BF69
join:2004-07-28
Camden, TN | Well I guess
When he turns down this merger and one of them goes out of business and the remaining one has no competition and can raise prices at will, that'll be better for consumers. |
|
inteller
Sociopaths always win.
join:2003-12-08
Tulsa, OK | Cliff notes:
this is Martin's way of saying he hasn't recieved his pay (off) check from XM and Sirius yet. |
|
TKJunkMail
Enjoy the sun
Premium
join:2002-03-03
Avalon, NJ
 ·Sprint Mobile Broa..
 ·Comcast
| said by inteller  :this is Martin's way of saying he hasn't recieved his pay (off) check from XM and Sirius yet. It is nothing of the sort. Letting a 2 company market shrink to 1 was never going to be approved.
--
--
My BLOG
My Web Page |
|
saber11
Check Six
Premium
join:2000-06-09
Clayton, OH
|  Martin sucks
Martin is the puppet of the NAB. If the NAB can keep this deal from going through, and force the two companies to remain seperate, then one or both of them will go bankrupt, leaving the pieces for one of the large broadcasters to scoop up (like clearchannel) at firesale prices.
The FCC is bought and paid for by the NAB. They allowed companies like Clearchannel to increase their percentage of penetration (how many stations they can own in a market), and anytime the NAB barks about satellite radio the FCC is all up on it. XM's repeater network, Sirius's non complying radios, and on and on.
If this deal doesn't go through, I'm afraid of what satellite radio will become. Just look at how Clearchannel raped the channels they control on XM.
I don't listen to commercial radio anymore. I have 3 XM Radios, and one Sirius radio on my account |
|
Lex Luthor
Premium,Mod
join:2000-09-17
Hicksville, NY | Telecom Mergers
But all of these telecom mergers were good for the consumer? |
|
n2jtx
join:2001-01-13
Glen Head, NY
·Optimum Online
| reply to BF69
Re: Well I guess
They both agreed at the time their licenses were issued that neither provider would try to acquire the other. That agreement is still in force unless they are now claiming it was just a joke.
--
I support the right to keep and arm bears. |
|
JerseyDevil
Premium
join:2006-11-06
New York, NY
clubs:
 ·Vonage
| Good News to Me
As an XM subscriber this is good news to me. I happen to like my XM and am not interested in what Sirius has to offer in the way of speciality programming and personally find Howard Stern annoying, granted he saved Sirius.
I fear if this merge was approved prices would go up or become ala-carte style making it more expensive to have what you want. There would also then be the need for the new hardware to get the dual signal.
I think XM is better, I am a bit biased but I am happy with what I get as far as programming and happen to like the equipment options they offer. |
|
Jim Gurd
Premium
join:2000-07-08
Plymouth, MI
·Comcast
1 edit | reply to TKJunkMail
Re: Cliff notes:
said by TKJunkMail :Letting a 2 company market shrink to 1 was never going to be approved. It's going to happen regardless. One of them will end up folding eventually. Neither of them can sustain financial losses forever. It's just a matter of which one will collapse first.
A merger is a "cleaner" way for this to happen. If one of the players is forced into bankruptcy it will be a huge headache for end users.
--
We don't care. We don't have to. We're the phone company.
-- Ernestine |
|
bassthumpa
Premium
join:2000-12-26
Austin, TX | reply to Lex Luthor
Re: Telecom Mergers
Apples vs. Oranges, once again. The telecom mergers were between companies that for the most part didn't compete in each other's area/domain. |
|
kfsutops
Premium
join:2002-08-19
Brandon, FL
clubs: 
| reply to TKJunkMail
Re: Cliff notes:
I'm torn. I'm on the fence. I have had both services. I like some of what one offers and some of what the other offers. It would be interesting to get the best of both worlds.
The unfortunate part is that Mel is a complete idiot and liar if he says prices won't raise. In a sense the prices may not raise. What will happen is there will be less content available for that $12.95/month. Everything else will come to additional content charges..Think of cable and charging for HBO, Showtime, etc. This is what is going to happen.
XM tried charging for "premium" content. Failed. So how do you make "premium" content profitable? You get rid of competition.
I hate that I have to pay $7/month for additional radios.
--
"There are no stupid questions, but there are a LOT of inquisitive idiots" |
|
RadioDoc
58ef2c0
Premium,ExMod 2000-03
join:2000-05-11
 ·AT&T Midwest
1 edit | reply to saber11
Re: Martin sucks
The satellite radio service was supposed to have three players. The third one never got off the ground (pun intended).
Now, Sirius and XM want to take a two-player service and make it a single-provider market (i.e., a monopoly), directly at odds with the intent of the service. Any competent attorney could tell you this deal was dead at germination. I find it amusing that on the one hand XM and Sirius are, by their own accounts, adding subscribers hand over fist, and are profitable or approaching profitability ahead of schedule, and out the other side of the same PR mouth they are in such dire straits that only a merger can save them.
XM's repeater network is mostly illegal. They were authorized one thing and built another. Any broadcast operator would be shut down entirely if they did that. The non-complying radios have modulators which broadcast FM signals far beyond what Part 15 rules allow, far outside the customer's car, and they knew it. Why should they be allowed to sell illegal equipment?
