Details are scant, but it looks like Sirius XM Radio Inc. staffers in Washington DC aren't the only ones falling victim to layoffs. Reports started streaming in late Tuesday of layoffs occurring at the Sirius' NYC offices, but questions remain about who exactly have been let go. A report on the NY Radio Message Board corroborates what my sources have been saying, but is equally vague on the details.
Other sources within the company say that it seems like Sirius XM is going department by department and "cutting the fat" - and the focus is now on folks in the McGraw Hill Building.
Additional word is that further changes in the company are set for when the New Year begins.
I have to stress that this information is not official in any way. Anyone who has lived through corporate "rightsizing" knows how the misinformation spreads like wildfire. It's a very emotional time, so we need to be mindful of that.
If you want to read a very detailed account of the layoffs at XM, check out Michelle Sammartino's (formally from XM's Beyond Jazz) MySpace blog where she gives a full timeline of what happened in The Eck.
If you want to read a very detailed account of the layoffs at XM, check out Michelle Sammartino's (formally from XM's Beyond Jazz) MySpace blog where she gives a full timeline of what happened in The Eck.
If there is cuts on the Sirius side, it is still bad for those losing their jobs. It looks November 14th is going to be the last day for channels on XM, according to Michelle of Beyond Jazz. It is a real sad time. But I guess for the longevity of the company financially, they have to do what they have to do.
You can save a lot of money by laying off Stern.
Michelle is totally right. This was supposed to be a "merger," of equals not a buyout. But instead, partly because of the politically lazy FCC, we're all screwed. The stock is worthless, and nobody cares about Sat Rad anymore. We only wanted our NFL on XM, not all the layoffs that go with it. I mean, if they laid off a ton of longtime and classic Sirius people, then that would be something... But this is bull.
Ryan,
Could clarify one thing. You have previously mentioned that there will be 50 music channels after the combine. Do you mean a total of 50 music channels, or 50 shared channels, with additional "unique" or legacy channels on each service, keeping to total around the 65 each they have today?
And once all is said and done, I will have to do what I have to do to keep myself entertained. Slacker is looking better and better every day, and I've listened to them for about an hour a night the past 4 nights loving them more and more each time.
Very sad blog by Michelle. I really do miss the early days of XM.
@Jack That's the killer question, and I oon't know for sure.
My understanding is that they will essentially be "simulcasting" the 50 combined channels between both services, and the remaining "unique" channels will be exclusive to each.
Both Sirius and XM have a strong fanbase of those "unique" channels, so I can understand the reasoning for keeping them. It's a delicate balancing act of keeping the current subscribers happy, while making the company as efficient as possible.
@Ryan After a few emails with Jon Zellner, where he stated they would get "close" to a full simulcast, and that "There will be a few specific but most will be available on both services." Why not all? "...we'll get close but we can't simulcast the Canadian channels."
..I tend to think "50 NEW/reformatted channels", and 14-15 channels (total, from both services combined) that survives the channel merger. With 4-5 Canadians that can't be simulcasted.
But who knows...outside of SIRIUS XM...
Now that they are diluting the content, those 22 minutes of commercials on terrestrial radio each hour may not be so irritating afterall. It seems everything that was promised to the subscribers is, in reality, a big fat DECEPTION !!!! I would hide too if I was Mel.
So the way I understand Ryan's response to Jack , the total music channel count will be between 60 to 70 .
Ok , I'm lost on this Canadian channel thing . Sirius and XM both had Canadian channels . So why can't the Canadian channels be simulcast on both services ?
I would really like to see the myspace blog post from Michelle Sammartino. Unfortunately I can't access it from work. If someone could cut and paste it into a post, that would be great.
".....trim the fat...."
I have a problem calling these people "the fat."
Yes fat needs to be trimmed but it is in the management offices.
@Pinball Wizard
Seems to me that most of the "fat" resides on Howard 100 - Artie, Robin, High-Pitch, Bababooey, Bubba, and Howard's wallet.
How about trimming some of that "fat".
@Nathan I'm especially disappointed about the "we can't simulcast the Canadian channels" part. Outside of The Verge, NHL Home Ice, ATN Asian Radio, and possibly Radio Parallele, it seems like XM Canada has taken the low road of producing extremely bad CanCon which is obviously only there to satisfy CRTC requirements.
I mean, come on, who can possibly be listening to Calendrier Sportif? It's a Francophone calendar of sports that mostly can only be heard in English.
I guess this is why the Canadian XM & Sirius need to hurry up and merge as well.
I really think XM could benefit from CBC 1 & 3, Iceberg 85, and Energie 2.
This stinks. I was planning on getting 2 XMP3's this holiday to add to my 4 XM & 1 Sirius subs. Instead I've cancelled 3 of the XM subs and just cancelled my Sirius sub today. So instead of having 7 subs I now have 1. Great merger. I can't wait to see the churn numbers. This company is over and done. Should it survive it's going to be no better than FM anyway. If they added commercials to the music channels today I think I'd rather listen to FM.
I remember hearing from all you stockholders.
"We need the merger, neither company can survive without it!"
"I'm holding the stock until the merger, then it will bounce back!"
"Mel is our savior! He will make everything ok. Mel PROMISES you will be able to get the same programming you get now, NO CHANGES!".
"Once Mel comes on board, 0.0 are GONE, Mel won't sign those losers!"
Boy, were you guys wrong on ALL fronts.
The stock is about as valuable as toilet paper.
The programming is about to be totally shuffled.
And, O&A WIN IN THE END!
HA HA HA. Can't help but laugh.
I like the music channels, but I keep XM for Talk 165 (Glenn Beck), Fox News Talk, FNC, and above all O&A.
