Regular readers won't be surprised by this news: Sirius XM Radio Inc. recently announced that, once again, XM Radio will air every single Major League Baseball game for the 2009 season. Unfortunately, Sirius subscribers with the "Best of XM" package will come up empty... well, almost.
Please note: This post has been corrected to clarify Sirius' rights to air MLB games.
Please note: This post has been corrected to clarify Sirius' rights to air MLB games.
Back in February, we first heard that MLB play-by-play games wouldn't be making their way to Sirius this season, according to Orbitcast sources. This was later reiterated in late March as people familiar with the negotiations confirmed that a stalemate continues between MLB and Sirius.
Now, with this most recent press release, it pretty much seals the deal: XM Radio listeners will be the only satellite radio subscribers getting all the 2009 MLB games.
Sirius subscribers with the "Best of XM" package will still hear a few games, just not all of them. (Orbitcast note: the strikethrough areas are indicating corrected areas of this post. Please see the bottom of this post for the full clarification.)
In mid-December, MLB Home Plate was added to the Sirius "Best of XM" package, and MLB Home Plate will be airing games every day - once on weekdays, and twice on each day of the weekend.
It's hardly a subtitute for what could potentially be a boon for the "Best of XM" package, which is likely why it's not being prominently highlighted in any announcements. And it definitely pales in comparison to XM's 2009 MLB coverage:
Meanwhile, here's the MLB Home Plate schedule (all times Eastern, schedule subject to change):
Weekdays
Saturdays
Sundays
IMPORTANT UPDATE: I've been notified by Sirius XM Radio that there are actually two version of MLB Home Plate that will be airing - one for XM listeners and one for Sirius listeners.
When a game airs on the MLB Home Plate channel, XM listeners will hear the game and Sirius listeners will hear a replay of talk content (e.g., an interview or analysis by one of our hosts).
Here is the statement provided by the company:
"XM subscribers will continue to get, as part of their regular subscription, access to every regular season and post-season Major League Baseball game with no blackouts or exclusions. The MLB Home Plate channel - which offers baseball talk 365 days a year - is now available to both XM subscribers and Sirius subscribers with the "Best of XM" programming package. Discussions are ongoing with MLB to allow Sirius subscribers to hear the games."
In other words, Sirius XM Radio Inc. does not have the rights to air the games on the Sirius side.
I apologize for the confusion.
Now, with this most recent press release, it pretty much seals the deal: XM Radio listeners will be the only satellite radio subscribers getting all the 2009 MLB games.
In mid-December, MLB Home Plate was added to the Sirius "Best of XM" package
It's hardly a subtitute for what could potentially be a boon for the "Best of XM" package, which is likely why it's not being prominently highlighted in any announcements. And it definitely pales in comparison to XM's 2009 MLB coverage:
- XM Radio will air every game, starting with Opening Night on April 5th
- The following day, XM will carry all 13 games from MLB's
traditional Opening Day
- Throughout the regular season and post-season, XM will air literally every game from all 30 Major League teams on XM channels 175 to 189
Meanwhile, here's the MLB Home Plate schedule (all times Eastern, schedule subject to change):
Weekdays
- 7 - 10 am: Baseball This Morning with Scott Graham and Buck Martinez
- 10 am - 1 pm: Power Alley with Seth Everett, Jim Duquette and Billy Ripken
- 1 - 4 pm: Inside Pitch with Jeff Joyce and Kevin Kennedy
- 3 - 6 pm: The Show with Jody McDonald and Rob Dibble
- 6 - 7 pm: XM PreGame (Fantasy 411 6pm - 8pm Fridays with Mike Siano and Cory Schwartz)
- 7 - 10 pm: Game (8p-11p Fridays after Fantasy 411)
- 10 pm - 2am: MLB Live with Joe Castellano
Saturdays
- 8 - 10 am: Minors and Majors with Grant Paulsen
- 10 am - 1 pm: Talking Baseball with Ed Randall
- 1 pm - 4 pm: Game
- 4 pm - 7 pm: MLB Live Weekend with Casey Stern
- 7 pm - 10 pm: Game
- 10 pm - 2 am: MLB Live Weekend with Lee Hamilton
Sundays
- 8 - 10 am: Minors and Majors with Grant Paulsen
- 10 am - 1 pm: MLB Live Weekend with Holden Kushner
- 1 pm - 4 pm: Game
- 4 pm - 8 pm: MLB Live Weekend with Lee Hamilton
- 8 pm - 11 pm: Game
- 11 pm - 2 am: MLB Live Weekend with Joe Castellano
IMPORTANT UPDATE: I've been notified by Sirius XM Radio that there are actually two version of MLB Home Plate that will be airing - one for XM listeners and one for Sirius listeners.
When a game airs on the MLB Home Plate channel, XM listeners will hear the game and Sirius listeners will hear a replay of talk content (e.g., an interview or analysis by one of our hosts).
Here is the statement provided by the company:
"XM subscribers will continue to get, as part of their regular subscription, access to every regular season and post-season Major League Baseball game with no blackouts or exclusions. The MLB Home Plate channel - which offers baseball talk 365 days a year - is now available to both XM subscribers and Sirius subscribers with the "Best of XM" programming package. Discussions are ongoing with MLB to allow Sirius subscribers to hear the games."
In other words, Sirius XM Radio Inc. does not have the rights to air the games on the Sirius side.
I apologize for the confusion.
Couldn't Mel have avoided this mess if they had chosen to simply refer to the merged company as "XM" and not "Sirius XM"?
That's a good point. Basically the Mlb is greedy.
