This is important...

[Demian]

http://www.insidenova.com/isn/news/l..._change/24555/

Sirius channel change
STAFF
Published: November 13, 2008


It’s one of those glass-half-empty-half-full scenarios.

Just after midnight yesterday—or a few hours earlier for the Web-savvy who discovered the leak—the recently merged Sirius XM Satellite Radio stealthily posted its newly combined channel lineups on the companies’ respective Web sites (http://www.sirius.com/pdf/channelguide.pdf and http://www.xmradio.com/pdf/channel_guide.pdf).

You might think both companies would have alerted subscribers to the impending changes via a courtesy e-mail earlier than yesterday morning so listeners wouldn’t be hunting around for their favorite channels in vain before, perhaps, seeing their e-mail. (A full-page color ad for Sirius XM did run in Friday’s USA Today, but the list of channels didn’t specify what was being axed and really, can the almost 19 million satellite subscribers all be expected to read USA Today?)

As most who follow the media business surmised, when the ridiculously lengthy talks about marrying the satellite companies finally ended in July, it wasn’t so much that they were merging, but, rather, that Sirius was taking over XM—at least from a programming perspective.

Based on this revamped channel lineup, that supposition is more than substantiated.

By my math—which, admittedly, isn’t to be taken as gospel—Sirius XM now has (at least) 30 overlapping music stations of the 69 offered, and the XM subscribers will experience the deepest loss.

Gone from XM is its popular adult album alternative station Flight 26. In its place is Sirius’ The Pulse, which is more niched with its “‘90s Hits & Now” format.

Also axed from XM: the cleverly named and programmed Fred, Lucy and Ethel. Those channels have been changed to Sirius’ sub-par 1st Wave (’70s and’80s alternative), Lithium (’90s alternative) and Alt Nation (new alternative).

Some of what XM listeners have gained from Sirius are Siriusly Sinatra (self-explanatory), Shade 45 (Eminem’s hip-hop), Jam On (live jam bands) and Little Steven’s Underground Garage.

Sirius subscribers, meanwhile, can now tune in to B.B. King’s Bluesville, a dedicated ‘40s music station and Bob Dylan’s specialty show, among a few other adds from XM.

As for Sirius’ musical castoffs, say goodbye to Sirius Disorder (free form), Backspin (old-school rap) and The Strobe (disco).

The main benefit of this merger which certainly isn’t to shareholders since the Sirius XM stock has plummeted from $3.70 to 27 cents in the 20 months since the deal was announced and approved is that it eliminated the dilemma of which service to subscribe to.

But it’s a shame that CEO Mel Karmazin couldn’t admit—and embrace—that XM’s programming has always been superior to Sirius’ because its musical choices truly provided an alternative to the staid playlists of terrestrial radio.

On XM’s’80s on 8, you would hear the Psychedelic Furs’ “Heartbreak Beat.” On Sirius’ Big’80s—now renamed to’80s on 8—you would get the overplayed “Pretty in Pink”

Fred and Lucy routinely dug deep into college rock catalogs of the late’80s, early’90s (Lloyd Cole, the Waterboys, World Party) and even current tunes (The Killers, Franz Ferdinand).

On their replacements, Sirius’ 1st Wave and Lithium, you’re more inclined to hear “hits” from The Smiths or Nirvana.

Like most people, I don’t subscribe to satellite radio to hear the same songs I can hear on any random local station. Actually, I subscribe for Howard Stern.

But from a music perspective, I want album cuts. I want the third single from the fourth album that sold half the amount of the Grammy-winning breakthrough. Those are the songs worth paying $12 a month to hear, don’t you think?

Also, the imaging of XM’s “decade” stations—the TV clips and sound bites that gave them personality—exceeded Sirius’ efforts (although those channels will now carry the XM names, so, maybe, hopefully, also their character), and XM’s DJs always dropped knowledge and trivia into their rare between-song banter.

Now listeners of XM’s’80s on 8 will be subjected to the Sirius-based original MTV VJs who, Mark Goodman aside, sound more amateurish—and long-winded—than any first-year broadcast major at the smallest of colleges.

I cringe to think how these changes will affect the Sirius XM subscriber base because I’ve already heard from a few grumpy XM loyalists who intend to cancel by the end of the year.

Though maybe there are some of you out there who actually like these alterations.

But even though subscriptions are up 17 percent this quarter, that teeny bit of good news in no way eradicates the massive financial issues draining Sirius XM.

Earlier this week, Karmazin sounded relieved when he announced that the company would lose only $300 million in 2008, instead of the projected $350 million.

