Comments on: Is Uncle Sam serious about Sirius-XM?

Policy analyst Randolph J. May says handling of proposed merger to reveal feds' take on communications marketplace changes.

[AndyNJ]

If this gets appoved say goodbye to local radio programming

Allowing this merger will set a precedent and ultimately limit speech and the variety of information available over the air. The major media conglomerates will see this as an opportunity to challenge the FCC's limits on the number of stations that can be owned per market. The FCC will be forced to allow more consolidation of the media resulting in fewer companies owning radio stations. This being the case, the kind of information available will be pretty limited. The points of view represented on the air will be much more limited.

We will also see the demise of local programming as these conglomerates will take over the small, local stations and also realize that the can cut costs by producing content at one station and simulcasting it to their other stations. This is something that already is done on a large scale by many radio stations.

[woggs123]

Boo Hoo

Gee, I'm so sorry that the local stations will need to deliver something folks really want instead of blathering morning talk, the same 10 songs all day and endless commercials.

I have already abandonned ALL the regular FM stations in favor of XM because I will not listen to the trash that is spewed by every one of them into the air waves. I'll gladly pay a monthly fee to listen to what I like.

If this does NOT get approved, then say goodbye to ALL broadcast radio because we'll all gladly switch to our 8GB ipods, which can store 80 hours of our favoritme music anyway. WAKE UP. We have plenty of choices and we will make them... Deliver the best product insted of complaining about competition.

[furball123A]

Local Programming...

Having worked in "local" radio off & on for the past 20 years...there is no such thing as local radio...if you hear any networked programming on your local radio station. Even music stations are programmed from their offices in cities like LA or New York City. The last stations I worked for were programmed from a suburb of LA by the station owner...because he "knew" what people liked to hear. The real reason...he would only allow anything which he liked or agreed with...no matter what the local audience wants.

If your local station is owned by Clear Channel or the other big radio firms...you don't have any local programming. Since local staff costs money & causes issues (like wanting time off & stuff like this)...these conglomerates only run their networked programming. You will not believe how many station owners hate having on-air staff. All the owners see are "money pits" & staff who they think should be happy to even be on the air.

Myself...XM is worth EVERY penny I pay every month...since I don't have to listen to the idiotic commercials & blathering you hear on "local" stations. I want to hear that...just got to read most blogs.

[photog_7]

Merger = Higher Prices

The companies have already said they will institute a tiered pricing model similar to cable tv, meaning you are likely to have to pay premium prices for the channels you actually want in order to subsidize the overpriced deal they made with Howard Stern. This merger will be a bad deal for consumers, but higher prices might also turn customers away from satellite radio as well.

[cjwall67]

No real alternatives for some of us.

I drive about 100,000 miles a year around North America. I have
a SONY mp3 deck in my truck, so on a few dozen disks I have
pretty much every piece of music that I own accessible to me. A
year or so ago, I noticed that the deck was xm ready, and for
about 150 dollars I got a unit that uses my deck display and
remote to run xm satellite. WOW!! No more fuzzy FM that
drifted in and out between cities. No more AM with its
shortwave radio squeals and buzzes and crappy audio quality. I
got access to music that would never be heard on commercial
radio, and a diversity of news and talk able to meet anybody's
particular slant on life. No Howard Stern?? That's probably the
best thing about XM, although they have several variations of
that particular brand of entertainment. Merger or no merger, I
want my xm, and I hope they settle the question before it's too
late.

[niel53]

I Agree

I agree.. technology will suffer if this merger does not go through, along with satellite subscribers and shareholders. America must revive the technology sector.. along with this merger, new inventions and new technology will surface. New technology that will stimulate the american economy. This was a very informative and intelligent article.. I hope the people deciding this issue on the merger get a chance to read this. The only ones attacking this merger are ones who have something to gain from it's loss.......Thank you niel

[ragner]

I love the mix

Terresterial radio is already getting better with compitition from XM. Longer playlists and more diversity. XM is going to get more competition from radio when it goes HD. In many citys, there are 30,40,or more fm stations plus am. With HD simulcast that would jump upto 30,80 program streams plus digital am. Markets could easily have 100 programs. All free. Now add internet!
At home I have HD, Xm and internet. With some overlap, each seems to offer some thing unique. Like our truck driver friend said, XM is great for long trips. Radio with Hd offers local programs and news.Internet offers unique podcasts like Firefly talk. I love the mix.

[rgor]

Better Deal

Here is what the main points for the merger:
1. NAB Conglomerates NOT satellite radio puts local stations out of business.
2. I have the right to listen to content that is uncensored. I PAY to have this service it is MY choice, if you don't like it then listen to terrestial FREE radio.
3. The 2 companies are going broke. This is stick it to Clear Channel and their stiffling of creative programming.
4. WiFI, Subscription music, Cable, Portable music players etc, are competitors.
5. There is more freedom to say what you want on Satellite radio then terrestial radio.
6. IF they raise prices and I cannot afford it, I will drop the service.
7. Cost cutting and consolidation is essential if this subscription based service has a chance to compete against what is normally available for free.

[DeeJay114]

Merger= best for consumer

Did 'free' TV (you still pay for it by suffering through commercials) go away because cable came along (even when cable companies began consolidating)? No. I believe the prices will stay low- with more competition there should be no reason to raise prices. Most of the people who are railing about the possible price increase are people who put up with their cable provider raising prices all the time! To me, it would be different with satellite radio- they would save billions in the merger and could offer various packages with the combined channels (some overlapping channels would be eliminated, yes)- it will be a better freedom to choose than now. Always be suspicious of the NAB wen they are against something- they are rolling out HD radio as if it is not a direct response to satellite. I bring this up because the NAB is trying to argue they do not compete with Sirius and XM- that is utter nonsense!

[DeeJay114]

Ummm- open your eyes...

Clear Channel already owns enough radio stations in local markets (and across the country) to affect what is played locally and nationally. They also promote concerts and own numerous billboards. The satellite merger would make no sense if not for the FCC's horrendous decision to allow large media companies to gobble up radio stations like sharks in a feeding frenzy. That is the biggest reason why they need to merger in order to compete better. They will always be a market for FREE radio- not everyone will pay to hear better radio just as not everyone will buy cable TV to see The Sopranos.

[Stating]

Zero Competiion = GREAT Efficiencies

Any company that seeks a monopoly can use the rubric of increased efficiency as justification for reduced competion. You see it in telecom with AT&T, defense contracting, drug manufacture, etc.
In the long run, the consumer pays higher prices and gets an inferior product. The dirty secret of a "free market" is that the last thing free markets want is a free market.

"Sirius and XM contend that the operational efficiencies resulting from the merger will allow the combined company to provide consumers with more programming choices at lower prices, as well as more advanced technological gizmos to boot."