The situation is absolutely silly. The only thing preventing Sirius-hardware listeners from getting this content is the label on their fucking radio. What is the point of this solution? Can I trade my hardware in? Can I get a (((XM))) sticker to cover up the stupid bitchstar? This is so insane...
Very fitting since you used the Mets seats. It would have been absolutely perfect if the title was completely empty.
Either way here's to hoping that the Mets have a 3rd straight year of stellar Septembers,
Go Phils.
People with Sirius, for the most part don't care.
1-You can get your local team on your local station.
2-If I wanted baseball I would get XM with Siri best of.
3-Baseball is ruined by steroid scandals
4-Baseball = Yawn
5-Baseball is ruined by lack of revenue sharing and the Players association. There is really only four competitive teams in MLB.
6 Eff the Yankees AND Red Sox
In TWO words.... Fu*k Baseball.
In TWO words.... Fu*k siriusxm.
Only 4? You're a freaking hayseed. Tampa and Philly were in the World Series and you probably wouldn't even have them on your "competitive teams" list. If you don't care about baseball why post here on a baseball article? Go listen to Farrell yell about betting lines on the NBA playoffs. Ron and Fez noon to three.
i'm totally suprised mlb hasn't put the cabosh on letting sirius subscribers even get those games on mlb homeplate, cause when you think about it what's the difference between getting games on mlb homeplate and getting games on sirius with the best of xm......none!
That sorta weird that XM is playing actual games on 175 which allows them to have three to four gaps in their MLB talk channel. When I subbed to XM, MLB Homeplate was the main reason and I wouldn't like it if they preempted HomePlate for a game. Why not just put it on one of the 14 channels that is dedicated to play baseball games? And some of the games if you read the schedule our on XM 140? Why?
If only Sirius/Xm enjoyed the same phenonenom that baseball does; they treat the fans/customers like SHIT, but the fans continue, undeterred, to flock to the ball parks - paying obscene prices for parking, seats, food and beer. Of course, baseball now completely shuns the real fans, most of whom can no longer afford to to go to the games. Sports has become the province of the well to do, and now even builds its ball parks with the sole purpose of extracting as much money as is humanly possible from as many affluent people as it can. Case in point - the new Yankee Stadium. They should have pimps working the turnstiles and concession stands, because if you walk in there, you sure as hell are going to get rolled, and then fucked. It's the same thing a whore would do; the only difference is that I have a lot more respect for whores.
I'm not suggesting that Sirius/XM try to emulate baseball, or sports in general. The people who support satellite radio are not quite as stupid as the average sports fan; it's a niche group that is very loyal, BUT.... will not just willingly submit to the disgraceful abuse that sports fans seemingly thrive on.
Baseball embodies everything that is wrong with this country: greed, cheating, lying, drug abuse, media manipulation, exclusiveness, arrogance, and cronyism. Despite this, millions of idiots continue to support "their" teams - at any cost. The collective IQ of this country has to be the lowest on the planet. We are all doomed, I'm afraid!
I don't think you can term something a "stalemate" when one party seeks to hold the other to a legally-binding agreement it entered into freely and willingly. There's a contract in force that puts MLB on XM. The fact that Sirius and XM merged does not obligate MLB to alter that contract and in so doing hand over its product to twice as many people as it bargained give it to. That's not going to happen unless both see it as an advantage, which MLB apparently does not.
Plus, if Sirius XM wanted so badly to give MLB to Sirius people with Best of XM, it could be worked out. As has been previously posted on this forum, MLB is charging fans $9.95 for the whole season via its own iPhone streaming service -- less than $1 a month if you spread it over the year. This does not seem like a price schedule set up by people conniving to rape the fans. Sirius XM could make the MLB channel a separate option, charge a buck for it, keep 20 cents for its trouble, and forward the other 80 cents to MLB. Everybody's happy.
I don't see anything on the sports schedule on Sirius Sports webpage about the Sunday night baseball game, which is supposed to be on Home Plate.....I wonder if Sirius people will be "blacked out" of that game. People with Best of XM should listen tomorrow night and report back their findings.
I've updated this post to clarify the fact that the games will not be airing on Sirius' side of MLB Home Plate.
I'm sorry for the confusion.
shut up dummy, besides doesnt artie have a gig tonite at a bingo hall you can salivate over!
At least all you Sirius subs still get Stern!
Hoo-Ray! You got Stern! Hoo-Ray!
Bitch n Moan all you want....XM is the Superior Service...MLB knows it, everyone knows it.
Sirius Subs = Your mom's Box!!!!
Anyone know if they'll let me switch my subscription (with a year left on it) from Sirius with best of XM to XM with best of Sirius? (I would consider swapping the antenna box on the Pioneer in my car). If so, could I keep my other radio as Sirius only?
"If only Sirius/Xm enjoyed the same phenonenom that baseball does; they treat the fans/customers like SHIT, but the fans continue, undeterred, to flock to the ball parks - paying obscene prices for parking, seats, food and beer."
SiriusXM is enjoying the same phenomenon....people like you flock to message boards to complain constantly about the service, yet it comes to cancelling your subscription, you just can't shake off the urge to resist a few months for free, all the while people like me pay for it.
"Of course, baseball now completely shuns the real fans, most of whom can no longer afford to to go to the games."
Oh please! Give me a break! You can watch EVERY SINGLE GAME IN HD....buy a plasma, sit at home with the family and watch it on TV. Even if it WAS affordable, you'd still find a way to complain about not going to games.
"Sports has become the province of the well to do, and now even builds its ball parks with the sole purpose of extracting as much money as is humanly possible from as many affluent people as it can. Case in point - the new Yankee Stadium. They should have pimps working the turnstiles and concession stands, because if you walk in there, you sure as hell are going to get rolled, and then fucked. It's the same thing a whore would do; the only difference is that I have a lot more respect for whores."
