http://money.cnn.com/2007/02/19/news/companies/xm_sirius/?postversion=2007021917
competition is a good thing, hopefully this doesnt significantly lower quality of the combined service. O&A and Stern in the same company again will be interesting…
They’ll have their hands full getting it approved though, when directv and dish network wanted to merge the gov’t wanted none of it.
I hope they get a BIG NO, I want nothing to do with XM programing. I am super happy with sirius as it is now.
so u would not want any additional channels, u know u could just NOT listen to “bad” programming.
im sure xm has something good on it
regardless of how much you may dislike one and like the other, it is a smart business decision and will save both companies mucho money. I love my sirius, especially my techno stations but ill be glad to get some more channels to check out :tspry:
yeah… I hope it doesn’t go through either. lots of people are loosing their jobs, not to mention I’d rather there be some competition in the buisness (especially for the consumer). Wouldn’t this be a monopoly anyway? I have a feeling that it’s not gonna happen reguardless
it’d also suck having hoo hoo putting gag orders on people again :gay2:
Save them money, and cost us more. IB4the$30amonthforservice
X…
i got XM and never had sirius, but XM is dope, which has more channels? XM has like 3-4 channels of EVRY genre of music, like 5 comedy stations, shitload of world news and sports stations… my free subscription is only for 3 mths… is it worth paying for after or switching to sirius
as long as the dont touch 40, 45, 50, 33, 34, 36, 20, and 28 im fine. the already took 42 from me maybe a year ago, i still miss it
Just received via email:
February 20, 2007
Dear XM Radio Subscriber:
We want to share with you some exciting news: Yesterday, in Washington DC, we announced XM Radio will be merging with Sirius Satellite Radio to form the premier digital audio service.
The merger will create a satellite radio company that will provide consumers across the country with more and better premium radio programming. The combined company will be able to compete better in what has become a very complex and dynamic entertainment market.
Where today our exclusive contracts mean you had to choose between baseball and football or Oprah and Martha Stewart, the new company will seek to ensure that in the future, you will be able to access both companies’ programming. And, once we are fully integrated, those of you who have factory-installed satellite radio will no longer be limited to the programming provided by the exclusive satellite radio service chosen by their car manufacturer.
This merger should be completed in late 2007 or early in 2008. Throughout the year, we will provide updates on how the merger is progressing and information will be available at our website, www.xmradio.com.
Between today and the merger date, as well as during the period immediately after the merger date, all of your services will remain the same. The channel lineup, the customer service number, the great music technology, and the XM Radio web site will all remain unchanged and there will be no disruption to service. But, if you have questions, information will be available and maintained on our website, and you can contact our Listener Care team at 800-XMRADIO, with questions and concerns.
XM Radio continues to be committed to providing you the highest quality audio entertainment and customer service available today. After the merger, our new company will be able to offer you the most exciting listening experience in radio.
Sincerely,
Hugh Panero
CEO, XM Satellite Radio
February 19, 2007
To: SIRIUS Subscribers
Today is a very exciting day for SIRIUS customers. As you may have heard, SIRIUS Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio are merging to form the nation’s premier audio entertainment provider.
This combination of our two offerings will benefit you - our loyal listeners. As a single company, we’ll provide superior programming to you every day with the best of both SIRIUS and XM. Currently, XM and SIRIUS broadcast a wide range of commercial-free music channels, exclusive sports coverage, news, talk, and entertainment programming. Howard Stern. Oprah and Friends. The NFL. MLB. NBA. ESPN. CNBC. Fox News. Additionally, the combined company will be able to improve existing services such as real-time traffic information and rear-seat video as well as introduce new ones.
After shareholder and regulatory approvals, we anticipate that the combination will be finalized by the end of 2007. Until then, both companies will continue to operate independently. We will continue to provide you with the uninterrupted service - as well as the outstanding customer support - that you have come to expect and enjoy from SIRIUS. We do not anticipate any changes in your service during the merger process, however, please call our customer care team on 1- 888-539-7474 should you have any questions.
We look forward to the many benefits this combination will offer and continuing to make your listening experience an enjoyable one - offering more of the Very Best Radio on Radio.
Stay tuned,
Mel Karmazin, CEO
this is what i just recieved in email
so who bought stock again ha i cashed out after the howard stern announcement on sirius
both stocks have been dogs for a long time now. If you were holding XM and you just bought it recently you did pretty well because sirius paid a decent premium, but any other situation you were lucky to get back the money you lost.
I hope it does not go through. I like to see some competition in this business, not for a company to monopolize.
I’m hoping that a merger means they can cut the redundant stations between the two companies and allocate more bandwidth to the ones they keep. The sound quality has been a problem since day 1, and is only getting worse as they add more worthless channels.
If there is no merger there will be no competition. They have both been losing money, especially XM for a while. Without a merger it would eventually lead to the end of one if not both of these companies.
my guess is it wont happen, Although I think it’s good for their businesses and stockholders, and probably wont hurt subscribers, the DOJ won’t pass it because of the monopoly, although XM had one before when it was just XM.
How is it a monopoly? Nobody is stopping anyone else from launching a satellite and starting their own service. This is different than the situation we have with cable and telephone, where one provider owns the entire infrastructure and it would be cost-prohibitive to start your own. Think it couldn’t happen? Sirius did it when XM was the only game in town, and now their marketshare is close to 50%.
Plus as long as commercial radio exists, there is still competition. You either choose to pay for satellite service, or not pay, and listen to about 50% less actual content on commercial radio. A monopoly means you have no choice. Even cable is not a monopoly, as nothing is stopping anyone from going to a DBS setup.
Not exactly according to the FCC. Just look back when the FCC stopped DISH Network from purchasing DirecTV. They had agreed on everything and DISH Network was going to purchase them until the FCC came in and said that would be a monopoly over the rural markets. Satellite can hit nationwide while cable does not reach everywhere.
OT:
Cable is a monopoly hard core, I live in an apt, can’t have sat, My cable is CRAZY expensive I would save 1/2 if I went to dish / direct TV, cable can keep raising their prices and raising their prices etc. PPL who live in apts or have homes where the homeowner’s association say no Dishes. Have no choice, and there is no competition.
You could say that ppl have a choice for sat radio… Dont use it… use regular radio instead.