Now there’s your classic glass half-full.

What do you think?

[Demian]

Here is a letter that is circulating around on the internet....

To: KJMWEB@fcc.gov, Michael.Copps@fcc.gov, Jonathan.Adelstein@fcc.gov, dtaylortateweb@fcc.gov, Robert.McDowell@fcc.gov, antitrust.complaints@usdoj.gov, letters@washpost.com, national@washpost.com

Commisioners Martin, Copps, Adelstein, Tate, McDowell, and Department of Justice,

XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio certified before the merger that customers would not lose choices of channels. That certification was part of the conditions that allowed the merger. They lied. As of November 12, They have eliminated many of the channels that have no counterpart (i.e. Fine Tuning, Boombox, Chrome). Instead we get payola-esque single-artist channels. And, as far as diversity is concered, 75% of the Spanish-language channels were dropped, a clear act in bad faith regarding their promise to maintain diversity. As a result of the merger, consumer choice has been markedly decreased. As a result of the lost channels, the net per-channel cost has risen. The FCC and DOJ should investigate the merged company to insist that they adhere to the conditions of the merger and restore the channels that were eliminated by the merger.

[Demian]

I have been listening to the new POTUS and I was disgusted to find that they have now added commercials. Also, they have brought over a couple of annoying, opinionated, call in talk show hacks from the now defunct Indie Talk channel that was on Sirius. Scott Walterman's vision for POTUS was for it to be unfiltered and unbiased political news. They have just dumbed down the channel. Merging POTUS and Indie Talk was not a good idea. They don't fit together.....

[Demian]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...1422644.column

Sirius, XM hear a lot of static for merging their lineups
Phil Rosenthal | Media
November 16, 2008

A lot of people who subscribe to satellite radio received something of a shock when they tuned in on Wednesday, and not because of faulty wiring.

Sirius and XM Radio, married this summer into Sirius XM Radio, ended the honeymoon for listeners. They did what companies always do in mergers: eliminate duplicate operations to cut costs, this time wreaking havoc on their respective programming lineups. Each service lost channels, and some of the survivors were tweaked, renamed and/or moved.

To hear the most vocal of suddenly dissatisfied customers, some of whom left blistering comments on the Tower Ticker blog (chicagotribune.com/phil) item about the new lineup, it was as if someone had broken in while they slept, made off with some cherished possessions, hauled in inferior replacements and left things in general disarray.

Sirius listeners found such channels as Movin' Easy, Punk, Sirius Disorder, The Strobe, Boombox, Backspin and Universo Latino were gone. XM subscribers were without XM Sports Nation, X-Country, Fungus, Raw, Beyond Jazz, Fine Tuning, The System, Chrome, Viva, Aguila and Caricia.

It doesn't matter that those weren't the most popular channels.

For almost every channel out there, there's someone, maybe several someones, for whom it was a favorite, providing the soundtrack to the daily commute, relief from the grind or just a welcome distraction. And, poof, it was gone. Or messed with.

What looked to the corporate types as a redundancy, devoted fans saw as a reason for continuing to shell out $8 or more per month even as the economy put a hurt on the household budget.

Some of the dissatisfaction probably was unavoidable. Some of the people who went with XM did so because they preferred its service to Sirius, and vice versa, so they weren't going to be happy with any combination.

Compounding the resentment was that the best known channels on each service, such as Oprah Winfrey's Oprah & Friends on XM and Howard Stern on Sirius, are available to subscribers of the opposite service only if they pony up more cash.

Radio listeners are accustomed to abrupt format and personnel changes, though they complain loudly about them. Because people pay for satellite services, they feel a bigger stake and see these kinds of changes as a promise unkept, a broken covenant.

Those listeners say this will spell the beginning of the end for Sirius XM, but that ignores the fact that Sirius or XM had to be in pretty bad shape to get the feds to approve their merger in the first place.

The combined company said last week that its third-quarter losses totaled $4.88 billion after recording a sizable charge connected to a decline in its stock.

It expects to have 19.1 million subscribers by year's end and 20.6 million at the end of 2009, but the economic slowdown, especially its effect on sales of autos that will come with satellite radios, can hardly help growth.

That says nothing of potential technological advances that could outstrip what satellite radio can offer.

Many of these problems are not unique to radio.

People respond viscerally to changes in the media they rely upon.

In television, where even the least popular programs on the broadcast networks have audiences the size of small cities, viewers get furious when their favorite shows are canceled, moved or adjusted, vowing boycotts and launching generally unsuccessful campaigns calling for decisions to be reversed.