In other words, because YOU'RE too cheap to go to a game or go anywhere beyond that hole in your mother's basement that you live in, that you refer to as "the pad"....you're gonna sit there and throw your stones at the people who can afford to go and the people who like going to the games. This has been going on in sports for years, yet the stadiums keep selling out. It's called capitalism.
"Baseball embodies everything that is wrong with this country: greed, cheating, lying, drug abuse, media manipulation, exclusiveness, arrogance, and cronyism. Despite this, millions of idiots continue to support "their" teams - at any cost. The collective IQ of this country has to be the lowest on the planet. We are all doomed, I'm afraid!"
And your mother embodies everything I love in a woman....easy and fun. She was a great time last night. But you wouldn't know....sitting in her basement playing "World of Warcraft" because you're so much smarter and more enlightened than I am! I'll make sure to keep the noise down when i'm upstairs so you don't get jealous.
damn what part of the trailer park did you wake up on?
Is there some ill will from another post. Guy states opinions and you jump on him like his opinion on baseball is the end all be all to the sport.
News flash Baseball on the radio is about as fun as watching paint dry and just as long.
Here's the pitch
The swing
strike
pitcher sets up
looks at first
yawn
I hope there is pressure put on both Sirius and MLB by Sirius subs next week.
Remember XM didn't get the NFL games until a month into the season. Don't Give Up!
I still think SIRIUS doesn't have the bandwidth for baseball anyway. I'm not saying it isn't MLB asking for more money at fault, but how is SIRIUS going to air that many games at once when they already have to pre-empt for 1/2 as many NFL games?
You act like this is only baseball that overcharges and rapes fans, but have you tried going to an NFL or NBA game lately?
marcus, you morON, who do you think runs XM you dumb twit!!! lol
Hey Anonymous,
I wasn't complaining about the service (by the way, I serviced your sister last night, while listening to the Playboy channel; she claimed it was the best sex she's had since being sodomized by your father), I was complaining about baseball, you mindless bottom feeding piece of pond scum. As far as listening for free, technically that doesn't begin for a few more months. Unlike shitheads like yourself, who take great pride in shelling out $152 or more per year, I decided to go for the Lifetime subscription a while back. Listening to those sweet Sirius/XM tunes while plowing your sisters fertile field is going to be pure bliss!
Thanks for the advice about watching the games on TV. I have a really nice television that I bought from the money I saved by not going to games. For the price of a few lower tier "premium" seats, I can now watch the games and see the action much better than if I was actually there. It's a fantastic set; HD, amazing sound, and I don't have to worry about douche bag slobs like you screaming and cursing and spilling beer on me for 9 innings.
While cheapskates like me sit in the comfort of my living room, watching the game in HD, with the added bonus of replays, close ups, and play by play/analysis, I hope that you are sitting in one of the "partial view" sections of the House that George built, sucking down $10 bottles of beer and stuffing half a dozen of those $5 hotdogs down your fat mouth. You see, genius, I don't like the fact that if I actually do go to the game, there is a possibility that I may not be able to view half the field from certain seats - the ones that are priced in the affordable range. The Yankees just built a 1.4 billion dollar stadium, and there are seats in the outfield where the view of the field is blocked by some crappy restaurant that they just had to put smack in the middle of the bleachers. The fans in left field can't see right field, and the fans in right field can't see left field. This fiasco tells me just how much baseball cares about the fans; NOT ONE FUCKING BIT !!! While I'm sitting home watching, and SEEING, the entire game, big spenders like you can enjoy staring at a cement wall. I'll be damned if I'm going to put up with that kind of bullshit. What you call capitalism, I call pathetic adults who haven't matured intellectually since high school, living vicariously through "their" favorite team because their own lives are so lacking in personal accomplishment. I have been to plenty of games, douche, and was going to games before your fat ugly mom and your high school drop out closet homosexual father decided to get drunk and create you. How your sister turned out to be such a fine piece of ass, I have no idea. I can't wait to nail her tomorrow night - I think I'll violate her at will while listening to some Siriusly Sinatra. I want it to be romantic this time, because she barely survived the last encounter where I pretended I was Wilt Chamberlain and she pretended she was Mother Teresa.
Hell will freeze over a thousand times before I'm jealous of a neanderthal, micro-phallused, illiterate, trailer trash loser like you. I'm upgrading my 52'" plasma to a 65" next week, and I can't wait for the baseball season to begin. The picture on this new set is going to be incredible - even more resolution than before. So good in fact, that if I see you and your mother in the stands, I should be able to count the individual hairs of your mom's mustache if the camera pans over in your direction! I will have everything I need to make it seem just like I'm at the game: my new plasma TV, your sister, and my 8 inch interactive "joystick" that I plan to unleesh during the 7th inning stretch.
Baseball.... the American pastime, where your sister and I both agree that a home run is way better than just getting to third base!
I stand corrected - I meant "unleash."
I wish they would replay games after 11pm for those that didn't see or hear the game that night.
Having all those channels just repeat that robotic message "Check your XM guide blah blah ...." are such a waste.
"Hey Anonymous, I wasn't complaining about the service (by the way, I serviced your sister last night, while listening to the Playboy channel; she claimed it was the best sex she's had since being sodomized by your father), I was complaining about baseball, you mindless bottom feeding piece of pond scum."
Steve-O, I had fun with BOTH your sisters too....but your mother was way better. I may be pond scum, but I'd rather be a pond scum idiot than an ELITIST JACKASS any day. See, I spelled that one out for you.
