Tag: Satellite Radio

What’s a SonicTap?

Direct TV announced that it’s dumping XM satellite radio and will replace it with SonicTap.  I’ve never heard of the service.

I think something like this just goes to show the stupidity of treating XM and Sirius as though they are two separate companies.  They’re not.   It’s one company with one CEO and one board of directors.  It only has one product, satellite subscriber based radio.  Instead of treating XM and Sirius as though they are two separate entities, the idea ought to be promoting one unified brand name.

Before the two companies were allowed to merge by the federal government, both companies were causing confusion and indecision in the marketplace.  Not only did consumers have to decide whether they wanted to pay to listen to radio, they were required to then decide which of the two competing services they wanted to choose. If they bought a Sirius radio, they could not listen to XM. If they bought an XM radio, they could not listen to Sirius.

Unfortunately, they are still required to choose.

The sale of video tape recorders didn’t take off until VHS beat out Betamax. The same thing happened with HD video. Sales in both players and media didn’t take off until Blu-ray beat out HD-DVD. The marketplace has shown that when consumers are forced to decide between two competing technologies, they simply wait.

If Sirius XM was offering only one service and then concentrated of promoting that one service, maybe they wouldn’t be losing business to something named after the mocumentary movie This is Spinal Tap.

Photo: Flickr user Rodc

by Rick on December 27, 2009
filed in Radio
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I guess nobody at the Chicago Tribune listens to Sirius XM on the iPhone

The Chicago Tribune has an article concerning Howard Stern and his chances of resigning with Sirius XM radio. His five year, $500 million, four-days-a-week contract is set to expire at the end of the next year. That means now is the time for Howard Stern and Sirius XM to begin negotiating a new contract.

About the only thing that is clear at this point is that there is no way he will get another $500 million contract.

Back when he scored the original $500 million contract, Sirius and XM were locked into a satellite radio war. Sirius needed Stern because they needed a big name to add to their lineup. Now Sirius and XM are the same company. At least they are supposed to be. They are still run as though they are two separate entities.

The point is, Sirius and XM aren’t about to get into a bidding war for the services of Howard Stern. So what does this mean for Howard Stern? According to the Chicago Tribune, maybe he will become a podcaster:

Stern could leave to start a new venture, perhaps a subscription service that sends his show to PCs and mobile devices. Sirius already streams Stern’s shows online and through the iPhone. Or he could explore more options in cable TV, where his first pay-per-view special, “Howard Stern’s Negligee and Underpants Party,” was offered in 1988.

Contrary to the Chicago Tribune, Howard Stern is not available on the iPhone. His show is about the only things you cannot listen to via the Sirius XM iPhone app. What’s funny about this is that he was pushing for a Sirius XM iPhone app for some time. Evidently his $500 million contract did not allow Sirius XM to stream his show over the iPhone. You can listen to his show on the computer, just not the iPhone.

by Rick on December 22, 2009
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Sirius XM compares Howard Stern to two dead guys and a retired basketball player

Sirius XM started running a strange commercial yesterday that seems to imply that Howard Stern is just like Elvis, Richard Prior, and Michael Jordan. Elvis and Richard Prior are dead and Michael Jordan hasn’t played basketball in years. Is this really what Sirius XM wants to do, compare the guy they pay $100 million a year to two dead guys and retired basketball player?

I guess I understand that since they pay Howard Stern so much money, Sirius XM feels an obligation to put him front and center in any national ad campaign. The problem is that his he only works four days a week and has 10 weeks of vacation a year. Getting people to subscribe to Sirius XM because of Howard Stern may backfire when these people realize that Howard has every Friday off and spends a lot of time on vacation.

There is a lot more on Sirius XM than Howard Stern.

3 Comments by Rick on November 16, 2009
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Is Howard Stern going back to regular radio?

There’s currently a rumor going around the World Wide Internet Web involving Howard Stern.  Rumor has it that the King of All Media will be leaving Sirius XM Radio at the end of his current contract (December 18, 2010) and returning to good old fashioned regular terrestrial radio.

