XM- A Quickly Sinking ship

How much is Sirius and Howard paying you. Did he give you some tickets to the film festival or something.


Aren't you doing the same thing right now for Sirius

I can't be sure about this, but didn't that story turn out to be fake?

Dave,

It sounds like you work for Sirius. I certainly hope you
don't because such trolling is not appreciated.

And let's set the record straight...

XM pays me nothing. My opinions on XM being the superior service
are based on listening to BOTH. I have also been to Sirius headquarters
and met management, and I can tell you that I was never so disgusted
with a group with a group of people and the way they used me and
this forum as a means to promote their service.

My opinion is an educated one. Yours seems to have some alteriative
motives.

If you don't like the Howard of the past 10 years, praise yourself for your good taste!

First, I will be open and say: I really enjoy SIRIUS and have spent time promoting it on this forum. I don't really give a darn about Howard Stern or O&A or the like. And, admittedly, my main competitor to SIRIUS is not FM music radio, but rather AM talk, where community issues, politics and sports get hashed out... along with Audiobooks.

But, where SIRIUS got me was with what I felt to be superior sports offerings, and because I'm an NFL junkie, I still lean that way. I do occassionally listen to the music, and I love SIRIUS's format, especially of their urban/rap/etc. oriented stations which I feel are dead on and keep a rotation that I like.

But I recognize that there are those who like a different format, etc. And that's fine. While Ron & I have had our back and forths at times, I don't think either of us would suggest the other is a loon for what they like or don't like. You find something you like and that's the direction you go.

I've tried XM in a rental car when my vehicle was totalled (damnit) and it just didn't suit me. I found myself missing NFL Network as well as a few other signature shows enough that I just can't consider switching.

And that's fine. I know a lot of people who are really in love with XM's format, and I think: bully for them. Admittedly, this is coming from someone who has listened to the same four book audio-book series (over 100hrs combined) at least four times in the last year. (Hey, when you drive 4-5 hours a day, it is worthwhile). And that's where I love SIRIUS, because the kind of programming I wanted, they have.

I'm not going to encourage people to hop ship from XM if they like it. I will encourage them, especially if they are NFL fans, that they ought to give SIRI a try.

There are tons of reasons for a listener to chose either format, and I think both formats will be strong this year.

To address the sinking ship comment; it is true that SIRI has a much better growth curve right now over the last three quarters, and in percentage growth, a very strong pattern. But a big part of that is because of several announcements, etc. etc. as well as SIRIUS gaining ground in the OEM install markets. Last year at this time, XM laid claim to almost 70% of all OEM install partners. That's down to 60% or less now.

But we need to hop off this: only one can survive bit. I think both formats strongly benefit from the existance of the other. SIRI provides unique programming to one kind of audience, XM to another.

NASCAR fan? Right now you're XM (next year SIRI); NFL fan? Your SIRI. Baseball fan? Your XM. Oprah? XM. Stern? SIRI.

Hell, I'll admit, the prescence of "Car Talk" on SIRI probably has a lot more influence on me then Stern. But to each their own.

I will post in here questions and concerns about XM and SIRI, but I don't see a need to call for gloom and doom of either just yet.

Edit: Nice to see I joined in 1969. Damn, I remember that; it was just all of us hanging around a board, posting notes about whether or not diamond needles really made an improvement and if Patsy Cline played at 33RPM instead of 45 really sounded like a man singing the same song.

Chris,

I do think both services have their strengths and yes both need to thrive in order for each to grow. No matter what brings you in, you need to find what it is that best suits your listening habits. And once you try it, you're more than likely to find something else that's great about Satellite Radio.

It's nice to see people are continuing to find the gem that's NFL Radio. You won't find smarter, more informed sports talk than what's on this channel. Even the callers are intelligent. The personalities understand all the angles that need to be covered as well. This alone is worth my Sirius subscription by itself. ANd believe me, the off-season of the NFL is just as interesting as the season itself. Can't wait for the draft in a week!

