Dear James,
Thanks for writing about Kids Stuff. I’m the head of programming for our entertainment channels, so I am reading emails pertaining to our kids programming personally and considering the points for future decisions. (I have made sure your note has also been sent to the head of Music regarding Boombox).
I hope that you and your family come to like Kids Place Live. It’s a different approach than Kids Stuff – the music is more diverse and lively, and the station is hosted. It’s been hugely successful on XM for years, with the hosts winning awards and bringing a lot of smiles to hundreds of thousands of regular kid listeners, and it seems to be catching on really fast with Sirius listeners, who in large numbers are calling in to the hosts to request songs or characters or to hear their kid on the air. But it’s not non-stop music, and it is not what everyone can agree on as the best approach for their kids (which is, of course, the case with any station).
I appreciate you taking the time to share your comments. I hope that you and your family stick with Sirius and find other things that entertain and fulfill you within our lineup.
All the best,
Jeremy Coleman
Jeremy Coleman
SVP, Talk and Entertainment
SIRIUS XM Radio
1221 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
212.584.5331
jcoleman@siriusradio.com
From: James [mailto:]
Sent: Sun 11/16/2008 12:39 AM
To: Karmazin, Mel
Subject: Sirius Channel Lineup Changes
Dear Mr. Karmazin,
I have had nothing but fantastic results any time I had issues with my Sirius service. However, I'm extremely disappointed in your latest channel change. Two of my favorite channels have been unfortunately reformatted, channels 39 and 116.
In today's economy I have learned to do without additional luxuries but I have kept my two Sirius receivers. During the morning and afternoon drives I typically listen to Kids Stuff 116. It's a running request with my 4 year old even during the weekend with "Hey Dad, I wanna listen to Sirius 116 Kids Stuff!" (he's grown up on your station ID). But yesterday when I picked him up from school I was very disappointed when Kids Stuff was replaced with Kids Place Live. Laurie Berkner, Dan Zanes, and Imagination Movers were gone! Instead I actually had to check the station ID to see if I was on the right channel because it sounded EXACTLY like Radio Disney 115!! Needless to say, we weren't happy.
Then this morning, around 7:20 Central Time, we heard Crazy Frog (which my son LOVES) and then DJ for the rest of my drive. What happened to the music? I am not pleased with this change. Kids Stuff is music not talk. I understand Kids Place Live is for an older age child and pre-school music is aired during the late morning/early afternoon time but that doesn't help us working parents whose children grew up listening to pre-school music during the drive time.
Why does it have to be either/or? I thought the merger was supposed to be a GOOD thing by increasing the available music, not stripping away our current channels? If I could make a suggestion, keep Kids Place Live but bring back Kids Stuff on a different channel. There seems to be a few open channels in the Family Tier and surely there's room for both.
Boombox channel 39 - Why do we need another pop station? Where are the electro-beats and remixes going to be played now? Alt Nation channel 21 is NOT going to be able to fit Boombox's music. Again, don't do away out right, please give us options.
I'm willing to give the new Kids Place Live format a chance. After calling and speaking to a wonderfully friendly CSR at your call center I understand Sirius has be deluged with calls about the new line-up. The CSR suggested I write an email expressing my concern in this matter.
I have been a loyal Sirius subscriber for nearly 3 years. I heartily recommend your radios to all of my friends, who in turn have become subscribers themselves. However, I am seriously not pleased with Kids Place Live and considering canceling my subscriptions to your services and heading to cd's and ipods. Local terrestrial radio has no programming for pre-school children, and now, neither does Sirius. I've had favorite channels deleted before (Discovery Channel 119) and favorite afternoon programs nearly canceled (Bubba The Love Sponge, Howard 101). I would like for another channel to have Kids Stuff loaded back in the line-up. I will give Kids Place Live another chance but it needs to be less talk and more music, it is nearly as bad as commercials.
Please, please, please, bring another channel online with Kids Stuff and Boombox.
Thank you for your consideration in this matter,
James