Martin: Commissioners need to figure out what they want, "and propose it"

Ryan,

Doesn't Blair Levin think that Tate will ultimately vote FOR the merger? Am I misreading this? Ultimately, Martin and his crew are idiots and are just asking for a lawsuit.

Murph

Vote Damn it!

WTF is going on here?????
This is Bullshit!
Yesterdays WP article made it sound it was all done!
Now we are back to square 1??
Total BULLSHIT!!!

"What? There is a merger? Who is it?" - Copps, Adelstein, Tate, McDowell

looks like tate is becoming the katherine harris of this merger

Are Sirius and XM trying to merge?

Anyone know when Salute Your Shorts is on?

what the fuck.

funny stuff, you all need to follow gigi shon and public knowledge and read betweeen the lines for the information thats left out of filings and public view..

remember last week when she said tate has some issues with the past actions of satellite service providers see told the truth.

looks like one of the issues is the interoperable device.

and now public knowledge wants it made available on the day of the merger???

how could that be if its never been made? do they know more then whats public?

Pussy

" i like a/c" are you paying attention? They developed the device years ago and COMPLIED with the FCC mandate. They were never required to mass produce them. If you want to see it, it is sitting in Mel's office.

Folks, if Obama is elected in November then what we are seeing today is just the very smallest part of the iceberg as to what we can expect for at least the next four years. Given Jesse Jackson's influence on Obama it will be a Co-Presidency whereby everything is run by Jesse Jackson before Obama would act on it. There will be higher taxes, more unnecessary welfare, corporate interference the likes that we have never seen and political appointments of everybody that you can imagine associated with the NAACP et al. THe United States will become the laughing stock of the world. Think long and hard before pulling that lever in November.

FCC = a herd of turtles stampeding through peanut butter

Now the vote is not on Aug 1st meeting. I think they are still waiting on seeing Sirius/XM #'s for the quarter, more bullshit delays. It seems like the rhetoric implies that its' getting much closer. Martin thinks one of the commissioners voted "Thinks" ??

What a bunch of Monkeys !

NO! to Melvin Alan "Mel" Karmazin's "merge" scheme.

Story by Michael Hartlieb. I defy anyone on this board to poke any holes is in it. Hartlieb's take is completely accurate and truthful. XM and Sirius have been lying to their customers for years about interoperable radios, and the FCC, and none of the Mel fan boys on this site or SiriusBuzz and other other pro-merger, Sirius-funded websites, seems to give a damn.

The 'Real' Story Behind the XM/Sirius Merger
by: Michael Hartleib posted on: July 11, 2008 |

I am both a satellite radio listener (consumer) and a major shareholder in Sirius (SIRI). As an investor, I have studied the technology and closely followed Sirius’ operations and those of XM Satellite Radio (XMSR) - its only competitor. I have also read its filings made over the years with the SEC and I not only have closely followed the merger proposal and the application Sirius and XM made for its approval to the FCC, but have actively participated in that proceeding.

Back in March 2007, approximately, I filed a Petition for Declaratory Ruling with the FCC asking it to determine whether the two companies had complied with the condition the FCC imposed on both XM and Sirius when it granted each their licenses in 1997. That condition, which many consumers and individual shareholders may still be unaware of, required the companies provide an interoperable radio that would permit consumers to receive either XM or Sirius service from a single satellite radio receiver.

I filed the Petition for Declaratory Ruling at the FCC because, though ten years has passed since the FCC imposed the condition and long after XM and Sirius became operational, consumers still do not have access to an interoperable radio capable of receiving services from both companies. Moreover, shareholders have been kept in the dark about the impact that providing an interoperable radio would have on both companies' financial performance.
For consumers, one example of the adverse consequences of not having interoperable radios occurred on January 1, 2007 - to NASCAR fans. These listeners purchased XM radios because it provided NASCAR coverage. But when Sirius acquired the rights to broadcast NASCAR events, these listeners were forced to purchase new equipment, switch their service contracts to Sirius and lose their other XM services. Had the companies complied with the FCC’s interoperable radio requirement, these satellite radio consumers would not have been forced to buy new equipment or choose other programming offers in order to retain NASCAR programming.

Both XM and Sirius were well aware of the potential that interoperability provided not only for consumers, but also for the fortunes of both companies. In settling patent litigation between the two companies in 2000, a press release on February 16, 2000 stated:
Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio today announced an agreement to develop a unified standard for satellite radios. The standard is expected to accelerate growth of the satellite radio category by enabling consumers to purchase one radio capable of receiving both companies' broadcasts. XM Radio and Sirius will jointly fund development of the technology and work together to proliferate the new standard by creating a service mark for satellite radio. As part of the agreement, each company will contribute its intellectual property to the initiative and have agreed to resolve any pending patent litigation.