I know that Ron does not need anyone to defend him but I'm going to do it anyway... :-)

In short, you must be kidding. I've known Ron for many years, if you define "known" in the HTF sense of the word (i.e. sharing posts and emails). He has never, and I mean never praised anything that he did not truly feel was worthy. That goes for hardware, software, or services (such as XM Radio). In the past several years he has given both XM Radio and Sirius and honest shake. He was even a guest DJ for Sirius at one point (that's what he was alluding to in his post).

Please be careful what accusations you throw at Ron; he has always been a straight shooter. That's why so many people highly regard this forum. They respect the integrity of its administrators.

I prefer Sirius to XM because of the football mainly, although XM does have the baseball which makes me want to subscribe for a million years right there.

It just sort of reminds me of a saying from the incomperable James E. Cornette: "That's why they have chocolate and vinilla, so I can have my good ice cream and you can have yours."

Listen guys, it has taken me a long time to get to the point where
I can actually say that we need both services.

If not for Sirius, there would be those of you frustrated with XM's
eclectic music line-up and vast playlists. If not for XM, there would
be those of you frustrated with Sirius' repetition and vastly short playlists.

The fact that one is totally opposite from the other gives listeners
a CHOICE of what kind of music they want to hear.....

...then there's the other things like sports and entertainment.

Yes, I am certainly very bias towards XM. I have a very bad personal
history with Sirius. Still, you can't say that I never considered the
feelings and opinions of Sirius listeners on this forum. A specific forum
area was created, and for the most part, I haven't gone in there to
troll my personal dislike for the other service. In fact, as long as there
isn't any "misinformation" posted over there, I stay out of the area.

I'm actually very happy that Sirius listeners spend their time on
this forum.

I don't like either service and think both are overpriced but the OP has just stated his opinion that Sirius is better. I can't read the opening statment here and come to the conclusion that he is a troll or works for Sirius or would benefit by having Sirius succeed or XM fail. I suspect both services are in trouble and paying Howard a large sum is a risky move in my opinion. His program became very tiring for me long ago.

Chris

Christopher,

Are you having problems reading anything in
this thread? It's important to know as we are
working with new software and if there are display
issues I need to know about. Please describe any
problems you may be experiencing.

....and yeah, paying Howard Stern that sum of money
was not entirely the best move for Sirius. It brought
them in needed subscribers and for the first time put
them in real competition with XM. However, it is a known
fact that both companies have been spending far too much
money on talent despite the fact that neither is making a
profit at this point. Stocks for both companies have fallen
off sharply from their highs.

I think that IF people stay with satellite radio and aren't
detered by iPods or HD radio, I think that both companies
are going to see some positive growth in 2007. That is the
expected timeframe both XM and SIRIUS are due to profit.

Amen, Ron.

I'm a Sirius subscriber, but agree with you that both services are needed. The fact that we have a choice is the most important thing, not which service is better. There will never be a consences on which provider is better, but does there have to be? Each of us who have subcribed to satellite have done so for different reasons, whether it be Stern, O&A, the NFL, MLB, etc. But what we can agree on is that we got tired with "Free Radio" and the garbage that came along with it, whether it was the commercials or the repetition. Either way hopefully both services stay strong to help promote and give a better product for all.

Chris

Re: XM- A Quickly Sinking ship

I think you misunderstood what he said. He basically said that he can't take the statement the OP made anything but a trollish statement, which I agree with. The guy doesn't make any arguments defending his statements.

I've long believed that we need both services as well, if just to keep the Sirius way of doing things on Sirius' side of the fence.

Course, I'm concerned by the recent direction of XM's programming. It bothers me a lot the tack toward catering to the mainstream and distincing themselves from the niche programming that attracted people in the first place. I'm not too far away from giving up hope on satellite radio.

