http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/12/will-sirius-and-xm-merge/ Autoblog Comments for Will Sirius and XM merge? http://www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/12/will-sirius-and-xm-merge/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/12/will-sirius-and-xm-merge/Jul 12th 2006 8:10PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/12/will-sirius-and-xm-merge/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/12/will-sirius-and-xm-merge/Jul 12th 2006 8:26PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/12/will-sirius-and-xm-merge/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/12/will-sirius-and-xm-merge/Jul 12th 2006 8:41PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/12/will-sirius-and-xm-merge/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/12/will-sirius-and-xm-merge/Jul 12th 2006 9:13PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/12/will-sirius-and-xm-merge/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/12/will-sirius-and-xm-merge/Jul 12th 2006 9:23PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/12/will-sirius-and-xm-merge/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/12/will-sirius-and-xm-merge/
XM is more for those with odd-ball music tastes and those who prefer B-side tracks.

All my future vehicles will have Sirius in them. It won't be factory installed, since the plug and play units are better (more features, easily upgraded without replacing the Head Unit) and Sirius doesn't have a contract with GM yet.

Oh, and neither service is commercial free. Sirius is 100% commercial free on the music channels only. Promos for other channels, shows, and up comming events on Sirius don't count in my book.

XM is commercial free on MOST music channels. They have a few music channels (4 maybe) that run commercials as well as running them on all news,talk,sports channels.]]>Jul 12th 2006 9:26PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/12/will-sirius-and-xm-merge/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/12/will-sirius-and-xm-merge/Jul 12th 2006 9:29PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/12/will-sirius-and-xm-merge/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/12/will-sirius-and-xm-merge/Jul 12th 2006 9:39PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/12/will-sirius-and-xm-merge/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/12/will-sirius-and-xm-merge/Jul 12th 2006 9:43PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/12/will-sirius-and-xm-merge/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/12/will-sirius-and-xm-merge/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13773302/site/newsweek/: "I was asked the question. I answered it honestly. Certainly I'd be interested if a company is for sale, if the price is right and if regulators would allow it. In the case of satellite radio, it's hard to argue that strategically [buying XM] would fit. It's not something we're pursuing."

Note that last 2 sentences. There's no strategic reason to purchase XM - IOW, XM doesn't have anything that Sirius wants, or that Sirius can't get.

Sirius added twice as many subscribers as XM did in the second quarter. They've been crushing XM's growth for several quarters now. Stern is only the beginning. As of 2007, there is only one professional sport that XM will have exclusively - MLB. NASCAR, NHL, NFL are all on Sirius (the last 2 are already Sirius exclusives. NASCAR switches after this season). The content producers are hitching their wagons to the horse they think is the best platform.

That sports contingent draw far more subscribers than any one entertainer/DJ/shock jock. My brother was gung-ho about XM, but if MLB ever goes to Sirius, I'm fairly sure he'll switch.

I thought I was getting Sirius for only 2 reasons: NFL and Stern. Then I discovered all the other great programming. I'm literally overwhelmed with choices.

Why must every discussion about Sirius come down to "Stern's a jackass" for some people? It's quickly approaching a Goodwin's Law for the 21st century. If you don't like him, don't listen to him. It's that simple. He's 1.5 channels out of over 120. Choosing XM over Sirius only because Sirius has one program that you don't like? I could make the same argument about Opie & Anthony on XM (who, BTW, can't draw, managed a paltry 35,000 listeners and had to go crawling back to FM in conjunction with the XM broadcast), but it would be similarly ridiculous. Why not choose the service based on the programming you WILL listen to instead?]]>Jul 12th 2006 9:55PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/12/will-sirius-and-xm-merge/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/12/will-sirius-and-xm-merge/Jul 12th 2006 10:14PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/12/will-sirius-and-xm-merge/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/12/will-sirius-and-xm-merge/
No.

Case closed.

Besides, would it even clear anti-trust regulations? It would be the only corporation of its type and have a pretty hefty monopoly. Of course, then again, it wouldn't happen anyway.]]>Jul 12th 2006 11:09PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/12/will-sirius-and-xm-merge/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/12/will-sirius-and-xm-merge/Jul 12th 2006 11:14PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/12/will-sirius-and-xm-merge/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/12/will-sirius-and-xm-merge/Jul 12th 2006 11:32PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/12/will-sirius-and-xm-merge/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/12/will-sirius-and-xm-merge/Jul 12th 2006 11:35PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/12/will-sirius-and-xm-merge/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/12/will-sirius-and-xm-merge/Jul 12th 2006 11:46PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/12/will-sirius-and-xm-merge/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/12/will-sirius-and-xm-merge/Jul 12th 2006 11:51PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/12/will-sirius-and-xm-merge/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/12/will-sirius-and-xm-merge/
No shit. Hey, I'd like to buy XM, too. But the cost would be a concern - as in I can't fucking afford it. Neither can Sirius.]]>Jul 13th 2006 12:13AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/12/will-sirius-and-xm-merge/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/12/will-sirius-and-xm-merge/
I live in the Washington DC area, and it's the worst big-city radio market in the entire US. Your choices here are basically limited to political talk, religious talk, all-news talk, Rap/Hip-Hop, Country, Spanish, and lame oldies pop. There's really no rock/pop, and what there is they talk too much and cater to an older demographic. Plenty of colleges in the area, but no college radio/alternative, or independents. It's all totally corporatized, canned radio from Clear Channel and Bonneville. We even have multiple NPR stations that play the same programs simultaneously, which makes no sense.

#17, I see your point, but again it depends on the market you live in. I already have access to too much "Talk", so I got XM so I could finally listen to music again. And I'm finally hearing new music and buying CDs and downloads again.

(Sadly missing 99.1'HFS, from the old days...)]]>Jul 13th 2006 12:13AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/12/will-sirius-and-xm-merge/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/12/will-sirius-and-xm-merge/
IF and a big if they ever do merge, I'm taking my profits and say seeee-ya

(thats for Ron and Fez on X/M)

I dont have either, but have Siri stock for 2 words only...Mel Karmazin

I was a Stern Listeneer when he was great and Infinity Broadcasting was a tiny blot on the radio map. Mel's office was right down the hall from Howie and wasn't even allowed to say his name on the air.

He took that and parlayed it into Infinity radio, the 2nd largest cluster behind Clear Channel, before it was bought by CBS and ruined by Redstone

adios

Billy]]>Jul 13th 2006 12:13AM