(OT) Sirius Vs. XM satellite radio

suburbanbather · Post by **suburbanbather** » Mon Jun 13, 2005 1:33 am

Does anyone here subscribe to either of the two? I'm really considering one of these services and would like to know what your thoughts on the two. I'm really curious on the reliability of the reception.

mcconaghy · Post by **mcconaghy** » Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:00 pm

Reception's good on both, sound quality is, too. Programming, however, that's a different question. Lack of good programming has kept me from getting either one.

subterFUSE · Post by **subterFUSE** » Mon Jun 13, 2005 12:40 pm

I have Sirius in my car, but I had no choice.... because Sirius is who BMW uses for sat radio.

It works great... although I don't use it much. The only thing I ever listen to on Sirius is FoxNews.

marky · Post by **marky** » Mon Jun 13, 2005 3:04 pm

Sirius definitely seems to have the bigger names, particularly Howard Stern, who is moving his show at the end of this year. I will go ahead and buy a Sirius radio when he moves.

mthomashow · Post by **mthomashow** » Mon Jun 13, 2005 3:05 pm

I have XM and I find the programming very impressive...of course, it depends on what you listen to! I have my radio set for the beyond jazz channel which is a fine mix of fusion, electronica, and contemporary jazz...the traditional jazz channel is great, too. They also have a half dozen world beat channels, as well as dozens of rock channels. There is almost always something on worth listening too.

My only criticism is they hype themselves too much. Anyway, I have very much enjoyed the variety of musical choices......

mcconaghy · Post by **mcconaghy** » Mon Jun 13, 2005 4:00 pm

Everywhere I look, the prevalent argument for Sirius seems to be "They got Howard." Since I don't care if he switches to Sirius or gets run over by a bus, I don't listen to him, I go by the programming. Electronic-wise their horizon seems to stretch from trance to trance, and their other channels seem as one-dimensional.
XM is ClearChannel, therefore their channels are as one-dimensional as their regular stations, and subject to change at any given second. I wouldn't go with them for the reason that the station I like today might have changed format twice before lunchtime tomorrow.

suburbanbather · Post by **suburbanbather** » Mon Jun 13, 2005 10:05 pm

hmm.. If both channels are dominated by trance then I think I'll just stick with buying a cd every now and then. I like trance a little, but I love DnB, dub and techno. I figured it would be nice to be able to hear something new within all of the genres of electronic music without having to buy cd's but if these two services consider trance the official genre of electronic music then forget it.

Watching paint dry would be more entertaining than listening to Howard Stern. His movie had a couple funny scenes in it but his show is stupid.

Thanks for the input. Maybe I'll give the free internet trials a chance before I make my final decision.

mthomashow · Post by **mthomashow** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 1:51 am

XM is not owned by Clear Channel.....I've had it for six months and the format hasn't changed on any of the stations....all of the jazz and world beat channels are excellent with a great variety of selections and highly intelligent programming....I'm 55 yeas old and I've been listening to all kinds of radio for a long, long time...if you like eclectic programming you can definitely get it on XM....

Anyway, I've very much enjoyed having i......

mcconaghy · Post by **mcconaghy** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 2:50 am

mthomashow wrote:XM is not owned by Clear Channel.....I've had it for six months and the format hasn't changed on any of the stations....all of the jazz and world beat channels are excellent with a great variety of selections and highly intelligent programming....I'm 55 yeas old and I've been listening to all kinds of radio for a long, long time...if you like eclectic programming you can definitely get it on XM....

Anyway, I've very much enjoyed having i......

XM is actually very much owned by Clear Channel. They own and control the majority in XM Holdings. Plus, program direction is handled by the same program directors who assemble the playlists for the national CC programming.

MrYellow · Post by **MrYellow** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 2:57 am

Clear Channel are satans children.

-Ben

mthomashow · Post by **mthomashow** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 9:33 am

This is from XM's web site.....I wouldn't say that Clear Channel owns XM but clearly there is an important relationship. So you are partly right. Either way, it's discouraging to see.

There is no evidence here that the playlists are selected by CC....you may be right about that, too...I don't know....and yes, there do appear to be playlists, although there is a great deal of choice........so where did you learn that the Clear Channel program directors also direct the playlists at XM?

nevertheless I still enjoy the programming, from the music variety to Bob Edwards to Air America to major league baseball.......

"XM Satellite Radio Inc., an emerging force in broadcasting, was incorporated in 1992 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. XM is publicly traded on the NASDAQ exchange since October 5, 1999. XM's founding was prompted by the radio industry's first major technological change since the popularization of FM radio in the 1970s: the creation of a third broadcast medium, transmitted by satellite, now taking its place alongside AM and FM on the radio dial. One of only two companies with a license for this new national audio service, XM has assembled a "dream team" of creative radio professionals and a management team committed to leading the world into the next generation of radio. In 2004, XM transmits over 120 discrete, nationwide radio channels to subscribers throughout the continental U.S. in digital sound from coast to coast.

XM's powerful strategic and equity partners are leaders in their respective industries. These include General Motors, the largest U.S. auto and truck manufacturer; American Honda; Clear Channel, the largest U.S. radio station operator.

Our partnerships with GM, Honda, and other auto manufacturers, with leading audio manufacturers such as Delphi, Pioneer, Alpine and Sony, and with electronics retailers such as Walmart, Best Buy, Circuit City, Sears and participating Radio Shack franchise dealers favorably position XM Radio within the reach of millions of consumers.

In addition to our corporate headquarters and broadcast facilities in Washington, D.C., XM has broadcast facilities in New York and Nashville, and additional offices in Boca Raton, FL; Southfield, MI; and Yokohama, Japan."

mcconaghy · Post by **mcconaghy** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 12:34 pm

mthomashow wrote:This is from XM's web site.....I wouldn't say that Clear Channel owns XM but clearly there is an important relationship. So you are partly right. Either way, it's discouraging to see.

There is no evidence here that the playlists are selected by CC....you may be right about that, too...I don't know....and yes, there do appear to be playlists, although there is a great deal of choice........so where did you learn that the Clear Channel program directors also direct the playlists at XM?

Personal knowledge, I'm friends with two of CC's program directors, who are also responsible for enforcing playlists with XM.
And, a large format change is on the way, according to them. Details are unknown, but it won't be too different than the other changed CC has made to its own channels. I remember a CT-based channel, which switched formats virtually overnight - twice. In both cases, the radio station employees weren't informed, and found themselves fired without warning when they came to work to find their rock station (and later hip hop station) had changed format since they left work the day before.
What's even more discouraging is the rumor of CC planning on buying a large stake in Sirius - Feds have to approve it, but it's apparently in the works.

mthomashow · Post by **mthomashow** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 4:00 pm

well...if all of that happens the quality of XM will decline and they will lose many subscribers, including me.....the frustrating thing is that it's because of Clear Channel that FM radio sucks in the first place...and I find myself looking to satellites.....

we'll see what happens...thanks for all the information and the heads up about ownership...