Satellite radio will become what its customers allow it to become. It is a subscription service and you have much more control over it than you do over any 'free' broadcast medium. Maybe those customers have already spoken and decided it's just not worth the cost and annoyance.
Clear Channel is breaking itself up, by the way.
--
Toolmaster of La Grange. |
|
DaveNJ
No Fear
join:1999-09-01
New Jersey
·Comcast
·Patriot Media
| Pay for more commericals
XM has way too much commercials, I would rather have 2 tiers, lower tier $8 a month with commercials, or $12 a month without. All they have to do is remap, the stations.
XM pay $12 a month for commericals! and repetitive music
|
|
pnh102
Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty
Premium
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD
·Comcast
| Martin Probably in Pockets of Terrestrial Radio
Sirius and XM compete with terrestrial radio as well as each other, and terrestrial radio has an implicit advantage in that it is free. Terrestrial radio broadcasters want nothing more than to see Sirius and XM kill each other because in effect, Sirius and XM were both able to literally cherry-pick away the most monied listeners of terrestrial radio.
I've been a Sirius subscriber for 3 years now and my ears literally hurt when I have to listen to terrestrial radio. I cannot stand the same stations playing the same crap over and over again.
If you look at stock prices and revenue streams, it is clear that Sirius and XM need each other. They can focus more on staying in business as a combined company instead of borrowing money to destroy one another. We will all be better off if this merger goes through.
--
Only SHATNER is Kirk. |
|
RadioDoc
58ef2c0
Premium,ExMod 2000-03
join:2000-05-11 | reply to Jim Gurd
Re: Cliff notes:
Let 'em die. The spectrum they are allocated can be better used for other things.
Bad business idea; bad business model.
--
Toolmaster of La Grange. |
|
NowVOIP
In the beginning there was POTS
join:2006-03-05
Round Lake, IL
 ·AT&T U-Verse
| Welcome to the end
Having had both services, and now being wih Sirius. I can say having the best of both services would be great.
The reason martin is being such a PITA about this merger vs the telco mergers is simple at&t paid Martin off. XM & Sirius haven't.
In the end if this merger doesn't go through the NAB will get what it wants. The end of satelite radio, and then everyone wil be forced to listen to crappy AM/FM stations, and pay for a new HD Radio to listen to "even crappier content" |
|
Jeffrey
too dark too early
Premium
join:2002-12-24
Dix Hills,NY
clubs:
·Optimum Online
·Verizon FIOS
·Vonage
·magicjack.com
2 edits | reply to TKJunkMail
Re: Cliff notes:
said by TKJunkMail :said by inteller :this is Martin's way of saying he hasn't recieved his pay (off) check from XM and Sirius yet. It is nothing of the sort. Letting a 2 company market shrink to 1 was never going to be approved. I'm not sure it's as cut and dry as that. I have both Sirius and XM, and I also have my iPod. I've had my iPod for a lot longer than either satellite service, and I stopped listening to regular radio a long time ago. 2001 or so. (Until Howard Stern movied to Sirius, that was the only regular radio I actually listened to. I stopped listening to music on regular radio in 2000 or 2001.)
My point is that one could argue that XM & Sirius compete with regular radio, and an entire range of Mp3 devices and other methods of distribution.
--
"When you get lost in your imaginatory vagueness, your forsight becomes a nimble vagrant."
[Ramblings] [RIP Millie 1993-2006]
|
|
bbrlogue
Learning New Things Daily
Premium
join:2003-12-07
Alexandria, VA
| satellite vs satellite got them where they are now
Another problem with XM and Sirius is they have been pitching themselves mostly against each other, instead of against FM, MP3, iPod, etc. that they are now saying are their real competition.
If they didn't spent gobs of money trying to outdo each other by wasting ads and signing exclusive contracts with big entertainment names and big sports, they would not be where they are today and would have better financial snapshots. |
|
nasadude
join:2001-10-05
Rockville, MD
·Comcast
| reply to TKJunkMail
Re: Cliff notes:
said by TKJunkMail :It is nothing of the sort. Letting a 2 company market shrink to 1 was never going to be approved. that's BS.
even if it's not a 2 to 1 shift, Martin hasn't had any problem shrinking the telco market. Martin cares about companies, not consumers. Even his "concern" over VOIP E911 isn't about the consumer, it's about responding to telco cries of "level playing field".
the plain truth is that NAB doesn't want this to happen, so Martin doesn't want this to happen either. As I've said before, consumers don't enter into the equation when you're talking about Martin and the FCC.
said by inteller :this is Martin's way of saying he hasn't recieved his pay (off) check from XM and Sirius yet. more like he's already received his check from NAB |
|
bigjimc
join:2003-04-21
Middleboro, MA
| Ofcourse he doesn't like it
Clear Channel and Viacom are bigger companies. Who knows where Mr. Martin or any of his buddies will need a job in less than two years.
The merger between XM and Sirius is also going to lead to mobile video and that may cut into other big companies.
I'm tearing up my Republican National Party card... Again.
--
Just my 2 cents...Flame Lightly... |
|
pnh102
Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty
Premium
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD
·Comcast
| said by bigjimc :I'm tearing up my Republican National Party card... Again. Don't do that! Every time I wave mine at the gas pump, they take $2 per gallon off the price  LOL
--
Only SHATNER is Kirk. |
|
