Sirius and XM are flying high - for now

Sirius and XM are flying high - for now

Sunday, February 22, 2009



So, XM and Sirius, the rival satellite radio services, finally merged. In recent months, the combined company, called Sirius XM, began making some dreaded and expected cutbacks in staff - including some prominent programmers and personalities (Wavy Gravy, to name just one) - and consolidating the two networks' program lineups.

What has it meant to subscribers, who've been paying about $13 a month for one or the other, and who have favorite channels, ranging from Howard Stern, the Grateful Dead and NFL Football on Sirius to Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Major League Baseball (all year round) on XM? Do all the biggest names stay? Since both services had oldies and classic-rock stations, which ones survived? Is there now one program lineup that all subscribers get? What about pricing? When Mel Karmazin, chief executive officer of Sirius, was campaigning for governmental approval of the merger, he promised that subscribers would get more programming choices and lower prices. And what about Sirius XM's chances for survival? The company has been reported to be preparing for a possible filing for Chapter 11 protection from creditors.

Boy, as Roseanne Roseannadanna used to say, you do ask a lot of stupid questions!

I do. But I also have some answers, thanks to Scott Greenstein, chief content officer at Sirius XM.



full stry
Thanks courtjester for the info