Gary Parsons at UBS Media conference today

How about some highlights Ryan?

I am at work and cannot listen to the broadcast, and same was true yesterday.

Can you highlight both confrences?

Not a bad idea. I'll do that.

Thanks Brian.

Yesterday was the first I ever head anyone from Sirius or XM actually talk about combining the bandwidth. Frear likened it to cell phones going from analog to digital. Obviously, we now know the plan is to combine the bandwidth to allow for even more diverse options and more channels. Hopefully this will include a boost in sound quality too.

Maybe he'll say we are no longer interested in merging with Sirius. WE CAN ONLY HOPE!!

>>> Yesterday was the first I ever head anyone from Sirius or XM actually talk about combining the bandwidth. Frear likened it to cell phones going from analog to digital. Obviously, we now know the plan is to combine the bandwidth to allow for even more diverse options and more channels.

What, exactly, did he say about it?

Did he provide an explanation of how they're going to combine it to allow for "more diverse options and channels" while keeping all the old Sirius and old XM and new "dual-capable" receivers operational?

I didn't think so.

why are XM subs against the merger so much?if its because o&a might not be picked up,then well they shouldnt have ran back to FM like a bunch of cunts

"why are XM subs against the merger so much?"

Two things for me.
Will not support Howard or Mel ever again.
Dont want Sirius's cookie cutter playlists to trickle over to the service. Which it will because it is probably cheaper to develop.

Because we are passionate about XM and prefer the choice. Why is it that Sirius fans want the merger so much? Is it because the service isn't so great and you wouldn't mind it being altered? They are totally different companies with totally different cultures and philosophies. If one doesn't fit you, there is a choice. Once we allow a monopoly, that choice is removed.

"Will not support Howard or Mel ever again"

the jealousy 0.0 fans have for howard gives major doosh chills

dont blame howard cause your "bbbbboys" are colossal failures

Feel better now?

>>> why are XM subs against the merger so much?

It seems evident that XM subs are much happier with the product they are now getting while Sirius subs are wanting something they aren't getting. The Sirius subs believe a merger will get them some of XM's content, so they want it.

There is no other logical explanation I can think of. Anybody?

only thing XM offers of interest is MLB...talk = no
music =same

"It seems evident that XM subs are much happier with the product they are now getting while Sirius subs are wanting something they aren't getting."

Which is why XM lost 20k net retail subscribers last quarter. Sure seems evident that XM fans are happier to me.

Exactly. We're happy with what we have, and we chose it because we feel the alternative is lacking. It's not a stupid O&A/Stern thing either... you still have to figure that probably 75% of each service's subs don't listen to EITHER OF THEM, so you all need to grow up and stop acting like children in just about every post. The time I've spent with Sirius in my parent's and uncle's vehicles, I've been disappointed in the selection and, even more, the signal integrity. I find my choices in music are better represented by XM, and they have a passion for the music and the people behind it (see Artist Confidential, etc) that Sirius doesn't have (but needs to compete as a paid alternative to free radio and other music sources). If the merger happens, t'll be disappointed. As an XM sub for over six years, I don't want any changes.

Stack, I think you're mostly right. Lots of Sirius subs are assuming (wrongly, I'd guess) that they'll get MLB and some of XM's great sports content after a merger.
But let me add 2 caveats to the conclusions some people might draw from you statement...

First, I believe (and I'm certainly aware of my biases) that XM fans tend to take the competition with Sirius more personally. Ask a Sirius fan which service is better, and you will likely hear that it's primarily a matter of personal preference, but that both are better than AM/FM. Ask a XM fan that question and you are most likely to hear a response along the lines of XM is great, Sirius sucks! Again, I may be generalizing my own experience and biases; YMMV.

