Sirius XM Preps Bankruptcy

[pixelthis]

Where are the 1,000 stations dumbass? You didn't answer the question DUMBASS

You call me a "dumbass" and you can't even google jazz radio stations.

[Rich-n-Texas]

YOU made the argument that there were 1,000 internet stations, now you want me to Google Jazz stations? You're a fuckin' DUMBASS

[pixelthis]

YOU made the argument that there were 1,000 internet stations, now you want me to Google Jazz stations? You're a fuckin' DUMBASS

LAZY-BOY---LAZY BOY...
One I JUST TUNED INTO has Diane Reeves at 128k and 44.1 khz.
You probably dont know Diane, she does actual music instead of that soul sucking crap you listen to.
THE reason I wanted you to google jazz radio stations is because thats where they
are.
36,000 LINKS in one selection, each with hundreds of Jazz stations.
one selection has 415,000 links for New york jazz alone.
1,000 WAS JUST a number I threw out there, but if you cant find at least ten thousand sources of jazz on the net, then you sonny boy are just a dumbass I guess.

[pixelthis]

KAMU, texas A&M public radio, playing at 192k, 44.1.
Dont play JAZZ all the time but damn what sound quality.
MR PEE PEE you are on line, tune into this, really amazing sound.
AND TOTALLY FREE!

http://kamu.publicbroadcasting.net/radiostreaming.html


(CAN YOU BELEIVE THAT THERE ARE SOME dumbasses that actually pay
for radio, and at a much lower quality at that!

[pixelthis]

AND heres a favorite, this one is more addictive than crack.
http://www.swissgroove.ch/en/

Really amazing stuff.

[nightflier]

Pix, that gif of Bush flipping people off doesn't endear you or him to anyone here. It's actually a sad reminder of how that kiind of cowboy thinking got us to this point in the first place. Kind of like your predictions.

[Duds]

I gotta laugh at Pixie complaining about the sound quality of sirius xm radio...afterall he does purchase Visio tvs......

[Woochifer]

Sirius XM has about 19 million subscribers, which is more than the 17 million subscribers that Directv has. With Liberty Media (Directv's parent company) now poised to take a controlling stake in Sirius XM, they are positioning themselves to co-brand and market satellite-based radio, TV, and broadband services together.

Sirius XM's operating losses are almost entirely due to their high customer acquisition costs. Piggybacking onto Directv's marketing and on-air promotions could be a huge boost for Sirius XM, because it would reduce these acquisition costs. Analysts are already talking about Directv offering its customers Sirius XM service for a reduced cost. Directv customers already get the Sirius XM programming at home, and those who like the service (like I used to) could opt to add the satellite radio service for the car (which is where the majority of radio listening takes place) or at work.

Directv already offers free trials for premium services. Right now, I'm getting free Showtime as a "thank you" gift, and we recently added HBO, which Directv upgraded to include Cinemax for free for three months. I can easily see them offering up free trial subscriptions for Sirius XM, and if they offer up the satellite radio receivers for cheap, they can easily lock in thousands of additional subscribers.

I got issues with Sirius XM for eliminating many of my favorite music programs, but they still provide much better programming than anything on the local FM dial and they got the full play-by-play feeds for most college and pro sports. And unlike internet radio (y'know where you can find those 1,000 jazz stations ), you can listen to satellite radio in the car or just about anywhere else in the U.S.

[Smokey]

I can easily see them offering up free trial subscriptions for Sirius XM, and if they offer up the satellite radio receivers for cheap, they can easily lock in thousands of additional subscribers.

I don't see why satellite radio do not offer free satellite receivers with subscription like Directtv/Dish company do. It just make a good business sense.

[Groundbeef]

I don't see why satellite radio do not offer free satellite receivers with subscription like Directtv/Dish company do. It just make a good business sense.

Check the fine print. They are not "free". And when you cancel your contract, you need to send it all back.

And like a cell phone company, they have a penalty if you cancel early.

[pixelthis]

I gotta laugh at Pixie complaining about the sound quality of sirius xm radio...afterall he does purchase Visio tvs......

which still sounds better than a sirius P.O.S

[pixelthis]

Pix, that gif of Bush flipping people off doesn't endear you or him to anyone here. It's actually a sad reminder of how that kiind of cowboy thinking got us to this point in the first place. Kind of like your predictions.