Jason

Re: XM- A Quickly Sinking ship

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If you dont like Howard Stern, ask yourself, "What the hell is the matter with me?"
--------------

Okay I asked. Ya know what? Absolutely nothing wrong with me. You probably could pay me to listen/watch that foul-mouthed idiot but it would be really expensive. You're welcome to your opinion of XM and Sirius. But that statement is stupid and insulting. I hope that's not typical of Sirius subscribers or Sirius is the one in deep trouble.

Re: XM- A Quickly Sinking ship

Well I dont believe it is, however I do not think Sirius will be the one in trouble four years from now regardless of the intelligence of their subscribers.

Re: XM- A Quickly Sinking ship

Well, Brent, your opinion certainly doesn't surprise me.

I have equally less faith in Sirius. But my opinion certainly
doesn't surprise you.

Re: XM- A Quickly Sinking ship

LOL true Ron, however I do try to look at things from a business owner's point of view. But I do hope my belief in how Sirius is doing business doesnt cloud my judgement too much

Re: XM- A Quickly Sinking ship

Brent,

My offer stands...

If you would be so kind, send me a modified version of the topic area
descriptions.

It's a sincere offer based on the fact that you seem to have a very good
idea of what those descriptions should be conveying.

Thanks!

Re: XM- A Quickly Sinking ship

I recently subscribed to Sirius (two days ago). I was given a receiver as a promotional offer when I bought a new deck for my car. I had heard that the sound quality was better with XM, but figured this was good way to trial satellite radio.

I read this thread because I'm reading all of the threads in the Satellite Radio forums. Right now, I'm not too sure if I'll keep the service beyond the one month that I've paid for. The content is fine and the sound quality is as good as you can get with an FM transmitter connection. However, I'm not too sure whether or not it is worth the $15/month. With an MP3 capable CD player, an iPod FM transmitter, and local FM programming, it is kind of hard to justify the subscription fee.

Anyway, to get back on topic, I feel what will place either service as the winner would have to be the content of their programming. Ron, I'm very curious about what happened during your visit to Sirius headquarters. Wouldn't a visit to XM yield the same type of behaviour? (Them trying to use your clout on the HTF to promote their service?)

{Edit}

Uh-oh. We Canadians don't have the ability to manage our Sirious accounts on-line. So if I want to drop the service I'm going to have to actually listen to "Please Don't Go" over and over again if I decide to pack it in at the end of my trial.

Re: XM- A Quickly Sinking ship

Mark,

I knew from the beginning that the only reason Sirius had invited
me to their headquarters was because of my ties with this forum
and the fact that I had posted a very negative review of their
service and they wanted positive press.

When I got there, they made all these promises to me that they
never kept. They screwed up the production of the radio show
I did for them (almost an hour of vocals was missing at airing) and
sent me a blank CD of the show afterwards. All this despite the fact
I posted a very positive story of the visit (which I removed). There
was never an apology for their screw-up. They were more concerned
about getting favorable press than taking care of the person who
was their guest.

It was disgusting.

So, to answer your question --- no, I don't think XM would have
treated me in the same manner.

Re: XM- A Quickly Sinking ship

Ron,

Wow, I must say that isn't what I would expect from any business wanting to establish a good reputation. I'm not sure what they're thinking by sending a blank CD. I find it very difficult to believe that it was an "accident". I worked for a small marketing company a few years ago, and this type of behavior was, unfortunately, the norm. It was the reason I left the company even though I had no job prospects at that time. So I can understand why the experience left a bitter taste in your mouth.

I will probably keep my subscription going until the end of the summer, but will probably end it permanently then. The reason is that even though I've only had the service for 3 days, it just isn't worth even 50 cents a day. With an extensive CD collection, all converted to 192 kbps MP3 and playable on my car deck or on my iPod connection, satellite radio really only offers me talk radio.

I have been a member with HTF for 4 years now, and I'll close by saying that this is without a doubt, the best discussion board on the Internet. I have learned many things here that have been invaluable when it comes to electronic entertainment. So even when (or if) I do suspend my SR service, I'll be watching this forum to keep up with how this medium is doing. Thanks for your response, Ron.