The companies both further extolled the unified standard as good news not only for consumers but also for shareholders because they said it would increase consumer use of satellite radio services, which logically was expected to have a positive effect on both companies’ revenues. The auto buying public would find particular benefits because the companies announced that no future OEM deals (auto manufacturers) would be exclusive. This would have meant that each vehicle manufactured with an interoperable radio would allow the auto buying public the ability to chose either XM or Sirius or both depending on their personal content preferences.

None of this happened, however. Why? Why are consumers who have spent tens of millions of dollars on non-interoperable radios now faced with the future prospect of having to spend the same amount or more once XM and Sirius merge? How has the lack of interoperable radios all these years affected each company’s financials and falling share prices?

Even with the merger, it will be one or more years before the combined programming of XM and Sirius can be received. In the interim, consumers have stopped or slowed their buying of satellite radio services because of the surrounding uncertainty about when and at what price a receiver will be available that can receive the programming of the merged entity. This confusion has only exacerbated an already serious decline in both companies' valuations and their shareholders are the ones being victimized.

As a consumer and shareholder, I have been asking for answers about what happened to the FCC’s interoperability mandate and the companies’ failure to comply with it. Not only have Sirius’ and XM’s executives refused to answer, the FCC has refused to address the issue of the companies’ failure to comply with its own rule or how its refusal to do so comports with its statutory obligations to protect the public’s interests in communications services.

The companies do offer a defense. They say they only had to “design and develop” the interoperable radios… not make them available to consumers. Think of it as a government-forced and shareholder-funded science project that the companies allocated up to 25 million dollars to complete. When specifically asked about this defense, the FCC says it can’t talk about it because the matter is pending before the Commission. With all due respect, it’s been “pending” for ten years. This seems all too convenient. It permits the FCC to refuse to explain why it hasn’t enforced its own rule by its continuous failure to enforce its own rule.

It’s been nearly two years since I began to ask questions about the lack of interoperable radios. The companies have defended themselves by silence, by inconsistent, ambiguous, and self-serving statements and even in testimony before Congressional committees. Recently, Senator Brownback obtained documents that have caused him to make inquiry about the truthfulness of the testimony given by Sirius’ CEO during some of his appearances before Congressional committees.

The reason this merger has been delayed, at a grave expense to shareholders, is because the companies are not in compliance with their licensing requirements and the FCC does not have the interest to address whether or not the companies have failed to properly serve satellite consumers’ interests. But the failure of the FCC regulatory oversight is not the only problem. The Department of Justice granted its approval of this merger precisely because of the companies’ failure to comply with the FCC’s interoperability mandate. The DOJ’s rationalized that because there are no interoperable radios, the companies still use radios capable of receiving only their respective services and hence do not compete with each other. In other words, the companies having prevented competition by violating the FCC regulatory requirement, there is no competition that could be harmed by the merger and hence no antitrust concerns.

Consumers and shareholders have been and are being duped. Shareholders have lost billions of dollars in investment. Consumers have spent hundreds of millions on unnecessary hardware. Why? Because at some point, these companies converted their business plans into a concerted effort to consolidate all of the satellite radio spectrum into one company. To do this, they flaunted the interoperable mandate, negotiated the merger, created a audio entertainment market out of whole cloth and engaged a host of Washington insiders to lobby their plan before the FCC, DOJ and Congress. During the process they kept their exclusive OEM deals, spent outrageous amounts of money for exclusive content, scuttled true competition, saddled consumers with soon to be obsolete equipment and forced consumers to invest in new equipment or forego satellite radio service.

Consumers and shareholders have been cheated and the government appears to be part of the problem or at least unwilling to do anything about it. Congress should investigate. Enough is known to question the candor and credibility of the highest-ranking executives in both companies, but in particular in Sirius. A lack of candor and credibility goes to the heart of the qualifications to be a FCC licensee. Under these circumstances, for the FCC to allow XM and Sirius to consolidate their licenses when it is not clear they are fit to hold such licenses is to favor the private interests of a few executives over the public interest and a failure of the FCC to perform the duties Congress gave it.

Disclosure: Author holds a long position in SIRI
Posted by: Jose | July 11, 2008 10:13 AM

Thanks Melvin and Gary for this mess. Hopefully it'll never come to a vote!

egiscodr thats the velcro radio unit only one was built of that type!

could their be others...is the question............... is hartleib correct has these compaines been less then candid..