"As far as listening for free, technically that doesn't begin for a few more months. Unlike shitheads like yourself, who take great pride in shelling out $152 or more per year, I decided to go for the Lifetime subscription a while back. Listening to those sweet Sirius/XM tunes while plowing your sisters fertile field is going to be pure bliss!"
Lifetime subscription is not the "free three months" you get when you call in every two months to complain about the service and say that you're cancelling and never coming back. But when I have fun with your mother AND your two sisters, I can at least keep them smiling and satisfied knowing that I actually pay for the service and when I want to cancel, i'll actually have the balls to do so. Unlike you.
"Thanks for the advice about watching the games on TV. I have a really nice television that I bought from the money I saved by not going to games. For the price of a few lower tier "premium" seats, I can now watch the games and see the action much better than if I was actually there. It's a fantastic set; HD, amazing sound, and I don't have to worry about douche bag slobs like you screaming and cursing and spilling beer on me for 9 innings."
See, there you go! Very good! Now you actually sound smart. I have an HD plasma set as well, and its a beautiful thing. You watch the games, you buy your own beer, snacks and drinks. You can get your buddies to come over, and you pay it monthly on your cable or satellite bill. I do go to a handful of games each year, and no I don't throw beer on people because i'm not paying $7 for a beer. Maybe other people can and do, but I won't. Even if you did go to a game, I wouldn't want to spill beer on your thrift store clothes anyway. I mean, those shirts can get expensive after a while!
"You see, genius, I don't like the fact that if I actually do go to the game, there is a possibility that I may not be able to view half the field from certain seats - the ones that are priced in the affordable range. The Yankees just built a 1.4 billion dollar stadium, and there are seats in the outfield where the view of the field is blocked by some crappy restaurant that they just had to put smack in the middle of the bleachers. The fans in left field can't see right field, and the fans in right field can't see left field. This fiasco tells me just how much baseball cares about the fans; NOT ONE FUCKING BIT !!! While I'm sitting home watching, and SEEING, the entire game, big spenders like you can enjoy staring at a cement wall. I'll be damned if I'm going to put up with that kind of bullshit."
Good! Then don't go to the games! But please don't sit there and criticize people who may have the money to go to the games. If they want to pay hundreds of dollars to sit and stare at a brick wall, that's thier business! Please don't sit there on your high horse and talk about how "baseball doesn't care" because if you go anywhere, its going to cost you a few more bucks. Its all sports, and its all things. Go to a broadway show, a movie, anything and you're gonna find that it will cost you money. Period. And it is called capitalism because you still have a choice to either watch it at home or go to the game, and if I choose not to go to the game, then the team will make the adjustments to get me to go. The consumer STILL has the power, whether you believe it or not.
"What you call capitalism, I call pathetic adults who haven't matured intellectually since high school, living vicariously through "their" favorite team because their own lives are so lacking in personal accomplishment."
So why exactly do you watch baseball games? Let me guess, because my sister probably complained about how you couldn't keep it up or keep her satisfied, because you're clearly a closet homosexual with a LOT of anger. Dude, its ok to come out now. Hell, you may even be able to get married to another guy if you want to. No one will bash you for it, man. So i'm assuming baseball games to feel more like a man, right?
"I have been to plenty of games, douche, and was going to games before your fat ugly mom and your high school drop out closet homosexual father decided to get drunk and create you. How your sister turned out to be such a fine piece of ass, I have no idea. I can't wait to nail her tomorrow night - I think I'll violate her at will while listening to some Siriusly Sinatra. I want it to be romantic this time, because she barely survived the last encounter where I pretended I was Wilt Chamberlain and she pretended she was Mother Teresa."
Yup, it's clear that not only do you have a small package, but you're clearly a closet homosexual. Get help dude.
Well, if I wanted MLB (which is nice) I would have an XM sub ... which I do. When I got my Sirius sub I knew it did not have MLB. Its not like they took something that they used to have away.
I don't expect them to ever have it because how could Sirius justify spending even more $$$ on MLB when they can only get $4/month back on revenues for a small percentage of their subs?
HA HA HA Daddy Mel could not get his way. GOOD. Sirius/XM has done NOTHING but continue to screw all of its customers since the takeover. I'm glad MLB gave them a big FU. But hey Sirius has the "revolution" you still get to listen to.
Why would MLB grant rights for their broadcasts to be carried on another network without remuneration commensurate with levels established by other contracts? -- Knowing that making those broadcasts available there would reduce other revenues, such as for Gameday audio subscriptions on the Internet at large, on mobile phones, etc.?
Would you, if you owned that asset?
In sum, it's a little odd to say that the problem is that MLB is greedy. I'd have to say it's the Sirius subscribers expecting a one-sided deal who are greedy: they want to pay nothing (or not much) to get something, and they don't care whether such a deal reduces the value of what they're getting.
HamptonsHowie,
I bet you live in your basement, man. All you do is fucking complain, man. Get a life, you cheap bastard. I did your mother last night, man. She was so fine - I made her smile man. You have a short dick, man. Cancel if you don't like the service, dude. Your cloths are from Salvation Army, man. You're a homo! You have no balls, dude. I banged your sister last night, ha ha. You're a fag. Ha Ha, I called you a fag. I'm so witty I might start using my real name cause I want attention and I'm sick of staying home all the time watching gay porn. There's no reason to complain about Sirius/XM, man. It's perfect don't you realize that? I had sex with your grandmother this morning and then I fucked your aunt's Rottweiller. The dog didn't smile, but I did! You suck, dude. You play video games in your basement cause I'm so original so that's why I said that, man. I have to go, cause I have a date with your mother. Stop complaining you fucker. I write like shit, but I really can hurt people with my amazing insults. Oh yeah, I did your brother too. I'll teach all of you a lesson you complainers you.