Secondly, the XM fans that we hear online, In Ryan's forums and others, are really passionate about the music programming philosophy at XM. That's understandable, there are channels on XM that I love too. (That's why I'm a dual-sub) But they are willfully ignoring the trend (which continues to accelerate) of the mainstreaming of XM's music offerings. Regardless of the approval of the merger, XM will keep getting more and more mainstream, less and less eclectic, as the market for SDARS matures. You already see complaints about the "Sirius-ization" of XM, and those will build even if XM stays independent. Defeating the merger isn't going to change that. Most soccer moms walking into a GM dealership today won't share that passion. They'll love the idea of nationwide, commercial-free FM programming. But it seems to me that XM fans are in denial on this.

TVGenius, you've been a sub for 6 years. Can you honestly say that you've haven't seen lots of changes at XM of that time? Would you say that today's XM is better, worse, or the same as the XM you originally signed up for? Don't you think, irrespective of a merger, that XM will make lots of changes in the next six years?

xm shareholders are all praying for the merger more than siri shareholders.
If the merger doesn't go through, siri will survive, xm will not unless they are bought out.

I own both siri and xm shares equally, i wish i had thought more and invested more of it into siri just in case the merger is denied.

The only complaints ive heard about XM already changing is about Ethel and The Boneyard.

My favorites remain the same. Deep Tracks and XCountry. I listen to about 12 channels regularly. And yes one of them is 202. Recorded so i can hear Ron and Fez.

Sirius is a joke. They have some down right usueless content that i dont plan on paying for. I know i know the services will remain separate for some time. And you can pick these packages........ meh.

I'll just go back to pirating my music. Something i havent done for 3 years thanks to XM.

Sirius is a joke? Thats why Howard has chicks on the Sybian all the time, while your fucking bbbboys can't even get a stripper to give head or do ANY penetration. Oh wow, she blew a dildo. FUCKING OUTSTANDING RADIO BOYS! Glad to see its uncensored for a reason. I'm sure they can have anal sex with each other once they are Podcast Willie.

As an XM subscriber who has been around Sirius more than enough to know which I prefer, here are my reasons for preferring XM:

Note: I do listen to O&A, but not religiously and they are NOT the reason I got XM since I had to 'discover' them after i got the product.

-Sports. As a MLB fan above all other pro sports, and an ACC football/basketball fan, I find the sports programming most suits me. Again, neither of these existed when I got the service, so these are reasons I keep it, not reasons I chose it to start.

-Music. It seems to me that there are many people out there who say the music is the same on both services. For some of you that is true. For many of us, it is not. I keep hearing people say "just get an iPod instead of Satrad." The problem is that most of the stuff on my iPod is from what I heard on XM. You dont get that kind of selection anywhere else. Not on AM, not on FM, not on TV, not on Sirius. Some of you will understand exactly what I am talking about, others will not since your musical tastes differ from mine.

-Original Programming. Bob Dylan. Artist confidential. Tom Petty. etc. The bottom line is that these programs are entertaining and anyone who says otherwise has not heard them. I enjoy radio. Sure you could turn on a tv and watch a show, but to me there is a much greater advantage to enjoying programming and being able to do something else at the same time. Trying to work while watching tv does not work.

I could come up with a number of other reasons I enjoy the service, but I am short on time so these are the top of the list for me.

I see the merger as a potential (not certain) way to ruin at least one of these things for me. I strongly feel that XM would be fine without it. I do not know about Sirius, but they could probably survive as well.

I look at my XM as a discovering experience. I do not want to hear content I have heard before. When I turn on my inno, I get ready to hear or record new content constantly and that cannot be even slightly replicated as by anything else that I have found.

why are XM subs against the merger so much?
==========================================================
I got XM cause the music sucked on WNEW (the O&A station at the time) and the music sucked on WXRK (the howard station at the time)

Both Stations were run by Mel Karmazan.... Need I say more?

I have been a XM sub for the past 5 years and I am in favor of the merger. Hope for more diversity is the bases of my positon. In the past five years I have seen a decrease in my personal music choices. I still love the service. The channels that made me choose XM over Sirius are not here any more. What I have notice is the music types have become more narrow. There are maybe 5 or more XM channels that play the same music or songs.
And as far as people complanting about a monopoly, I have invested to much in XM equipment so I could not afford to leave XM even if I wanted.