Now it is time for the DOJ to investigate the FCC. Not only for their practices, but also criminally.
This has been going on long enough ! ! !

firefox249,

Your ignorant posts have "gone on long enough ! ! !" Educate yourself instead of being one of being one of Melvin Alan "Mel" Karmazin's bitches.

Stop talking garbage and tell me when Salute Your Shorts is on!

I want to see Heidi.

To the "Anonymous Cowards",

Show your names instead of being the Anonymous Cowards. People like you are the type that would spy on your neighbor for blackmail purposes.

No we are not we just want your women

siirus xm will file chapter 11 if no merger

WTF???

From what Kevin Martin said, it sounds like he DOESN'T EVEN TALK TO THE OTHER 4 MEMBERS OF THE FCC!!!!

These 5 knuckle heads have been going over this for nearly 2 FUCKING YEARS!! And Kevin Martin is telling us HE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE THINKING??

Does Kevin Martin have a spine? Does he EVEN have a CLUE?

This is beyond ridiculous.

I have never seen such incompetence in my life. It's like watching the 3 stooges...only there are 5 of em. And at least the stooges were funny!

Someone should clunk their heads together like coconuts.

FUCKING ENOUGH ALREADY!! FUCKING DECIDE YOU FUCKING LOSERS!

'Now it is time for the DOJ to investigate the FCC. Not only for their practices, but also criminally.

This has been going on long enough ! ! !

Posted by: firefox249'

was it rove who just refused to go before congress on the past hiring actions at the doj along with the rlated coverup? do you really think they can handle a real important issue like this.

did i say i like a/c

you people are such cunts

Back to square one,more meeting will follow if there's more conditions added on .Mel now should kill this.This could go on into Sept now before a final vote.I just don't understand why the FCC is draging this out,is it to pleas John Kerry ?

Actually, Reuters has a different version of Martin's comments. It appears that B&C got it worng/typo. Here is Reuter's version::

"Martin said he hoped the commissioners would be ready to vote on the deal by the time the agency holds its next meeting on August 1."

its being done, because mel stated he would drag this into court! he started a fight with the big dog at the fcc and hes about to get bitten again.

Kevin said ,hopefully by the end of June, now it's maybe in August ,what next Sept,Oct

Do you think that Salute Your Shorts was a better show than Camp Candy?

I mean, they were both good, but I'm having trouble deciding.

HOO HOO I INVEN....eh...never mind....

IF the other four commission add on conditions and Mel say's no to them ,they vote no,because there pissed off.The commission will ask for all that the NAB and there crinnies want...

i think he's playing rock, papers, scissors.

I hope Mel chose scissors.

BTW -- I like Salute Your Shorts!

My asshole has a pet name,
It's name is FCC
Because the honks that run the place
Are owned by NAB

My turkey has a pet name
Kevin Martin is the one
His neck is like pillowcase
And he can't get shit done.

thj

"Counsel for XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. were instructed by FCC staffers to cancel any vacation plans for the period of mid-to-late July, according to Orbitcast sources. The information was provided to Orbitcast under the strict condition of anonymity.

While it's unclear as to specifics, this could be an indication of the timetable that the agency is planning for rendering a decision of the merger with Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.

XM's lead counsel for the merger is Latham & Watkins LLP, the second largest lawfirm by revenue in the United States."

That there entry was nice.. I was thinking "sure that couldn't possibly be a lie, could it??" this is a merry go round.. enjoy the ride.. every day there's gonna be another load of crap handed to us.. yum.. love the taste...

i like a/c" are you paying attention? They developed the device years ago and COMPLIED with the FCC mandate. They were never required to mass produce them. If you want to see it, it is sitting in Mel's office.

And millions of Cars.

Hey Chairman Martin, can we just vote already...grow some balls and VOTE!

firefox249 like that isn't also anonymous...please!

firefox249 like that isn't also anonymous...please!

i don't think the FCC want's to be responsible for the demise of two rather large US Companies. It would negatively reinforce the use of capital to create new hightech ventures. I think they want to approve it but are searching for conditions that would placate the naysayers, or at least give them a defensable position, without substantially hurting the chances for sucess of the new company.

NAB knows that the future is bleak for them if nationwide digital audio becomes standard in all new cars. NAB and Mel know that a portion of the spectrum can and will become free and comercially supported so that every receiver receives some programming. Probably popular music and already comercially supported talk. Even syndicated morning shows could become national instantly. Plus news/talk programs would scramble to get on satelite because it would instantly make their network nationwilde. NAB knows this and knows its the beginning of the end for them. Plus, thieir HD alternative isn't adequate to compete with sat rad in terms of features, reception and sound. Their business model will be in decline and they know it. They're fighting for their lives.