Nice comments Steve O.
My comments concern us Sirius people that have to buy the best of xm and all we get is the MLB channel and no games at all. The least we should have is the same broadcast that xm listeners get on the MLB Main channel. Lets see if that at least changes and for 4.04 extra a month I'm really getting nothing extra, who cares about Oprah or O And A. Shame on u for giving us a bad product, at least XM gets Howard Stern when they sign up for the best of Sirius. I blame MLB and Sirius for not making a better agreement but like Steve O, nothing is better than watching baseball in HD on tv, but when I'm driving around in the truck this summer, it would have been nice to listen to a few innings of a game or two.
Just listened to the end of the season opener, Braves-Phillies, on my iPhone. Had the choice of the home or away feed. In addition to streaming the audio broadcast, the app displays the inning by inning score, the game situation from balls and strikes to runners on base, the names of the pitcher and batter and a few stats.
I forgot to test whether the app can display Gameday -- the much more detailed graphical representation of the game situation, pitch by pitch -- simultaneously with the audio, because I was trying to assess the quality of the audio. It sounded OK through headphones, not worse than what I'm used to from my XM Inno. Baseball still sounds better on AM radio, however (except in a thunderstorm).
I'll try it again with some of tomorrow's games and update.
TO ALL U DUMMIES THAT COMPLAIN ABOUT MLB NOT ON SIRIUS:
GET THE MIRGE LIKE I DID I GET TO LISTEN TO MLB ON XM AND STILL HAVE SIRIUS SERVICE!!!
Anonymous,
Let me get this straight - because I complain about getting fucked over and lied to by a subscription based service that I pay for, that makes me an elitist jackass? That's fine with me, because there are many thousands of people who are pissed off just like I am; seems I'm in good company. Better to be an elitist jackass than be a silent victim like you and others who enjoy a good ass reaming by Sirius/XM.
So you are suggesting that to get back at the company, I should cancel my lifetime subscription. Yeah... that makes perfect sense. How exactly do you think I should phrase my request for cancellation, numb nuts? Oh yeah, I've got it; "Hey you pricks, I'm sick and tired of all the bullshit. I don't owe you any money, and I am listening for free for the foreseeable future. You better turn off my service or I swear I will keep listening if you don't!" That should get them shaking in their boots!!
You tell me that you are not one of the rowdy, rude fans that throws beer on people, because you won't pay $7 for a beer. You are finally right about something; if you were to stop being so goddamn cheap (people have been paying exorbitant beer prices for years - what's your problem?) and actually broke down and bought a beer, most likely you will be forking over closer to $10, not $7. The last Yankee game I went to was 2 years ago, and the beer was $9 a bottle. Your $7 just ain't gonna be enough, Mr. Money Bags. Why would you be so adamant about being frugal with the beer when they have already fleeced you with the parking, the tickets, the food and all the other concessions? It sounds like you are starting to smarten up and see things my way! Even the most ignorant come around eventually if they get reamed often enough - I'm proud of you.
You say that even if I did go to a game, you wouldn't want to spill beer on my thrift store clothes, and then you show some fake compassion when you observe that " those shirts can get expensive after a while." Hey idiot, spill all the beer you want, because if I got the shirt from the thrift store, then it wasn't expensive and it won't be "getting" expensive any time soon. It's the thrift store, you imbecil - not Saks Fifth Avenue. You have some pretty lame logic, Mr. intolerant.
You tell me to suck it up and either accept that everything is more expensive and just pay up , or stay home and watch the game. Well you are right, the prices of everything are up, but nothing like the way baseball prices have soared - not even close. Since the early to mid '90's, baseball ticket prices have risen an astounding 600 percent. If you adjust for inflation, movie ticket prices have gone up marginally, but not really all that much. Nothing even comes close to the obscene price hikes of baseball ticket prices. NOTHING! It is the greediest, most fan unfriendly enterprise I can think of. In every respect, baseball has shown itself to be a complete sham, and if any other business in the world was run like baseball, that business would be out of business very quickly. They are like American Idol; an entertainment that is cleverly marketed, that appeals to the feeble minded, mostly unsophisticated "masses" that will support something no matter how much of a rip off it is. As they say... only in America!
Why do I watch baseball, you ask? For the same reason I watch any sporting event; the thrill of good competition, the desire to watch great athletes excell at what they have spent years training for, and because I didn't buy this TV so I can watch QVC and The View like you do, I'm sure. I am all man, my friend. If you knew me, you would idolize me and want to be like me. I am bigger, smarter, faster, and funnier than you. I am never wrong, and I only sleep with women in the 19 to 35 year old age group. I laugh at Viagra, and when I walk into a bar, someone always tells me I look like a movie star. It's just the way it is. I am so popular that I have to shut my phone off for most off the day - the constant ringing and requests for my time and women texting me their sexual fantasies can be a burden at times. Quite simply, it's the price I have to pay for being... me! I have no problem feeling like a man, I can assure you. Your sister can validate my claims. She told me that she considers me to be the brother she never had ( you were always in your room listening to Liza Minnelli cd's and trying on her fishnet stockings, or so she claims).
