I’ve been a SIRIUS subscriber for almost two years and while I’m not sure I get my money’s worth out of it, since I can live without it, I have enjoyed the service. As you’ve heard from just about every new source several months ago, SIRIUS and XM merged after a long wait for approval from the FCC. Initially, I thought it would create a monopoly, but people like Howard Stern made a good argument that they compete with terrestrial radio, online music sales, iPods, etc. However, it is undeniable that there is a monopoly of satellite radio, which was necessary for its survival. Was it for better, or for worse?
One of my favorite channels was the Punk channel, in addition to Faction, Alt Nation, Sirius Hits 1 and the two Howard Stern channels. A few weeks back, about the time the new AC/DC album was coming out, the Punk channel started playing nonstop AC/DC. I was frustrated, but thought that after the album came out, it would go back to normal. Apparently not. There was an update to the channel listing the other day and the Punk channel is no more. Alt Nation was moved. Everything else I tuned in to was untouched. Here is what the Chicago Tribune had to say about the changes:
Sirius XM said there will be no increase in the subscription fee or need to change or upgrade existing radios for the basic service, but that doesn’t include the “Best of” packages.
XM subscribers will have to pay extra if they want a “Best of Sirius” package with such premium draws as Howard Stern, Martha Stewart Living, Playboy, NASCAR and the NFL. Sirius subscribers will have to shell out more for a “Best of XM” lineup that includes Oprah Winfrey’s Oprah & Friends, the NBA, the NHL the PGA and The Virus, which is home to Gregg “Opie” Hughes and Anthony Cumia.
Among the Sirius channels going away are Movin’ Easy, Punk, Sirius Disorder, The Strobe, Boombox, Backspin and Universo Latino. XM channels being retired include XM Sports Nation, the Weather Channel, XMX, X-Country, Fungus, Rhyme, Raw, Beyond Jazz, Fine Tuning, The System, Chrome, Viva, Aguila, Caricia.
E! Entertainment Radio is going away for each service’s subscribers.
New channels for XM include Elvis Radio, Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Radio, “Little Steven” Van Zandt’s Underground Garage and Outlaw Country, Jimmy Buffett’s Radio Margaritaville, Jamie Foxx’s The Foxxhole, Eminem’s Shade 45, NPR Now, Blue Collar Radio, Cosmo Radio, Catholic Channel, Doctor Radio, BBC Radio One, World Radio Network, The Coffeehouse, Faction, Jam On, The Grateful Dead, Underground Garage, Hair Nation and, as of Jan. 1, The Bridge.
New channels for Sirius include Sporting News Radio,’40s on 4, ’90s on 9, The Loft, Willie Nelson’s Willie’s Place, enLighten, B.B. King’s Bluesville, Escape, Cinemagic and Sirius XM Book Radio ,which XM subscribers have known as Sonic Theater.
Sports talker Chris “Mad Dog” Russo’s Mad Dog Radio will launch soon for all subscribers, Sirius XM said.
I wasn’t really excited about the new channels coming over from XM. We chose to go the SIRIUS route because of the differences in lineups. I’m not into listening to sports on the radio, so I could care less about that. I don’t need religious or spanish channels. Oprah? Nope. What I was getting excited about, as many people on SIRIUS were talking about, was lower prices and à la carte selections. Unfortunately, it looks like that didn’t happen as I imagined. Now it looks like prices will remain the same, but you will pay extra for the additional channels available from SIRIUS, or XM in our case. Prices start at $7/mo for 50 channels, but a Gold package including Stern and “Best of XM” channels is $15/mo. So the $13 we’re currently paying, which includes Stern, looks like a better deal.
So, what do the new channel line ups look like? Take a look:
I can’t say that I’m upset about the changes, but I am a little disappointed. We didn’t lose anything, but I sure hoped there was a way to cut costs by eliminating the channels we don’t listen to. I guess, since there is no more competition in satellite radio, it could have been worse…