Chester and G-Town just want a taste of the action. It's an old fashioned shakedown worthy of Tony Soprano. As usual, they use their minority status to go shakdown sat rad and get their pockets lined for doing nothing except exploiting their minority status. .

Hey Ryan, I just saw this on the Yahoo forums, and they say it is from Schwab.. Looks like McDowell has voted for the merger, any way you can get more information on this?

FCC Chairman Needs One More Vote for XM, Sirius Approval
4:50 PM EDT July 11, 2008

By Fawn Johnson
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin needs to convince one more commissioner on the five-member body to sign off on his recommendation that a pending merger between XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. (XMSR) and Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. (SIRI) be approved.
Republican Commissioner Robert McDowell has voted with Martin to approve the merger with conditions, such as a three-year price freeze for subscribers and 24 channels reserved for minority and public programming, according to a person with knowledge of McDowell's vote.
XM and Sirius already have agreed to those conditions in negotiations with Martin and some lawmakers.
People close to the talks say the fate of the deal lies in the hands of Republican Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate because the two Democrats on the commission - Jonathan Adelstein and Michael Copps - aren't likely to sign on to the merger.
Martin said Friday that he wants the other commissioners to formally submit proposals about the pending merger.
"I think some of the commissioners do have concerns about the transaction, and all I'm saying is if they have concerns, they need to articulate what they would like to see done about it," Martin said at a press conference.
Martin left open the possibility that other conditions could be placed on the merged entity. "Other commissioners have concerns, and they want conditions," he said.
People familiar with the deal say the conditions laid out in Martin's recommendation were carefully negotiated, and there may be little wiggle room for further changes.
The Justice Department has already signed off on the deal with no conditions.
Martin has met with each of the commissioners about his proposal, but he said the undecideds haven't indicated whether they would sign off if other conditions were added.
"They've said they've got issues and concerns about it, but they haven't necessarily proposed this is how they want them to be added," Martin said.
Shares of XM Satellite closed down 3.1% Friday, while Sirius was unchanged.
-By Fawn Johnson, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-9263; fawn.johnson@dowjones.com

I think that the rest of the commission are backseat drivers to Kevin Martins leadership.. They want to critique bu they have no good ideas of their own. In that scenario he is calling their bluff. "Don't just critique me ~ if you don't like what I've negotiated than do it yourself" I feel he is saying.

Ultimately Tate doesn't have the balls to hold this whole thing in her lap to renegotiate it successfully herself and get a consensus so she should finally agree that the best deal ha already been negotiated.

She could destroy the whole thing over 5% more and then it would all be herr fault.
She won't take that responsibility. Nor would the 2 dems.

so far just two votes after three weeks...

I saw a link on yahoo where sirius xm and all the lawyers meet yesterday with the fcc enforcement team director and staff on some pending items..

could this be for some silly mistake they made along the way?

I really hold Martin at the FCC accountable for this mess. He simply let it get out of hand with all the ridiculous meetings with the boys from the hood, etc. Everybody interested in satrad was looking to the FCC for guidance and direction, but what was delivered was a bunch of unwarranted delays and indecision. Indecision is just as worthless as a bad decision. Wasted time is wasted money especially in a tight economy. A good Chairman would have led the way to a decison early on whether it was pro or against. This guy is history in Washington.

"To the "Anonymous Cowards",
Show your names instead of being the Anonymous Cowards. People like you are the type that would spy on your neighbor for blackmail purposes.
Posted by: firefox249 | July 11, 2008 3:11 PM"

Your ignorant posts have "gone on long enough ! ! !" Educate yourself instead of being one of being one of Melvin Alan "Mel" Karmazin's bitches.

Story by Michael Hartlieb. I defy anyone on this board to poke any holes is in it. Hartlieb's take is completely accurate and truthful. XM and Sirius have been lying to their customers for years about interoperable radios, and the FCC, and none of the Mel fan boys on this site or SiriusBuzz and other other pro-merger, Sirius-funded websites, seems to give a damn.

The 'Real' Story Behind the XM/Sirius Merger
by: Michael Hartleib posted on: July 11, 2008 |

I am both a satellite radio listener (consumer) and a major shareholder in Sirius (SIRI). As an investor, I have studied the technology and closely followed Sirius’ operations and those of XM Satellite Radio (XMSR) - its only competitor. I have also read its filings made over the years with the SEC and I not only have closely followed the merger proposal and the application Sirius and XM made for its approval to the FCC, but have actively participated in that proceeding.