When print publications move, eliminate or change features, comics, columns, even typefaces, readers go through denial, anger and all the other stages of grief Elisabeth Kubler-Ross laid out.

The need to reinvent business models and make do with less in the media industry has brought a lot of abrupt change in a short span, upsetting consumers who inevitably predict that these actions hasten, rather than forestall, demise.

That is the price to be paid for having developed a dedicated customer base in the first place.

The media can't afford to lose them, but it can't afford to please them all either.

philrosenthal@tribune.com

[Demian]

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post...d-changes.html

Sirius, XM subscribers revolt over merger-induced changes
By Matthew Lasar | Published: November 18, 2008

Long-time Sirius satellite radio subscriber Stan Petrov is fed up and he's not going to take it anymore. He signed on with Sirius two years ago and bought several receivers. But since Sirius merged with XM radio, he has lost his access to coverage of NBA games.

"I know, your customer service people are telling their subscribers that it is that way because the NBA moved its contract to XM," Petrov wrote to Sirius in a protest letter that he forwarded to Ars. "I do not believe that is the reason. I believe the reason is called 'manipulating the market/consumer'."

Petrov is not the only unhappy camper around. The blogosphere is awash with rage at a wave of postmerger Sirius/XM channel/program swapping announced last Wednesday. "A feeling of pleasant surprise turned to horror this morning after I started up my XM-subscribed car," fumed Rick Aristotle Munarriz that day over at The Motley Fool. "At first, I was greeted with some of my favorite Sirius music channels, like 1st Wave, on the air. Then I discovered that most of my favorite XM channels were gone."

Ditto declared various commenters on the story. "I'm pissed," wrote one. "The channels that I liked were replaced with channels I don't like. I was hoping for twice the channels so there was more chance of finding a good song at any given time." Dave Zatz also dropped his subscription, saying that "I don't support keeping customers in the dark until the zero hour."

We're shocked
Who would have thought that Sirius and XM would change their schedules after joining forces? They only repeatedly pledged to do that during the Federal Communications Commission's proceeding on the union. To be fair, Petrov opposed the marriage. But the protests of plenty of other subscribers sound something akin to Captain Renault's famous comment in Casablanca: "I am shocked, shocked, to find Sirius and XM doing what they promised they would do after merging."

Sirius XM Inc. released their happy-talk-style press release about the changes last week. "With this new programming lineup, subscribers will receive the same number of music and non-music channels on the SIRIUS and XM services as they have in the past," the announcement cheerfully proclaimed.

So XM subscribers will now get Bruce Springsteen's E Street Radio, the Elvis channel broadcast live from Graceland, and Cosmo Radio, "geared toward Cosmopolitan magazine's audience of fun, fearless females." Meanwhile Sirius customers will be able to access Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio Hour, among other channels.

But what the release glossed over is that the same number of channels doesn't mean the same channels, and that's the rub, since subscribers have receivers that only access one of the services. In the voluntary deal they cut with the FCC, Sirius XM promised they would offer an interoperable receiver for sale—that is, a tuner that gets both Sirius and XM—within nine months after they merged. Since both entities formally combined on July 29, if they wait until the last minute, such a device won't be available to consumers until around early May.

Sirius XM's winter of discontent has a familiar chill to anyone who, like this writer, has followed the ups and downs of listener-supported public radio and TV stations (not the satellite kind). Any change in the station's schedule or financial situation is roundly denounced by long-time subscribers, who often band together into ad hoc organizations to rescue their beloved service.

And so behold SaveSirius.org, whose leader Michael Hartleib says his site represents more than 700 angry Sirius shareholders alarmed at the precipitous decline of their stock. It's at about a quarter a share these days, down from over seven bucks in 2005. The group is threatening to sue.

"It's time to take back our Company. It's time to get a backbone," Hartleib says. "I have been asked by my family to give up the fight. My answer to them has been 'If everyone gives up, we lose. If no one stands up for justice we will have none'."

Not everybody hates these schedule changes, though. "Bring on the merger and now all the sudden I get the best of both worlds," another commenter wrote in response to the Motley Fool article. "Baseball in the summer and football all season long! The music is good on both Sirius and XM so if they need to cut out some of the stations, it only makes since not to have two similar things on the air."