I was wondering if you could do me a favor, frivolous... I mean... Anonymous. I'm going out with your sister again tonight, and I was wondering if you could ask her, for me if you would be so kind... to go commando and to wear her easy access coveralls. I'm horny as hell, and I don't want to be wasting time getting to where I want to go, if you catch my drift. Damn, that girl is so nice and on top of that she is such a fine booty call. Are the two of you really related? You don't even look like the same species as her. Anyway, I'll try to have her back by 6 AM, and if she's walking bowlegged for the next couple of days, just tell your mom that the two of us went horseback riding. Thanks man.
I listend to my team on the local AM station but I'd love to just have the The MLB Home Plate channel.
this sucks. thanks baseball for absolutely NOTHING. this is counterintuitive for a sports platform in this modern time. every single major north american sports league has games on both satellite services, except one. this one is demanding to hold to the letter of its contract, despite both satellite services being technically one. it really doesn't make any sense at all. the nba, nfl, and nhl didn't have any problem with putting their games on the other service. hell, they were probably glad to do it- it's MORE EXPOSURE FOR THEM AND THEIR SPORT. but baseball, hell no. a contract is a contract and we've got big broken maple bats stuck so far up our asses, we won't even renegotiate the deal so that it can include sirius listeners. am i surprised by this? not really. after all this is the same outfit that has completely arcane territorial restrictions, got us a tie in the all star game and home field going to the league that won instead of the team with the better record (which is logistically possible despite what selig says. the nhl has about as many people on its active roster and they decide home-ice advantage by seeding or points, in that order).
i'm with steve o here in this. how exactly am i to show my displeasure with this decision? do i phone up sirius and tell customer service that i am completely dissatisfied with the service because they aren't going to air baseball games so they can kindly cancel my lifetime subscription and shove the radio up their ass? the only exception is that the extra innings package is not available to me, and i am a fan of a team that does not have the rights to my territory. i get no radio coverage and i only see my team on cable.
oh wait, i already am protesting. i've gotten the mlb at bat app for my itouch that i, let's say, "aquired" at no charge to me. baseball is a wonderful game, unfortunately run by a bunch of moronic jackasses.
thats not the answer i all ready have 3 radios why should i buy another one , its not like there going to take my last one i bought back,i pay for best of xm i want my mlb..
I don't understand where people get this mentality that MLB is greedy because they want more money to air games on Sirius. They should and have the right to demand more money. There deal is to air games on XM. That is it. They should charge Sirius as much as there charging XM to air games. If Sirius doesn't want to pay for the rights to air games, Sirius can screw off. MLB probably could give a shit about Sirius. Out of all of MLB's broadcast outlets Sirius has to be the most irrelevant option available. Sirius needs MLB more then MLB will ever need Sirius.
Some people find baseball boring but it is impossible for me to sit through an NBA or NHL game without falling asleep. Everyone enjoys different tastes in sports. Just because you find it boring doesn't mean it is to people who enjoy the game and are interested in hearing MLB on Sirius.
Ahh yes, more mindless idiots complaining that baseball sucks or that nobody listens.
Got news for you, baseball is only dumb to dumb minds. I look forward to listening to the games while I'm working.....you know....*WORK*, that thing that 90% of you haters on here don't do, yet post on internet forums all day complaining about steroids and such....like the NFL doesn't have any, lol.
Oh, and Howie fans, yea we get it, your show is sooooo good you're constantly in here overrunning the forums with your mindless drivel. You're just as pathetic as XM's O&A pests.
Please, if you hate baseball so much, go do something useful with your life....like WORK. Meanwhile, I'll be listening to the games while I'm at work.
Cya, chumps
"a silent victim like you and others who enjoy a good ass reaming by Sirius/XM" = ignorant sheep, newbs and suckers, just like Melvin Alan "Mel" Karmazin likes his subscribers to be.
[quote]Couldn't Mel have avoided this mess if they had chosen to simply refer to the merged company as "XM" and not "Sirius XM"? [/quote]
That's silly. The MLB had a contract with the company not the company's name, and as such there was likely a clause in the contract that dealt with a merger of the two satellite radio companies.
WGAS
WGAF
I have a question. Does anyone have the MiRge? If so, what window in your house do you have to put the antenna? Will Sirius and XM work out of the same direction? I live in the south in an apartment and my Serious works out of the North to northwest window. My xm works out of the southwest wall in my bedroom. I knowif I put the antenna on the roof of a house it will work but I live on the ground floor of an apartment and I do not have access to the roof.
I have a question. Does anyone have the MiRge? If so, what window in your house do you have to put the antenna? Will Sirius and XM work out of the same
direction? I live in the south in an apartment and my Serious works out of the North to northwest window. My xm works out of the southwest wall in my
bedroom. I knowif I put the antenna on the roof of a house it will work but I live on the ground floor of an apartment and I do not have access to the
roof.
i now have been reminded why i don't come to Orbitcast and removed it from my bookmarks. i thought it had gone back to more civilized conversation. apparently i was wrong.
Ranger,
I am well aware that baseball isn't the only sport that mugs and robs people blind, and I also realize that other forms of entertainment, be it Broadway plays/musicals, concerts, etc. are just as guilty. Several years ago, at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, they were charging $8 for a bottle of water and $12 for hamburgers! The last time I went to a baseball game, I stuffed myself senseless before I entered the Stadium, because I refused to pay $4.50 for a hotdog and $9.00 for a beer. If everybody would boycott the ridiculous prices, you would see them - the prices - come down quickly. Unfortunately, most people seem to enjoy being ripped off, and they rationalize everything with the popular "that's the way it is." So yes, you are absolutely correct in your aknowledgment that ALL sports and ALL forms of entertainment are slaves to the almighty dollar and none of them give a damn about the fans, the theater patrons or the concert goers.