Back in March 2007, approximately, I filed a Petition for Declaratory Ruling with the FCC asking it to determine whether the two companies had complied with the condition the FCC imposed on both XM and Sirius when it granted each their licenses in 1997. That condition, which many consumers and individual shareholders may still be unaware of, required the companies provide an interoperable radio that would permit consumers to receive either XM or Sirius service from a single satellite radio receiver.

I filed the Petition for Declaratory Ruling at the FCC because, though ten years has passed since the FCC imposed the condition and long after XM and Sirius became operational, consumers still do not have access to an interoperable radio capable of receiving services from both companies. Moreover, shareholders have been kept in the dark about the impact that providing an interoperable radio would have on both companies' financial performance.
For consumers, one example of the adverse consequences of not having interoperable radios occurred on January 1, 2007 - to NASCAR fans. These listeners purchased XM radios because it provided NASCAR coverage. But when Sirius acquired the rights to broadcast NASCAR events, these listeners were forced to purchase new equipment, switch their service contracts to Sirius and lose their other XM services. Had the companies complied with the FCC’s interoperable radio requirement, these satellite radio consumers would not have been forced to buy new equipment or choose other programming offers in order to retain NASCAR programming.

Both XM and Sirius were well aware of the potential that interoperability provided not only for consumers, but also for the fortunes of both companies. In settling patent litigation between the two companies in 2000, a press release on February 16, 2000 stated:
Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio today announced an agreement to develop a unified standard for satellite radios. The standard is expected to accelerate growth of the satellite radio category by enabling consumers to purchase one radio capable of receiving both companies' broadcasts. XM Radio and Sirius will jointly fund development of the technology and work together to proliferate the new standard by creating a service mark for satellite radio. As part of the agreement, each company will contribute its intellectual property to the initiative and have agreed to resolve any pending patent litigation.

The companies both further extolled the unified standard as good news not only for consumers but also for shareholders because they said it would increase consumer use of satellite radio services, which logically was expected to have a positive effect on both companies’ revenues. The auto buying public would find particular benefits because the companies announced that no future OEM deals (auto manufacturers) would be exclusive. This would have meant that each vehicle manufactured with an interoperable radio would allow the auto buying public the ability to chose either XM or Sirius or both depending on their personal content preferences.

None of this happened, however. Why? Why are consumers who have spent tens of millions of dollars on non-interoperable radios now faced with the future prospect of having to spend the same amount or more once XM and Sirius merge? How has the lack of interoperable radios all these years affected each company’s financials and falling share prices?

Even with the merger, it will be one or more years before the combined programming of XM and Sirius can be received. In the interim, consumers have stopped or slowed their buying of satellite radio services because of the surrounding uncertainty about when and at what price a receiver will be available that can receive the programming of the merged entity. This confusion has only exacerbated an already serious decline in both companies' valuations and their shareholders are the ones being victimized.

As a consumer and shareholder, I have been asking for answers about what happened to the FCC’s interoperability mandate and the companies’ failure to comply with it. Not only have Sirius’ and XM’s executives refused to answer, the FCC has refused to address the issue of the companies’ failure to comply with its own rule or how its refusal to do so comports with its statutory obligations to protect the public’s interests in communications services.

The companies do offer a defense. They say they only had to “design and develop” the interoperable radios… not make them available to consumers. Think of it as a government-forced and shareholder-funded science project that the companies allocated up to 25 million dollars to complete. When specifically asked about this defense, the FCC says it can’t talk about it because the matter is pending before the Commission. With all due respect, it’s been “pending” for ten years. This seems all too convenient. It permits the FCC to refuse to explain why it hasn’t enforced its own rule by its continuous failure to enforce its own rule.

It’s been nearly two years since I began to ask questions about the lack of interoperable radios. The companies have defended themselves by silence, by inconsistent, ambiguous, and self-serving statements and even in testimony before Congressional committees. Recently, Senator Brownback obtained documents that have caused him to make inquiry about the truthfulness of the testimony given by Sirius’ CEO during some of his appearances before Congressional committees.

The reason this merger has been delayed, at a grave expense to shareholders, is because the companies are not in compliance with their licensing requirements and the FCC does not have the interest to address whether or not the companies have failed to properly serve satellite consumers’ interests. But the failure of the FCC regulatory oversight is not the only problem. The Department of Justice granted its approval of this merger precisely because of the companies’ failure to comply with the FCC’s interoperability mandate. The DOJ’s rationalized that because there are no interoperable radios, the companies still use radios capable of receiving only their respective services and hence do not compete with each other. In other words, the companies having prevented competition by violating the FCC regulatory requirement, there is no competition that could be harmed by the merger and hence no antitrust concerns.

