Watching the satellites

[greatbear]

Several years ago if one were to ask my opinion on it, I would have said I'd never pay for 'radio'. Meaning, I would not pay for the priviledge of listening to radio via satellite as long as there was good terrestrial radio around. Well, thanks to Clear Channels, SInclair Broadcasting and a couple other megaconglomerates buying up, homogenizing and ruining what remained of 'conventional' broadcast FM radio (AM had long since degenerated into Jesus-spitting, drooling rightwing jawboneing EMI a long time ago), I bit the bullet and signed up for Sirius satellite. It's been a welcome respite from the tyrrany of broadcast for me going on 5 years now.

And now something looms on the horizon with the potential to ruin that for me.

It seems that the longtime rumblings of the two major players in satellite radio broadcasting, XM and Sirius, merging into one company is gaining momentum. As with any sort of merger such as this, the benefit is for the companies and their shareholders. And, as history has always shown, the customers end up with the short end of the deal, with higher prices, less compelling content, poorer service and the like. Mark my words, if this merger happens, subscriber rates will go up, commercials will invade the currently commercial-free music channels like a cancer and I will kiss the service goodbye. I'll miss lfkbear's wonderful morning show, the music channels I've come to appreciate on long trips and such. But if my doomsday scenario starts becoming reality, I'm voting with my dollars and conscience.

Federal regulators recently put the kibosh on a merger of the two big DBS television providers DirecTV and Dish Network (I subscribe to the latter), so there is some hope that the same will hold true for the radio services. If any of the past reading I have done about this merger holds true, there are somehow fewer roadblocks to the XM/Sirius deal to overcome and are more likely to pass.

At least there is still 'net radio. Or will there be?

Comments

[inqueery.livejournal.com]

Well they are certainly trying to merge. But its going to be a serious uphill climb - and that's assuming that it's approved. (which I suspect won't happen)

[ciddyguy.livejournal.com]

Try finding any regular FM stations owned by Entercom (HttP://www.entercom.com) and you may be well surprised. My favorite FM station is own by their West coast company here in Seattle. I've posted about them on my journal. KMTT and you can listen to them on the web too.

Local DJ's, locally owned and still reside in Seattle. I know it's rare, but they still exist.

Just thought You'd like to know.

[beartech420.livejournal.com]

i'm interested in hd radio because a few stations here in philly are broadcasting in hd and it is free.

[sfmini.livejournal.com]

In a totally manic episode, when I bought the first MINI, I got the integrated Sirius unit. At the time I was doing a lot of driving and it was nice to have commercial free tunage. Towards the end I started noticing the fake DJ jabber and self promos were becoming increasingly annoying, along with the fact that it became increasingly clear that the stuff they were playing was the stuff that had cheap royalties. There were entire spectrums of music that was never played. One such station on Sirius seems to play nothing but Barry White. Boy, his royalties must be zero.

When I had the knee surgery and using a clutch became so hard I had to move up to a MINI with automatic, I didn't even bother to strip the Sirius unit out of the old MINI to put in the new MINI. As much as I had paid for it, I didn't feel it was even worth the ongoing price of the subscription.

I had always resisted iPods. I thought it too creepy that most of modern civilization had white wires running up to their ears. But, East Bay MINI gives iPods to you when you buy from them. My problem solved. I got the wiring harness to enable me to hook the iPod up to the H/K head unit and I get my music, digitally at no cost.

Mind you, sometimes if I'm just running out for a few I don't take it and I get to taste local SF radio. OMG, silence is better than that shit.

[furrbear.livejournal.com]

I felt the same sense of dread when that email landed in my inbox this afternoon.

Even though it would result in a single monopoly and be woefully anti-consumer (like those concerns would catch the attention of the Bush FCC), I have little hope that this merger will fail to gain regulatory approval.

[britbear.livejournal.com]

KEXP.ORG baby

[fingertrouble.livejournal.com]

And podcasts *waves*

I'm thinking of moving to digital DAB radio here in the UK, ironically the pirates are swarming around the stations I listen to, causing nasty interference, and a lot of the public-service channels (ie. good) are on DAB - the muso ones, the specialist black/urban station, stuff like that.

And I have actually broadcasted from a pirate satellite, well borrowed someone else's show on Sirius, Madge's show on Pod Stars. I think that online or satellite are the only ways I could ever extend my podcasting into something else where I could swear and play the music I like...DAB maybe late at night, but again they are wary of swearing.

[m-f-patterson.livejournal.com]

We bought Mark a Sirius unit for his car. Unfortunately the reception here in metro phoenix is spotty at best and the ability to really get loud reception impossible. Mark gave up on it last year.

I'm not sure if people will benefit from merge (technologies etc) of will be sucked into another monopoly from hell, diluting the music scene once again

[scozart.livejournal.com]

yep = Internet radio (podcasts too) are the future....

www.thedividingline.com

I'm on weds!