"Why do I watch baseball, you ask? For the same reason I watch any sporting event; the thrill of good competition, the desire to watch great athletes excell at what they have spent years training for...." - Steve-O's "response" to my brilliant comments
"Ranger, I am well aware that baseball isn't the only sport that mugs and robs people blind, and I also realize that other forms of entertainment, be it Broadway plays/musicals, concerts, etc. are just as guilty. Several years ago, at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, they were charging $8 for a bottle of water and $12 for hamburgers! The last time I went to a baseball game, I stuffed myself senseless before I entered the Stadium, because I refused to pay $4.50 for a hotdog and $9.00 for a beer. If everybody would boycott the ridiculous prices, you would see them - the prices - come down quickly. Unfortunately, most people seem to enjoy being ripped off, and they rationalize everything with the popular "that's the way it is." So yes, you are absolutely correct in your aknowledgment that ALL sports and ALL forms of entertainment are slaves to the almighty dollar and none of them give a damn about the fans, the theater patrons or the concert goers." - Steve-O's response to Ranger
So i'm guessing you enjoy being raped Steve-O? See, I knew it! You ARE a closet homosexual!
I have no problem with any entity charging what its operators want for the service or product they're providing, and then letting people decide whether they want to pay it. But that's not what happens in many cases, because cities subsidize the teams and events by building arenas, parks, stadiums, amphitheaters, etc., many of which are money-losing ventures.
This is nothing more than welfare for the rich, representing a transfer of money from taxpayers as a whole to the wealthiest people in our society -- athletes, performers, team owners, concert promoters, and so on.
People say, "Oh, but we have to do this -- it helps the local economy." Sure it does, to an extent, but many other businesses do far more for the local economy, yet they get no such handouts.
If we were to let the teams operate as the private, profit-making enterprises they are rather than as publicly-subsidized boondoggles, we'd see a renewed concern for fans, because they'd have to provide real value for your money to get you into those seats. As it is now, they have no inclination to do any such thing, because if you don't choose to go to the game, they'll still get your money via your friendly, local politicians.
xcountry,
You really clarified the reality of the situation. Sports have the politicians in their hip pockets, and vice versa. Corruption permeates all aspects of society, and sports have embraced it with open arms. It amazes me how unaffected people are when they are treated like dumb farm animals on their way to the slaughter house. The last Yankee game I attended really opened my eyes to the absurdity of it all: $28 to park, $190 for 2 seats, $9 for a beer, $4-5 for a hot dog, etc.
If someone feels compelled to pay these prices, then that's their prerogative. As far as I'm concerned, these kinds of prices are a disgrace, and I will not allow them to bend me over and rape me, just for the privilege of watching a bunch of obscenely overpaid juiced up lying cheats hit a ball with a stick.
here is the problem,if you are a xm sub and you get best of sirius,you are getting some pretty good content,if stern isnt your thing then the nfl or nascar and so on.everyone agree those are options that people do want right?well, if you are a sirius sub. what are you getting from xm????can we all agree that to have a best of offering from xm that doesnt include baseball is an offering of nothing.what are sirius subs getting????oprah.to be honest its a better feed,sounds better,and is alot easier to listen to if i just use my iphone to hear mlb but.....if the companies have merged and there is a so-called best of xm then mlb should damn well be on it
who gives a shit..listening to baseball on the radio is as boring as watching shit decompose
if you want boring radio pay the extra money and listened to the greatest fail in radio history the O&A borefest
SPREAD THE VOID! "Notice us daddy Stern!"
More on At Bat on the iPhone:
Yes, you can display Gameday while an audio broadcast is playing, so you have a complete graphical representation of the game, including pitch location etc., while listening. Works very well on WiFi.
I don't have a 3G phone but one of the original models, and I can report only that the audio worked well on the EDGE network. In fact At Bat did a nice job of transitioning between WiFi and EDGE. When I moved out of range of my WiFi network, after a brief delay, I presume just long enough to start up a new network session with the streaming server, the audio would start to play again via EDGE.
On the downside, there were a few quality and service issues with some of the audio feeds yesterday: I noticed that the away feed for Mets/Reds was never available, and the away feed for Yankees/Orioles was barely audible. I expect that they'll work this sort of thing out pretty quickly, but they definitely had some glitches.
Hope they are saving all that $ to re-sign Howard. No Howard, no Sirius/XM. Let it die.
Wow...
I am not sure O and A need or care about stern.
And why are you bringing the Messiah's message to a baseball forum? Just because Howie says it, doesn't mean you need to bring his message to every comment board.
Come up with your own message and wait until an O and A, Hoo-Hoo topic comes up.
Marcus | April 4, 2009 6:34 PM | Reply
At least all you Sirius subs still get Stern!
Hoo-Ray! You got Stern! Hoo-Ray!
Bitch n Moan all you want....XM is the Superior Service...MLB knows it, everyone knows it.
Sirius Subs = Your mom's Box!!!!
_____________________________________________
They're the same company, retard.
note to all of you xm subs gloating about having games and sirius subs not:
not all sirius subs got the service for stern. some subs deleted stern's channels the second their radios were activated.
in total, the only real thing that sirius subs got with the best of xm was the nhl. while not saying its a bad thing (it's not) i think that it's clear that in order to make things equal, sirius should offer up something else of real substance as as an equal replacement. i have a real good suggestion: take off mlb home plate since there's no real reason to have it with zero games on the service. give us america left (most people agree that sirius left is a complete and absolute joke) instead or one of the clear channel programmed stations.
Wait for an Oral n Anal topic to come up? Don't hold your breath.
What could they possibly do to garner news? Maybe set themselves on fire - the only way they could "burn up the airwaves".
