

 

Many years ago, the first time I'd heard about satellite radio, I said to myself, "That's a stupid idea. Why would I pay for something I get for free."

Then a good friend got it and I slowly changed my tune. Now I love it; local radio is SO bad.

I agree with the sentiment concerning XM house ads. They can be numerous and irritating. And since I already have the service, what's the point?

 

I have it because I get every Major League home broadcast. There is nothing better than being able to tune in announcers you'd never get to hear otherwise, such as Vin Scully or Bob Uecker. I'm not even a Dodgers or Brewers fan, but it's fun to watch. I like hear Ueck give the in-game promo spots for bratwurst or some local tire place in Milwaukee.

 

Fixed.

 

Exclusive look under spirited's dashboard:

 

What's your guess as to the number of people on this board who've never held in their hands an actual album . . . you know, the ones made from vinyl?

Higher than half?

 

As someone mentioned, I can't imagine this will affect listeners very much. Paying for radio did seem a strange concept to me. My parents got XM before I did, and when I had to drive my dad's truck to Florida I found it very cool and I wanted it. Then I got an mp3 player and that desire quickly went away. The only thing I want now is a car stereo with jack to plug in said mp3 player, because the mp3 transmitter doesn't work worth a crap. XM? I can see that those who have it swear by it, but I'm not missing it.

 

Tell me they're not going to screw with The Bob.


You don't want to screw with The Bob.

 

Count me as one who has. As a kid, I had one of those plastic toy record players and my parents had a record player themselves.

I know it's all about the money, but it seems like free radio could learn a lesson from the newspaper industry in that it isn't smart to give your audience less of a product.

 

What do you have an Iphone or something?

 

It's worth it to me simply for the baseball broadcasts ... but throw in college football and basketball for long drives during the season; the comedy channels for when I'm falling asleep on the road; the PGA Tour Network, which I enjoy listening to more than watching the broadcasts; and the excellent stations like XMU, the Verge and Raw, which play stuff that would NEVER make its way to terrestrial radio, and it's well worth the $12.99 a month.

 

Is anyone really surprised by this? Of course they were going to lay people off once the merger was official. Anyone who thought they wouldn't was kidding themselves.

That said, as someone who spends way too much time in the car, I love having XM. Some of the music channels will throw in commercials but not as many as you'll find on terrestrial radio. And a lot of the ones I listen to don't run ads anyway. Plus you can always find music somewhere.

I like having the option of listening to BBC if I want to, or the audio feed from CNN, Bloomberg, Fox, etc. if I feel like it. On Saturdays I can listen to any number of college football games when I'm in the car. I can listen to baseball or hockey any night during the season.

I'm a huge fan. It's worth the money to me. I just wish they'd add Margaritaville Radio.