Sirius/XM Merger Approved

I'd pay for MLB, NHL, NCAA FB and maybe NCAA Hoops if it includes the tournament.

And Margaritaville radio better not be tiered.

 

Funny how I never heard back from the NAB when I e-mailed to ask why, instead of spending millions on the anti-merger campaign, they couldn't refocus that money toward improving their members' product.

They can do whatever they want with the channel lineup, so long as I can still hear Lucy.

 

Well, the problem will be the redundancy of channels (jazz, talk, AC, AOR, etc), but how they pare that down will be the key to see if a lot of people say bye.
For example, will Howie say that now that Sirius is in charge, Opie and Anthony will not be on a combined service?
By the way, the merger would not be needed if it hadn't been for Howie's astronomical salary that yielded little result.

 

Yet it's Sirius that is purchasing XM, not the other way around.

 

That's all stock and paper shuffles anyway. Both companies have deep money issues.

 

Yes. By all means. Let's consolidate the communications industry in this country even further. What could possibly go wrong?

 

It's not like they are the only things out there...you still have plenty of choices (terrestrial, online, ITunes, etc).
That service is like HBO, you pay per month and far more people in this country never heard of HBO or XM than have either one. Satellite radio is a luxury, not a public airwave issue, which is why it surprised me it took this long to get this deal done to begin with.

 

I understand what they are Markvid, and where they fit in the greater scheme, but once you monopolize a service, you hold the customers hostage. My complaint isn't just along the lines of an argument against, say, Clear Channel - fewer voices, less diversity of information - but rather that this isn't necessarily going to be the boon to users that folks seem to think.

 

Easy solution, JG: If it sucks, I won't renew.

 

I was all set to go to XM since it picked up SEC sports and Sirius dropped Rolling Stones Radio, but the Stones channel came back to Sirius this week just in time for the start of the Cubs season. I hope the merger lets me have NFL, MLB, SEC sports and the Stones for a decent price.

 

Here's the statement on XM's website. No new hardware.

MERGER UPDATE

On March 24, XM announced that the Department of Justice (DOJ) had approved the proposed merger with SIRIUS. XM is pleased that after a thorough review, the DOJ agrees that the entertainment marketplace will remain highly competitive and robust after our merger.

With the DOJ's decision behind us, our next and final regulatory step will be a decision from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Soon after FCC approval is obtained, XM and Sirius would complete the merger.

The combination of our companies will lead to more choices and better pricing for our subscribers, and result in a stronger competitor in the rapidly evolving audio entertainment market.

As we have said, no XM radio will become obsolete as a result of the merger. We have millions of radios in use, including many that are factory-installed in automobiles. After the merger, our subscribers will not need another radio to continue to receive programming like they now enjoy. The XM platform will continue to offer a full complement of programming to our millions of subscribers.

We'll communicate directly to our subscribers once the FCC has rendered its decision.

 

I know what you are saying, and agree this won't be a boon, it's just making sure they both don't go under because both have tried to outspend the other.