HD chains
But the biggest watcher of the Sirius XM union doesn't post comments on chat boards. Judging by its latest FCC filing, Clear Channel radio is still extremely bitter about the Commission's approval of the wedding, which it ardently opposed from the outset. Not only did the FCC give the merger the go ahead, but it turned down most of the merger conditions for which Clear Channel asked: making Sirius XM obey the agency's indecency rules or lifting the Commission's caps on the number of terrestrial radio stations the radio giant could buy, among others. Clear Channel said eliminating that ceiling would only be fair to offset the increased market power that Sirius XM would supposedly enjoy.

Now Clear Channel is pushing for a rule that critics warn will make it even tougher for Sirius XM to survive the next few years. The company wants the FCC to require those interoperable satellite radio tuners to also include HD Radio reception—Clear Channel is a big investor in Ibiquity HD radio, the FCC-authorized standard-bearer for digital radio.

"It is now incumbent on the Commission to take the necessary steps to turn around the overall negative situation that free local radio faces," Clear Channel says, "and a reasonable first step would be to adopt a rule to require [satellite radio] receivers to include HD Radio reception capacity." Opponents of this requirement argue it will make the receivers much more expensive, reducing their popularity.

[Demian]

http://www.thenewsstar.com/article/2...NMENT/81118018

As Sirius, XM signals merge, customers are confused
BY MIKE SNIDER • USA TODAY • NOVEMBER 18, 2008

The XM-Sirius satellite radio merger is shifting the lineups — and in some cases the sentiments — of subscribers.


When Rick Munarriz got into his car Wednesday, he found that, though the XM radio had been tuned to alternative rock channel Fred, the readout said "First Wave," a similar channel from Sirius' network. The 41-year-old Motley Fool senior analyst, who subscribes to both, says, "I thought I was in this bizarro world where everything was switched around. They sort of surprised people. No one asked me what station to keep or what I preferred."

Sirius XM Radio, the company created by the merger approved in July, began broadcasting its new lineup last week on both networks. XM lost channels including Soul Street and alt-rockers Fred, Ethel and Lucy, and got Sirius' counterparts. Likewise, decades-themed channels on Sirius were replaced by XM counterparts.

Leading up to the changes, DJs talked on air about them, emails were sent and new lineups were posted online Wednesday.

Subscriptions to XM and Sirius are still sold separately (each $12.95 monthly). But XM subscribers now get more than a dozen offerings previously only on Sirius, including channels devoted to Bruce Springsteen and Jimmy Buffett. Sirius adds Deep Tracks, which carries Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio Hour and Tom Petty's Buried Treasure shows, as well as country stations Willie's Place and The Roadhouse.

These additions and changes work on all current radios and require no additional fees. XM subscribers also can buy a "Best of Sirius" package for $4 a month that includes two channels featuring Howard Stern — signed by Sirius through 2010 — and a Martha Stewart channel, plus NASCAR and NFL channels. Similarly, Sirius subscribers can pay $4 for a "Best of XM" package with Oprah & Friends, talk channel The Virus with The Opie & Anthony Show, and NHL and NBA channels.

"We feel pretty confident we have a fairly unique lineup now of breadth and depth," says Scott Greenstein, chief content officer for Sirius XM.

Regardless, subscribers raised questions. Thousands of comments, pro and con, were posted on XMFan.com's discussion forums. A former XM subscriber, John Colelli, 45, of Syracuse, N.Y., switched to Sirius because he liked its blues channel better: XM's Bluesville "plays mostly old blues, and that is the reason I dropped it years ago." Blogcritics.org's Mark Saleski railed that the company has "shot (itself) in the foot, if not the heart."

Some, but not all, of the 19 million subscribers received e-mails about the shuffle. "I'm astonished by the lack of communication," says Ryan Saghir, 32, who runs satellite radio blog Orbitcast.com.

Subscribers seem to be most upset about the loss of channels devoted to disco and old-school rap and hip-hop, Saghir says, but the company had to make changes. Saghir, a subscriber to both services, adds, "There is still no other audio service that provides the breadth of entertainment in your car at this time."

And there were satisfied subscribers. By adding Sirius' The Grateful Dead Channel to XM, "they gave me more of what I'm paying for," says Brandon Lowitz, 38, of New Rochelle, N.Y. "How great is that?"

Frank Sommo, 57, of New Providence, N.J., was happy to have NASCAR and Sinatra channels added to XM. "Even though the lineup has been compressed, I still feel there is plenty of variety and good programming for the average listener."

And XM Sirius is listening to complaints. On Monday, Greenstein announced that DJ Meg Griffin of the now-defunct Sirius Disorder channel will host a show weekdays and Sundays starting Dec. 1.

