Former FTC Chairman doesn't buy the Sirius-XM "luxury" argument
Thursday, July 19, 2007 at 1:01 PM
Tags: 2, XM
Former FTC Chairman James Miller filed a statement with the FCC this week addressing the notion that satellite radio is a luxury item.
Calling the predicate "false," Miller said that a large portion of satellite radio subscribers have "relatively modest" incomes, and that "for many of them the service is more essential than luxury."
"To most, perhaps, loss of satellite radio service would not affect their lives significantly," Miller wrote in a 4-page comment. "But for others, loss of satellite radio, or even paying more for it, would be a matter of serious concern."
He concluded that if the merger was approved it would "foreclose many of lower incomes who otherwise might be consumers of the service in the future."
Miller was retained by NAB to examine and offer his assessment of the proposed satellite radio merger.
[Read Comment (PDF) via Radio Online]
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Comments
All this talk of satellite radio being "essential" just proves that NAB member stations are not serving the public interest at all. If local stations actually met the needs of the public, there would be no need to go to satellite radio just to get decently programmed music formats. I will not argue the same thing with news/talk, because mostly, what is on satellite is also on terrestrial, but satellite offers much better reception than scratchy old AM and lets people record the shows they like, and listen at their convenience.
Posted by: Johnathan ? | July 19, 2007 1:36 PM
Satellite radio is not a luxury. Is this guy nuts. Of course it is. I car is not a luxury it is a necessity BUT a Ferrari is a luxury. It is still a car. That guy is an idiot.
BTW Johnathan, absolutely the stations are not serving the public at all.
Posted by: another thought | July 19, 2007 2:07 PM
Excuse me? My Cable TV is a luxury. My Sirius radio is a luxury.
Having a car is a necessity. Buying food is a necessity.
And people wonder why we have so much problem with being in debt, personal bankruptcy, etc. - some people obviously can't distinguish between wants and needs... Sad...
Posted by: Steven | July 19, 2007 2:22 PM
How did all these people survive that didn't have Howard Stern on Sirius until last year? Oprah on XM is bringing life to many of the deprived masses. Oh the agony, oh the despair, oh the humanity if the sat rad merger is approved.
Posted by: jack | July 19, 2007 2:29 PM