Consumers and shareholders have been and are being duped. Shareholders have lost billions of dollars in investment. Consumers have spent hundreds of millions on unnecessary hardware. Why? Because at some point, these companies converted their business plans into a concerted effort to consolidate all of the satellite radio spectrum into one company. To do this, they flaunted the interoperable mandate, negotiated the merger, created a audio entertainment market out of whole cloth and engaged a host of Washington insiders to lobby their plan before the FCC, DOJ and Congress. During the process they kept their exclusive OEM deals, spent outrageous amounts of money for exclusive content, scuttled true competition, saddled consumers with soon to be obsolete equipment and forced consumers to invest in new equipment or forego satellite radio service.

Consumers and shareholders have been cheated and the government appears to be part of the problem or at least unwilling to do anything about it. Congress should investigate. Enough is known to question the candor and credibility of the highest-ranking executives in both companies, but in particular in Sirius. A lack of candor and credibility goes to the heart of the qualifications to be a FCC licensee. Under these circumstances, for the FCC to allow XM and Sirius to consolidate their licenses when it is not clear they are fit to hold such licenses is to favor the private interests of a few executives over the public interest and a failure of the FCC to perform the duties Congress gave it.

Disclosure: Author holds a long position in SIRI
Posted by: Jose | July 11, 2008 10:13 AM

These dumbasses at the FCC make Judge ito look like he's in control.

hay the nab just used the oped item from hartlieb in a new filing

that egis* guy rocks...

http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/retrieve.cgi?native_or_pdf=pdf&id_document=6520033969

This site is Gay. I found a better one at:
http://www.siriusnewsrumors.blogspot.com/

NO! to Melvin Alan "Mel" Karmazin's "merge" scheme.

Propose FCC Commissioner Martin immediately and permanently pull xm and sirius's operating licenses for current and past infractions of rules and regulations.

Propose that Toyota and GM stop their ridiculous grandstanding over a FCC approved technology standard that they already should be supporting and have available as standard to their consumers, and do something to help what really effects them and get Melvin Alan "Mel" Karmazin the hell out of the equation as this mess is 100% Melvin Alan "Mel" Karmazin's fault.

Propose that a handful of Orbitcast posters educate themselves before posting and proving their personal ignorance.

Propose everyone, internet wide continue to DEBUNK Pocketradio for the troll he is.

Propose educated consumers send a message to the satradio industry that we know all about Melvin Alan "Mel" Karmazin's "merge" scheme, we can see right through all the pump and dump, and we all know a "merge" scheme aka MONOPOLY, aka government bailout is never positive for consumers no matter what Melvin Alan "Mel" Karmazin says, no matter what Melvin Alan "Mel" Karmazin's blind, ignorant, satradio fanboy swallow hook, line and sinker. If the satradio industry wants to make it another year Melvin Alan "Mel" Karmazin's "merge" scheme is not the answer, but a proper, reality based, business plan carried out by those who have a clue would be a better start.

NO! to Melvin Alan "Mel" Karmazin's "merge" scheme.

Think of it as a government-forced and shareholder-funded science project that the companies allocated up to 25 million dollars to complete.

Hey... This Michael Hartlieb guy stole that line out of one of my dockets to the FCC.

That guy should be ashamed of himself for hijacking my FCC comment "one liners".

Ahhh!! What else can one expect from those Orange County types.

Just keep'em north of the San Diego County line. I say...

Uhh! OK, Well give him Oceanside also.

And so it goes,
PCSTEL

Think of it as a government-forced and shareholder-funded science project that the companies allocated up to 25 million dollars to complete.

Hey... This Michael Hartlieb guy stole that line out of one of my dockets to the FCC.

That guy should be ashamed of himself for hijacking my FCC comment "one liners".

Ahhh!! What else can one expect from those Orange County types.

Just keep'em north of the San Diego County line. I say...

Uhh! OK, Well give him Oceanside also.

And so it goes,
PCSTEL

Well, boys.. Looks like as of right now.. You have 2 "ays" and "3 nays". That's a big NO MERGER vote right now.

I think Tate is holding out for 50% of the combined spectrum. Which is just about right in my viewpoint.

That would mean that the companies would "self-abort" the merger themselves.

Problem solved.

And so it goes,
PCSTEL

Hey PCSTEL,

50%? Really?

Um...the WHOLE point in merging would be to GAIN something. If you're gonna give up 50%....you're left with about how much you started with BEFORE merging. So WHY THE FUCK MERGE???