IF YOU THINK ITS BAD NOW, wait until Pelosi outlaws freedom of speech and they steal (excuse me, nationalize) the 401ks and teh inflation rate hits 1,000%.
DONT LIKE THE BUSH "FLIPPER"?
okay...here ya go.

[Rich-n-Texas]

Still waiting on the 1,000 Jazz stations dumbass.

[nightflier]

Pix, is that yer mum? Figures.

[E-Stat]

I gotta laugh at Pixie complaining about the sound quality of sirius xm radio...afterall he does purchase Visio tvs......

As one who owns two XM radios AND two Visio TVs, I find this discussion a bit amusing. There is no doubt that 64k MP4 sound is less than ideal and does sound a bit swishy at times. Despite the fact that I'm pretty high on the tweaky scale when it comes to sonics, I nevertheless find XM to be valuable for two reasons: exposure to new music and travel independence. I have discovered many a new album with XM listening in the office and the wife and I both enjoy having its variety in our cars. She really likes the comedy channels.

As for Visio, I think they're pretty decent, but then I'm not as much of a video freak. The $900 37" unit in the bedroom is better than a $2k 35" Proscan unit it replaced and offers HD 16:9 viewing.

rw

[pixelthis]

64k!!!
half the "bare minimum" 128k.
They would be better off describing the music to ya!
HOW DO YOU KNOW the music is any good?
And here is the whole "rub" about sat radio.
Mainly that they are following the whole common denominator into the ground.
As audio enthusiasts we are supposed to be promoting a higher standard than
circa 1969 AM RADIO.
Not one HQ channel.
And they scream about "bandwidth", well I dont wanna hear it.
You dont start something new and cheap out.
THEY didnt think quality mattered, and now are getting their lunch handed to them
by sources that are cheaper, even free, and BETTER quality.
Hope they crater and burn, and a burger hut is built over them

[E-Stat]

64k!!!
half the "bare minimum" 128k.

First of all, you must compare apples to apples. Most compressed music is found using MPEG-1 Layer 3 (aka MP3) whereas XM uses the more advanced MPEG-2 AAC (aka MP4) format. Not the same animals.

HOW DO YOU KNOW the music is any good?

The same way I knew I liked The Who using my battery powered Zenith AM radio back in 1969 - I listened to it. For what I liked, I bought the CD. As for sound quality, naturally it varies, but that is a different question.

THEY didnt think quality mattered, and now are getting their lunch handed to them by sources that are cheaper, even free, and BETTER quality.

As for me, I don't consider the quality of the medium to be the end game and never listen to it on either music system (its not even a choice). That misses the point. XM offers incredible choice for the cars. I can instantly choose any kind of music genre I want and drive 500 miles without that changing a bit. What are those mobile sources you speak of that are free and provide such variety? I'm all ears.

rw

[nightflier]

Not to deviate off the Pix-bashing track or anything, but is there any news on the re-org for XM Sirius? What's the prognosis for the future of the programming? Is, ahem... Howard Stern going to get the boot?

[Duds]

Why in hell would Stern get the boot? you think people subscribe to sirius for the oprah channel?

Not to deviate off the Pix-bashing track or anything, but is there any news on the re-org for XM Sirius? What's the prognosis for the future of the programming? Is, ahem... Howard Stern going to get the boot?

[nightflier]

'Cause he's too expensive. And frankly, he doesn't deliver entertainment that's worth all that. XM Sirius existed before he joined and I'm sure it will survive w/o him. Times have changed and that kind of extravagance is over the top. Maybe it's time to renegotiate that contract, after all, everyone else that wants to stay on the air is renegotiating.

[Duds]

Stern brought millions of people to Sirius, and he has an extremely dedicated fan base. They get rid of him, they will lose the millions who followed him.

maybe its time to renegotiate the contracts of Oprah and the others who offer nothing as far as entertainment value goes

'Cause he's too expensive. And frankly, he doesn't deliver entertainment that's worth all that. XM Sirius existed before he joined and I'm sure it will survive w/o him. Times have changed and that kind of extravagance is over the top. Maybe it's time to renegotiate that contract, after all, everyone else that wants to stay on the air is renegotiating.

[nightflier]

Duds, I take it you don't like Oprah? I'm not really a fan either, but the fact is, she costs a whole lot less than Stern. Also remember that Stern does tend to tick off 51% of the population (i.e. women) and so Oprah, Martha, and Emeril are targeting that demographic. Not that this is how it should be, but that's the way it seems to be. And I wouldn't be surprised if they are also renegotiating those contracts. It's all economics.