I'm willing to pay $12 a month for O&A. And since O&A were re signed, I'm on board. Run 50 channels of nothing but commercials for all I care ;)
"If they added commercials to the music channels today I think I'd rather listen to FM."
Of course you would, its free. Which is why they won't add commercials to the music channels.
This is very, very sad. And even as a guy who prefers Sirius, I'm not certain we are getting the better end of the stick here. There were music channels on XM that were far superior to Sirius' channels, not the least being Lucy. I can hardly listen to Lithium. They are not comparable.
Having said that, looking at the financial situation this company is in, they hardly had a choice. They are trying to stay out of bankruptcy. And they may not be able to do so. Its hard to get upset at a company that is simply trying to survive.
As for Stern, remember, its the most popular station on sat. radio.
what's O&A
Honestly...I still see thousands of high paying jobs posted on employment sites -
http://www.linkedin.com (networking for professionals)
http://www.indeed.com (aggregated listings)
http://www.realmatch.com (jobs matched to your skills)
Those that were fired will find new jobs...maybe better ones!
@rjr,
My point is the content on the music channels is becoming worse than FM. Fuck the commercials, for the first time since I got XM (we're talking 7 years) I'm actually scanning the FM dial to see what's on, it's often better than the XM channels I used to love.
And they will indeed add commercials to the music channels if Mel thinks they will make money. He's broken every single promise he made so far. And he's stated that he thinks the talk/sports are #1 and music has become the afterthought.
I disagree that they have to combine channels to survive. It would be smarter to go to a higher level of automation (less live on-air talent) but keep the channels separate, with different sounds, playlists and names. Combining channels is dumb -- it shrinks their pool of potential listeners.
If it doesn't make sense to have two (or more) separately-branded services with different programming, why do you see the big TV networks buying up all the cable networks? When they buy these networks, they do not promptly replace all current programming with a CBS, NBC, ABC or Fox network feed.
The bottom line here is that XM customers are in the majority, and they listen to their music channels far more than Sirius listeners listen to theirs. If you can't afford to keep producing the product most of your customers want, then you probably can't afford to stay in business, and you won't.
Flat out, the new channel lineup is going to stink, musicwise. If you dig talk, news, sports, you should be fine.
But how about the music? The biggest mistake XM made was not giving enough of a push and promotion to the music, its diversity, and how a whole new world had been opened in terms of getting new and interesting stuff on the air.
Sure, for those of you who just like the hits, that's cool; but you had and have those channels. But how about those who really like different sounds, new sounds, those who never get a chance?
My feeling is Sirius' channels are constricted to whatever the consultants say will work, which means the same songs over and over again. It will sound just like terrestrial radio, and who's gonna pay for that?
Sirius blew it; my feeling is the talk/news/sports junkies will not be enough to sustain the company for very long. Sad to say, but I believe my words will be born out in 3-5 years.
My subscription is up in March but I will wait to see how badly Mel screws up the music channels before I decide to cancel early. Anyone know any good attorneys to start a class action lawsuit? THIS is not what I signed up for and as far as I am concerned it's a breach of contract.If I cancel what remains of my subscription, I damn well better be getting a refund or I WILL be contacting the attorney general in my state as well as my congressman!
Unique channels?? are those like niche?? for shame, we can't have that..
Pro-merger argument that needs to end: "...looking at the financial situation this company is in, they hardly had a choice. They are trying to stay out of bankruptcy..." (thus justifying the merger).
I've been tired of hearing this for a LONG time but I finally have to interject fact here since no one else seems to want to: It's bullshit.
When the two companies merged, they got a combined subscriber base, yes...BUT they also combined their debt and expenses.
Bottom line: One company in double the deep shit that two companies were in beforehand. The pro-merger argument was never anything other than a lie.
*IF* Sirius/XM survives, it will do so by shedding most of its overpaid "celebrity" talent, renegotiating sports contracts (dropping the ones that don't pay their own way) and jacking up fees. This is exactly the same thing that the two pre-merger companies COULD HAVE DONE SEPARATELY.
Just to make this clear again since it has been ignored to this point: Combined customer base; yes, sort of (duplications will actually reduce that substantially). But Combined their DEBT? YES! (now equal to the total debt of BOTH services PLUS merger costs!!!!)
The merger did NOTHING to improve profitability; the combined company will now have to shed EVEN more celebrity premium expenses (thanks to merger costs on top of their combined debt load).
So why merge when it doesn't save dime one? Again from Doctor Obvious: Because you can be a monopoly, jack up your rates and fees and shove it down people's throats.
That's why ALL mergers in ALL industries are done. Count on it - EVERY single time. It's never done to benefit the consumer.
This isn't rocket science.
They laid off 15-20 at Sirius last Tuesday. Mostly music coordinators and format managers. And there is a lot more coming.
Where are all the gung-ho merger cheerleaders now? You all thought you'd get rich, didn't you? Well you can now get Sirius stock at a hell of a bargain: Four shares for a buck!
Meanwhile all your favorite channels are being cancelled or "merged" and the DJs you liked are getting let go - sent out into a job market that has nothing comparable to offer them. Most will end up doing PR or selling advertising probably.
Mergers suck. Get this through your thick skulls so maybe you won't be such a bunch of suckers next time someone dangles one in front of you. The same thing happens every time. The quality goes down. The price goes up. The workers get fired and the you, the loyal customer, gets screwed.
You can save a lot of money by laying off Stern.
He's one of the reasons the company is going bankrupt.
Suckers? Why call the customers suckers? Obviously the good of the public and customers had nothing to do with any of this, and it wouldn't have made any difference whether we supported the merger or opposed it.