The whole thing is ridiculous considering that Sirius already has more diverse programing than terrestrial radio! Add to that the extra 8% Sirius agreed to add with the merger....and STILL you have ASSHOLES like Davenport who want to steal spectrum for their own financial gain without having worked for it.

Georgetown Partners desperation move today indicates that they won't get ANYTHING. Gotta love that. Serves em right.

And I also notice the bashers and shorts are coming out of the woodwork. The tide is turning and they too are getting desperate.

Tate WILL fall into step with Martin and McDowell. She is away in Africa now...but when she comes back next week...EXPECT another YAY! vote. Mark my words.

Cheers,

Liam

Liam,

Your "desperation move today indicates that" you don't get it. Pure satradio fanboy ignorance.

NO! to Melvin Alan "Mel" Karmazin's "merge" scheme.

Hey Liam, It's about time somebody refuted that NAB suck ass PCSTEL, who has his tongue so far up David's Rehr that I'm sure the happy couple will announce their nuptials any day now. Your comments clearly convey how ignorant most people are about this merger. I agree with you - these pathetic, lowly scavengers who want part of the spectrum, along with anything else they can get, are truely despicable. The only thing I can imagine being more of a disgrace would be if the FCC gives in to these lazy, deceiving parasites. Excellent post, Liam!

Tate WILL fall into step with Martin and McDowell. She is away in Africa now...but when she comes back next week...EXPECT another YAY! vote. Mark my words.

You better hope so.. Cause as it stands right now.. You got 2 against 3..and a NO VOTE!! LOL!!

Martin said the other day he was looking for political direction from members of Congress.

Well, he is getting it from them and the State AG's alright.

Kind of funny when you see Mel's Bitches claiming that all the State AG's are being paid off. But, when you look at the actual record. It is rumored that the head of the merger review for the DOJ dismissed all of the lower ranking DOJ employees that claimed that the merger should be denied. Then you have all the State AG's now chiming in.

So, either all of the lower rank and file at the DOJ were getting paid off, AND all of the "gang" of State AG's are getting paid off, or maybe, just maybe the single person in charge of the DOJ review got paid off???

The DOJ's decision was just so wrong, that even the state AG's are moving into action.

I mean.. the DOJ’s rationalization was that because there are no interoperable radios, then subscribers do not switch services between SIRI and XMSR because of the differing air interfaces that the two companies use, and therefore, the two companies do not compete with each other. LOL!!

Well using that kind of logic, then it is easy to expand on that concept to claim that it would be OK for the CDMA cell phone providers such as Verizon to mergen with a GSM provider such as TMobile, and like wise Sprint to merge with ATT. Each pair of companies could simply claim that they do not compete with their merger partner, simply because the "air interface" of their user terminals are not interoperable.

This thing is gonna get strung out to the new administration takes office. And I don't think they are gonna' be on your side.

And so it goes,
PCSTEL

From the article Martin has met with each of the commissioners about his proposal, but he said the undecideds haven't indicated whether they would sign off if other conditions were added.

Hmmmm.. Well, if they are undecided.. Then why would he want to add "more conditions" to get their affirmative vote. I mean.. They are undecided?? Correct?? So why not get their decision before starting to offer a completely new round of conditions??

Unless, or course, 3 the Commissioners in question have voted NO. Then you have a problem, and need to find out what needs to be added to the concession list in order to sway a vote back to YES.

So that's it folks.. Lot's of concession by the SDARS companies and it looks like the vote is still 2 AYE's and 3 NAY's.

And so it goes,
PCSTEL

Hey isn’t this funny? Look what happens when you use google trends to look up the site that Anonymous Douchebag keeps spamming us with. Didn’t that asshole AC claim huge increase of traffic to the spam links? Further proof that AC is a lying sack of shit

“Your terms - www.hdradio.com - do not have enough search volume to show graphs.”

http://www.google.com/trends?q=www.hdradio.com&ctab=0&geo=all&date=all&sort=0

But if you try www.sirius.com or www.xmradio.com they both come back with results. More proof that people couldn’t care less about (H)ardly (D)ifferent radio no matter how free it is. On the other hand both pay services garner enough attention to generate data.

Tate: Judge Ito with tits.

Uh Oh........... :-(

Uh Oh........... :-(

:-{

Pocketradio posting more FUD under yet another screen name. His fear and desperation is getting worse by the day.

"While not everyone has HD radio yet, it is becoming more popular and the receivers are becoming more affordable."

"So while conventional radio listeners will be able to hear the new lineup, secondary programming will be available on the HD2 stream. The third stream will broadcast yet another format 24 hours a day."