I'm sure you like Stern, but I doubt he's worth that much, at least now. Will those millions who came over, leave if Stern leaves? Some maybe, but not all. The real question is whether the bean counters will see any value in keeping Stern. My guess is that they won't, but it's just a guess. Maybe someone else has some hard numbers showing what Stern brought to Sirius and if that will actually balance out the deficit they are facing.

Another point is that very few XM listeners switched to Sirius when Stern signed on. My guess is that many of those subscribers actually listen for the music instead of the talk shows. As such, I doubt they'll leave is Stern leaves. My interest in XM was always the music, and I've read both of Stern's books, but just didn't care much for the show. He's an American phenomenon, no doubt, but his stuff gets boring pretty quick and I've got better things to listen to.

[pixelthis]

First of all, you must compare apples to apples. Most compressed music is found using MPEG-1 Layer 3 (aka MP3) whereas XM uses the more advanced MPEG-2 AAC (aka MP4) format. Not the same animals.

Dont care how "advanced", you still need some information, and you are reaching the point of diminishing returns.
Besides, the market is speaking, this "advanced" format sounds like crap

The same way I knew I liked The Who using my battery powered Zenith AM radio back in 1969 - I listened to it. For what I liked, I bought the CD. As for sound quality, naturally it varies, but that is a different question.

I too listened to a cheap AM radio in 1969, and was amazed at how good even a mono FM sounded in comparison.
In 1969 you were a "different animal" so to speak, as was I.
And while sneaking the radio into bed after hours was fun for a 12 yr old,
the 52 yr old could hardly be impressed

As for me, I don't consider the quality of the medium to be the end game and never listen to it on either music system (its not even a choice). That misses the point. XM offers incredible choice for the cars. I can instantly choose any kind of music genre I want and drive 500 miles without that changing a bit. What are those mobile sources you speak of that are free and provide such variety? I'm all ears.
rw

ALL ears? You havent demonstrated that you have any ears.
I am currently between music players right now but have put more than enough
unheard music and podcasts and programs on one to last a lot more than 500 miles.
I hardly listen to music in the car anymore anyway, too much talk radio.
The point I am making is that a miserly 64k is rediculous, they could easily raise that.
AS someone who is constantly having to take a backseat to the crap that is flooding the world, I AM CERTAINLY NOT GOING TO PAY FOR THE PRIVILEIGE of being insulted.
Get plenty of that for free right here.
If you dont DEMAND quality you wont get it from corp America, thats basically IT.

[Rich-n-Texas]

ALL ears? You havent demonstrated that you have any ears.

Another end-around by dumbass. Avoid the question. Hold your feet to the fire and the result is... insults.

So, we have dumbass telling us there are 1,000 FREE jazz stations; I ask him to prove it and I get "LAZY-BOY". E-stat asks for mobile sources that are free and provide such variety... he gets "You havent demonstrated that you have any ears."

[Duds]

Can't stand her to be honest, lol. So if Stern ticks off 51% of the population, why do they listen to him?

I just don't see how they wouldn't recognize the value of Stern.

And you state that very few XM listeners switched to Sirius when Stern signed on. If that's the case, why worry about those listeners? Worry about the millions of actual Stern fans who will jump ship if you give him the boot.

Duds, I take it you don't like Oprah? I'm not really a fan either, but the fact is, she costs a whole lot less than Stern. Also remember that Stern does tend to tick off 51% of the population (i.e. women) and so Oprah, Martha, and Emeril are targeting that demographic. Not that this is how it should be, but that's the way it seems to be. And I wouldn't be surprised if they are also renegotiating those contracts. It's all economics.

I'm sure you like Stern, but I doubt he's worth that much, at least now. Will those millions who came over, leave if Stern leaves? Some maybe, but not all. The real question is whether the bean counters will see any value in keeping Stern. My guess is that they won't, but it's just a guess. Maybe someone else has some hard numbers showing what Stern brought to Sirius and if that will actually balance out the deficit they are facing.

Another point is that very few XM listeners switched to Sirius when Stern signed on. My guess is that many of those subscribers actually listen for the music instead of the talk shows. As such, I doubt they'll leave is Stern leaves. My interest in XM was always the music, and I've read both of Stern's books, but just didn't care much for the show. He's an American phenomenon, no doubt, but his stuff gets boring pretty quick and I've got better things to listen to.