Bring Back the Flow, kill the Heat.

Yeah, RoadRunner, I've seen changes, and I've been unhappy with a few decisions they've made. But overall, for me and my listening style, I greatly prefer and enjoy XM over anything else. I enjoy the AC's for the performers I like. One of the things I found with Sirius was that I found myself changing channels after almost every song; that I couldn't find channels that were 'the' genres I was looking for. I'm not even getting into a big thing over whose playlists are better or anything like that, I'm just saying for me XM is right.

>> why are XM subs against the merger so much?

Because the ONLY thing Sirius has to offer is Howard Stern.

Once again, a news flash for you people dedicated enough to Sirius or XM to spend 8 hours a day posting comments:

XM lost 20k net retail subscribers last quarter. Sirius wasn't pretty either with 70k net adds, but there's still a big difference there. So whenever you say that XM subscribers "are much happier with the service", you are only speaking for your small passionate group of subscribers. With Sirius beating XM at gross and net adds at retail, and XM actually losing retail subscribers, I don't see how you can argue that XM fans, as a whole, are more satisfied.

Yes XM has slightly deeper playlists than Sirius - but that means next to the legions of iPod fans who have hundreds of hours of music that they can control themselves.

WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE... THE MERGER IS THE BEST THING THAT CAN HAPPEN... YOU PEOPLE NEED TO GET IT TOGETHER AND LOOK AT THE FACTS!!!

"Did he provide an explanation of how they're going to combine it to allow for "more diverse options and channels" while keeping all the old Sirius and old XM and new "dual-capable" receivers operational?"

Well, he didn't get into specifics. But he said that it would be a somewhat long process, just like it was for cell phones to switch from analog to digital. But the plan was to combine the content and bandwidth down the road. Obviously, at some point, the new radios would be required. This is very, very good news, long term. It will mean double the amount of channels and possibly better sounding music channels.

It can be done, and it will be done, its the only thing that makes sense to do with the bandwidth. Merger makes a lot of sense to me now.

I'm a shareholder for the merger...because Sirius and XM aren't a monopoly...Monopolies need to be stopped when they make excessive profits and gouge consumers..hardly the case for XM and Sirius....the two companies offer a voluntary service...you don't have to subscribe!!!!
If I am trying to establish a business and a fellow competitor is starting the same business to make it and we both are losing money, we should be able to join together if our chances for profitability together are better.. that's what free markets are all about!!

all you paranoid radio listeners afraid of this combination ARE REALLY JUST INSECURE
because your own businesses are becoming a DINOSAUR!! PROVIDING a lousy product with too many commercials..ineffective and decling advertis ing and declining numbers of listeners.. Content that caters to the lowest common denominator! Meanwhile the iphone doesn't have to come under the fcc rules... they have bypassed the rules of regulation..consumers want more choices!Serious and XM aren't the enemy to the radio industry...Apple, Microsoft, and the phone companies will be..

rjr, what about sirius backseat video? wont they use any "extra" bandwidth for that?

"why are XM subs against the merger so much?"

Because SIRIUS sucks?

We would have the same reaction if a TERRESTRIAL company wanted to "merge" with XM. SIRIUS is no better than CLEAR CHANNEL or CBS RADIO.

rjr - Once merged, XM and Sirius have no intention of delivering double their channels any longer than they need to. Its just not economical for them to program 300 channels; there's only so much content out there people want. Their plans include backseat video for cars, and more data services. So, as an aside, if the govt were to force them to return half their spectrum, they would most likely walk away from the merger.

parsons said most likely they will use the sirius video and platform !!! for xmsr video and they will launch the same modualtion concept siriius is using to add more channells..next year..

and they really need to hire people for next year, and some talent/content from both platforms may be combined,interesting ..

IT'S FINALLY DONE!!! the 180 day clock is run out of sand... that means.. somebody dealt it, and somebody smelt it... guess who is who in this scenario???