I’m not buying it.

I don’t think he wants to do regular radio any more than he wants to do satellite radio. I fully expect him to leave radio entirely, both terrestrial and satellite, when his current contract is over.

When he left CBS Radio for Sirius at the end of 2005, he signed a five year contract for $500 million. With that kind of money, he never has work ever again. If he ever were to do radio again, it would be solely because he wanted to do it. It would be because he loved his craft so much, he just had to do it.

If Howard Stern loves radio so much, why does he take each and every Friday off?

Part of his original contract with Sirius stipulated that not only did he get ten (10) weeks of vacation a year, he only has to work four (4) days a week. He only does a live radio show Monday through Thursday. On Friday, the show is a montage of segments from that week.

Howard Stern doesn’t have to take every Friday off. Sirius XM is not forcing him to take three-days off every week. He doesn’t do a live show on Fridays because he doesn’t have to.

Once his contract his up at the end of 2010, I don’t see him doing any more radio, terrestrial or satellite.

by Rick on June 15, 2009
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Sirius XM satellite working hard finding new ways to rip off their customers

img7409416Starting March 11, Sirius XM will be charging customers an extra $2.99 a month to listen to it’s Internet streaming service. When Sirius and XM struck a deal with the FCC to merge, a rate-freeze was one of the conditions mandated by the FCC.

One of the things not covered by the FCC rate-freeze was the free Internet streaming service. Not that it was every really free. It was part of the basic $12.99 a month subscription.

Not only does Sirius XM want customers to now pay for their Internet streaming service, they want customers to purchase a $200 mono wireless Internet radio from them to do it.

From Sirius:

This stylish tabletop wireless Internet radio makes it easy to enjoy SIRIUS Internet Radio at home. SIRIUS offers the ideal premium Internet radio service, with loads of programming choices and no files, ripping or playlists required. Just turn on, subscribe, tune in and enjoy SIRIUS programming in your home.

View artist and song title on the large display. Easily scroll through SIRIUS Internet Radio channels to discover new music. Set your five favorite stations for easy access.

What Sirius fails to mention is that you can also very easily listen to their streaming service in stereo on any computer with Internet access. In fact, you don’t even need a wireless router to do it. With their $200 mono wireless Internet radio, you do.

Sirius and XM never should have been allowed to merge.

5 Comments by Rick on January 23, 2009
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Bubba The Love Sponge screws his satellite radio fans

bubbaRadio personality Bubba The Love Sponge recently had a very public contract negotiation with Sirius XM satellite radio. The show appears on Sirius channel 101 Monday through Thursday from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm, and Fridays from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.

Unhappy with the amount of money Sirius was paying him, Bubba returned to terrestrial morning radio in the Tampa area last January. He would do the morning show until 11:00 am and then do his afternoon Sirius show at 3:00 pm.

Read the full article »

4 Comments by Rick on January 7, 2009
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Sirius and XM allowed to merge

I’m not sure what took so long, but the FCC has finally agreed to allow Sirius and XM to merge into one satellite company.

I used to have XM, but I got rid of both my radios and switched to Sirius a few months ago.  I decided that I would rather listen to Howard Stern in the mornings then Opie & Anthony.  I felt like their show had gone down the tubes since they made the jump back to regular radio.  When they weren’t going to commercial, they were complaining about other radio shows getting better ratings then them.  It got boring.

Howard Stern on the other hand has been Howard Stern.  He’s as great as he has ever been.  In fact, he’s actually better then ever.

The music channels on Sirius are better then the music channels on XM.  I find myself listening to a lot of channel 22 First Wave.  They play a lot of classic alternative and new wave.  I also enjoy channel 29 Punk Rock.  They play nothing but new and vintage puck rock.

One of the things I don’t understand about this merger is one of the stipulations forced on Sirius and XM by the FCC.  The two companies had to agree that after they merge, they will not raise prices for three years. If the government can do that with satellite radio, why can’t they do that with gas?

26 Comments by Rick on July 26, 2008
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