"I recognize that these decisions will not appeal to all current listeners, But in the long run ...this enhanced public service will be best for the future"

"More than 1,700 broadcasters have added higher-quality HD Radio signals to their current traditional AM/FM ones. And programmers are using the extra broadcast channels that digital technology provides to woo audiences accustomed to niche-targeted Internet and satellite radio stations."

HD Digital Radio • IT'S TIME TO UPGRADE!
HD Digital Radio. It's here. It's local. It's free. DISCOVER IT!
www.hdradio.com/

Pocketradio = TROLL
Pocketradio = DEBUNKED

It doesn’t matter how much BULLSHIT you post to CHANGE the subject. The fact of the matter is your spam site gets no attention!!! Contrary to your past posts claiming a large increase in web traffic google trends show you are a LIAR. “It went up 700% from one to seven people WOW”!

ON the other hand the technologies that people actually want www.ipod.com, www.sirius.com and ww.xmradio.com do create a buzz on google trends.

I would post something GAY like DEBUNKED but everyone knows you love it in the REHR!

FINALLY A RADIOMAN WHO SPEAKS THE TRUTH IN A TRADE MAGAZINE
Richard Harker is President of Harker Research, a company providing a wide range of research services to radio stations in North America and Europe. Twenty-years of research experience combined with Richard's 15 years as a programmer and general manager
“Last Fall Ken Dardis, author of the Audio Graphics blog, wrote, “Either the radio industry is going to start delivering on what’s promised: HD Radios available in stores, and truly unique programming which gets people talking or the public is going to pick up on these false statements.” A year later it seems his prediction has come true. What buzz HD Radio has ranges from mildly tepid to strongly negative. And mostly true. There are serious issues of coverage. Early adopters who bought HD radios report serious drop-outs, poor coverage, and interference. The engineers of Ibiquity may argue otherwise and defend the system, but the industry has a serious PR problem with the very people we need to get the word out on HD”.
“It doesn’t look good for HD Radio. Supporters of HD Radio will say that marketing will turn things around. Once people realize the benefits of HD Radio, they will buy the radios. Let’s not forget that nothing kills a bad product faster than good marketing. The word has already gotten out about HD Radio. People who have already bought an HD Radio are telling others of their experience (mostly bad) and no amount of marketing will reverse this”.
“ I also have to wonder about the investment that radio stations are making in HD Radio. Budgets are tight. Marketing and research dollars are in short supply. Maybe the declines in listening levels are not just a result of growing competition. Maybe listeners are abandoning radio because the product isn’t as innovative and isn’t as good as it used to be. Our research suggests that radio’s poor image has much more to do with the product than our technology. Wouldn’t the money being spent in supporting HD Radio (to which virtually no one is listening) be better spent on the things that will have a real impact”?
http://www.fmqb.com/article.asp?id=487772
FMQB (Friday Morning Quarterback) recently celebrated its 40th anniversary of serving the music and radio industries with high quality unique content, insight articles and news. Founded in 1968 by Owner/Publisher/Radio-TV personality Kal Rudman, FMQB has established itself as the premiere destination for music and radio industry professionals.

3-2 MERGER APPROVED!

5 YEARS CLEAR CHANNEL AND CITIDEL COMM.GOES OUT OF BUSINESS!

THEY WILL LOSE ALMOST ALL THEIR ADVERTISING REVENUE!

SIRIUS RULES!

3-2 MERGER APPROVED!

5 YEARS CLEAR CHANNEL AND CITIDEL COMM.GOES OUT OF BUSINESS!

THEY WILL LOSE ALMOST ALL THEIR ADVERTISING REVENUE!

SIRIUS RULES!

and STILL you have ASSHOLES like Davenport who want to steal spectrum for their own financial gain without having worked for it.

I don't know how to tell you this.. Uhh.. But, SIRI's spectrum that you claim is being stolen... Was actually paid for by the previous round of investors that go nearly wiped out in the last out of court reorg. So the spectrum got "stolen from them".

Don't worry.. It will all become all so clear when Mel files a petition on you and Mel's other Bitches, like those that run these "shill sites"

And so it goes,
PCSTEL

Geez.... now the SEC is in a battle with the FCC as "most useless commission of the year".

Votes are IN!

Chairman Kevin Martin (R-NC) -NO- (I was just playing good cop, bad cop)
Commissioner Michael Copps (D-WI) -NO-
Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein (D-SD) -NO-
Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate (R-TN) -NO-
Commissioner Robert M. McDowell (R-VA) -NO-

Three Republicans and two are Democrats. All are appointed by the President.