Re: XM- A Quickly Sinking ship

I actually ask myself, "When is Howard Stern going to do something, anything new?"

Re: XM- A Quickly Sinking ship

Funny. I ask myself, "When is he going to stop me from laughing?" Guy's doing the best show he's done since I've been listening (15+ years) and he makes me feel like $13 is a steal a month.

Re: XM- A Quickly Sinking ship

Ditto, and I've been listening for almost 20 years. Never thought his laidback, casual, nobody to fight against persona would work, but the best radio he's done since the move is when he's not talking about the CBS lawsuit. Artie is great uncensored like Jackie never could have been and the bits are better than ever. Makes me realize that on Free FM, he's was just mailing it in (but still better than anything else out there).

Re: XM- A Quickly Sinking ship

But guys... XM has 30 minutes of Oprah per week! And the most exciting sport to listen over the radio: Major League Baseball!

Seriously (ha), what does Sirius have to offer? Howard Stern? The NFL? NASCAR starting in 2007? Better comedy and classic rock channels? The Playboy Channel?

I mean seriously... XM has Opie and Anthony exclusively! Oh wait...

Re: XM- A Quickly Sinking ship

Actually, MLB coverage (and a true Punk channel) almost made me go to XM before Howard chose Sirius. Baseball is actually better over the radio than any other sport, IMO. It's the only sport I can listen to sitting by the pool with the radio on. The pace makes it easier to follow aurally rather than visually because the play-by-play guy has time in between pitches to describe what's going on.

Re: XM- A Quickly Sinking ship

I originally went with Sirius becuase of the added cost for XM's internet access. But since I absolutely hate Stern and love radio baseball - the switch to XM was easy after they updated their internet policy.

Re: XM- A Quickly Sinking ship

Baseball is great on radio. But THere's more drama with basketball. Especially in the 4th quarter. I'm yelling at my Sirius receiver with each possession. Plus, baseball is a LONG season and I'd rather watch a game in person. I can still pull in Cleveland Indians games here in Detroit with the antenna of WTAM so I don't need XM for that. That's not enough to get my money. Stern, NFL Radio, NBA, Raw Dog, Playboy, and the music stations (to which I have been thoroughly satsified with) are enough to get mine though.

Re: XM- A Quickly Sinking ship

I love the baseball on XM. I can hear all the Reds games and any other game I want. I don't mind that only the home feed is available. I love Marty Brennaman but I can listen to the opposing announcer too. I agree that baseball is great over the radio. And as far as the classic rock on Sirius, I couldn't put up with the repetitive playlists. I am a classic rock person and Deep Tracks, Top Tracks and Big Tracks do it for me. I also listen to the news channels, Mix (why isn't this on XMOnline) and Soul Street.

Re: XM- A Quickly Sinking ship

I'm an XM guy, too. Although, I must admit, I'm mostly an XM guy because I got a free receiver. At any rate, I've had the luxury to compare both.

Obviously, they both have their pros and cons, but here is my only beef: COMPRESSION. Granted, most of the music that enjoy on XM radio isn't restrained by dynamics in frequency, so I'm guessing that it varies by channel?

The Bluegrass, Alternative, Talk, and Sports channels all seem to have great clarity and more-than-acceptable frequency range. But in all honesty, I hardly bother to listen to any of the Metal or Hard Rock stations simply because they pale in comparison to CD-quality due to their over-compression. I've noticed that Sirius has a slight edge in that regard.

Hopefully, XM will recognize this as a turn-off to potential AND existing subscribers and do something about it.

ETA: I forgot to mention another thing that I love about XM over Sirius. Sirius seems to have as much DJ talk as FM, while I can't even think of the last time I heard the voice of an XM DJ. More music and less talk is definitely one of the better reasons for my XM subscription.