Overall, the audience response shows "there is enormous passion for satellite radio," Greenstein says. "We are engaged on a two-way street with our listeners. But listeners are paying us to be the ultimate aggregator of content for them. We want to respond sensibly and smartly."

Other developments include à la carte subscriptions that let customers choose channels from Sirius (prices start at $7 a month for 50 channels; a $15 Gold subscription includes Stern and the "Best of XM" channels). So far, only the Sirius Starmate 5 Dock and Play radio ($130) supports custom subscriptions. New models that receive all Sirius and XM programming are expected to be announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in January.

Listening to the current subscriber base and creating new user-friendly products are steps in the right direction, says Munarriz, because many who have both services may look to drop one to cut expenses — and some might cancel altogether. "In the near-term, (the new channel lineups) are a mistake when the economy is really sensitive," he says. "It's the right move. It's just the wrong time."

[imromo24]

Well, I put on my directv to check out the music changes and landed on pops 2k, wife immediately started bopping her head so I left it on and they played many catchy tunes in a row....then we got into her car and what was on terrestrial our whole ride to the store....yep commercials.

F-terrestrials commercials!

Sirius XM satellite radio rules.

[Demian]

Here is a letter that someone who complained about the loss of Fine Tuning received from Jon Zellner...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for taking the time to write with your thoughts on the new channel line-up. Merging the two sets of music channels was a very difficult task, since so many people were passionate about each service and what they have been listening to for years. We did our best, based on customer surveys from both companies, to keep the channels that reached the most listeners and performed the best in overall satisfaction. And, in some cases, we actually blended the two channels combining the best personalities from Sirius and XM to create a new combined channel.

I appreciate hearing your thoughts on Fine Tuning. As you may know, we have limited space on the network and only have room for 69 commercial-free music channels. The good news is that we are creating a new home for free-form/eclectic music and have moved many of the shows from Sirius Disorder over to The Loft, including Meg Griffin, who will host a daily show from noon to 6 starting December 1st, Vin Scelsa, David Johansen, Lou Reed, Larry Kirwan, and others. You can check out the full line-up by going to the Loft homepage on XMRadio.com or Sirius.com.

I also encourage you to take the time to download our new channel line-up, scroll through the dial and discover some of the new options you have. You may find something new that you like or may have missed in the past.

Thanks again for writing. I know change is tough and hopefully, you’ll still see the value in our service to continue as a subscriber.

Best regards,

Jon

Jon Zellner
Senior Vice President
Music Programming
Sirius XM Radio
1500 Eckington Place NE
Washington, DC 20002

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have spoken with Jon on the phone in the past and I don't think he gets it. I understand what he's trying to do by merging channels, but I don't think it's always the best idea. It waters down the concept of the channel. POTUS and Indie Talk don't go together well IMO - whole different concepts. POTUS was unbiased and straight news and information - Indie Talk was more noisy and biased. They clash when put together. Fine Tuning and The Loft had completely different concepts also. Sometimes mixing two great concepts makes a mess....

[imromo24]

Here is the response for my complaint about Hip Hop Nation being censored:

Thank you for your email regarding Hip Hop Nation being censored. We
are here to assist!

We appreciate your comments regarding a few songs that we air, which
have been edited by record companies and artists. We apologize for any
inconvenience.
At SIRIUS, our goal is to make the listening experience enjoyable to all
of our many and diverse subscribers. We strive to deliver an
entertaining mix of both family-friendly and adult programming. To that
end, we occasionally air versions of certain songs edited for family
listening.

This practice only affects select music channels and a relatively small
number of songs in our vast library. The majority of our music channels
remain completely unedited. We are committed to delivering the best
music possible to every subscriber. We hope that it will not impact
your SIRIUS listening experience in any way.

Thanks again for your feedback. Your suggestion is being forwarded to
our programming department for further consideration. If you have any
more suggestions or comments, please feel free to contact SIRIUS
Customer Care. For your convenience, we are available 7 days a week at:

1-888-539-SIRIUS (7474)

As well as by email at:

www.sirius.com/customercare

----------------------------------------------------
All I can say is let your voice be heard...and check the dial and program times. Each station has a website and email, email the DJ, Call the DJ...tell them what you expect.

[Pinball Wizard]

In addition to all of the print stories in this thread, last night (11/18) on the local TV news here(Washington, DC Channel 9, WUSA) there was a story about satellite radio listener discontent.

Imagine the negative impact all of this has on perspective retail subscribers.

I have had it with hearing words with positive connotations like "synergy" and "consolidation." This was destruction of content.