I'd really like to hear their plans for radio domination which includes the creation of a broadcast empire that will finally mark the end of the Stern era.
I guess that won't happen either.0.0
Anonymous,
Anybody who is as obsessed with my sexual orientation as you are must be TEA-BAGGING CLAY AIKIN ! Also, if your comments are so brilliant, why is it that 95% of what you post is a re-post of what I already said. Stop using my material, you sissy, and try to come up with an original thought. Nothing personal - but you are boring, stupid and dimwitted.
And there it is...
More of the same crap, honestly, do you just cut and paste from others?
I don't hear Hoo-Hoo burning up the airwaves either. If it wasn't for Sirius hawking him every chance they got, he would basically become NPR for the 35-55 age group.
yes i was one of 10% of howie's fans on FM radio that jumped on sirius for his show,......now im switching to XM for opie and anthony & BASEBALL, bye bye HOO HOO.. sorry cant listen to a fraud like stern that constantly bashes other radio personalities like o&a then cries to management "tell them to stop pickin on me, they started it WAAAAAAH"
i bet the same dummies that think baseball is boring would much rather watch vince mcmahon and his soap opera style wrestling on monday nights....
id rather of watched my phillies lose 4-1 on opening nite (sunday) then pay $60 for Wrastlemania
And there it is...
More of the same crap, honestly, do you just cut and paste from others?
I don't hear Hoo-Hoo burning up the airwaves either. If it wasn't for Sirius hawking him every chance they got, he would basically become NPR for the 35-55 age group.
your the only butt plug that mentions "the messiah" in this post
(didnt he claim to invent baseball anyway? HOO HOO tell 'em fred, isnt that right robin?) and no baseball?.....maybe you would much rather prefer men in tights act out theatrical entertainment (wrestling) and attend church basements to see dopes like artie lange) then watch a good baseball game!!!!!
p.s. GO PHILLIES!!!!!
WORLD CHAMPIONS OF BASEBALL 2008
What I'd like to see is Dopey n Dorothy begin their reign as the new era of radio. Oh wait, that won't happen.
Maybe I can catch their podcast - do they have one yet? Time is running out on their ride on satrad.
Face it chump 0.0 are insignificant and are going nowhere. Wankers like you still think 0.0 will actually amount to something. Keep dreaming.
Hey Annie, tell em, we're the best! You just wait, we'll hit it big one day and begin the end of the Stern era. Make sure you get the Kool Aid drinkers to post how bad Stern is and how great we are. If we say it enough maybe another dozen people will believe us.
"Anonymous,
Anybody who is as obsessed with my sexual orientation as you are must be TEA-BAGGING CLAY AIKIN ! Also, if your comments are so brilliant, why is it that 95% of what you post is a re-post of what I already said. Stop using my material, you sissy, and try to come up with an original thought. Nothing personal - but you are boring, stupid and dimwitted."
My "stupid, boring, dimwitted" comments must be bothering you just enough for you to keep commenting on them and for you to keep getting defensive over your closet homosexuality. It's really OK, just come out and admit it.
And if you hate going to baseball games so much, and you hate baseball so much....why do you keep watching? It's like you still "subscribe" to satellite radio and you go on message boards and orbitcast to bitch about it constantly, and of course who can forget your constant responses to my comments. It's almost as if you ENJOY hating. But please, prove me wrong.
"(didnt he claim to invent baseball anyway? HOO HOO tell 'em fred, isnt that right robin?) "
how long has the pest "army" of 10 been rehashing these same cliche boring unfunny morning zoo hack lines?
and i cant figure out why O&A failed on radio so badly...just cant figure it out
"We're smart enough to get around FCC guidelines, unlike Hoo-hoo, who's old and out of touch..."
Greg Hughes 2006
bwhahahahahahahahahahha
Time to go to shoutcast and look for the bootleg signal.
Unnecessary, since I have a Sirius sub, if MLB would just "play ball."
all i have to say is you listen to a guy who used to be referred to as: "Hop Along Howie" how gay is that!
nowadays most people forget who he even is....well besides who ever is left listening...besides im sure o&a have caught up to stern with the loyal new york fans that were listening on K-Rock and now subscribing to xm...the ratings are closer then you think...not what wikipedia tells you
besides...wasnt sirius stock high before stern?...now??? you could trade an analog tv for a million shares of sirius, dummy!
besides doesnt "0.0 and fail" fall under the same lines you idiot!
You want to talk about being forgotten? No one knows o n a except for the dozen wankers posting here.
They're off regular radio and no one cares. As many people in the radio industry said, in 5 years no one will know or remember o n a. They we're off by 2 years.
By the end of 2009 they will be about as relevant as the lint on Cheney's apple sack. Which I'm sure o n a would gladly lick clean for two minutes of fame. They'll have to push ron n pez away to do it.
Recently I replayed Opie and Anthony's interview of Mel Karmazin that took place right after the merger was approved. In that interview, Karmazin asserts, as would be expected, that Howard Stern makes "a lot of money" for his company. However, I can remember several other interviews of Stern himself in the years after he was put on Sirius in which he chided, even ridiculed, his fans for being cheapskates and not buying up satellite radios quickly enough to justify his mega-salary.
While there's no doubt that Stern has brought in subscribers, I question Karmazin's implication that Stern's show represents a gold mine for satellite radio. I say this because a high percentage of satellite radios are permanently installed in vehicles, and it's doubtful that the presence of Stern's show on Sirius influenced a whole lot of people to buy a brand of vehicle that has Sirius rather than XM. Moreover, when you look at Stern's ratings, while he's the highest-rated channel on Sirius, the number of people listening represents a very small fraction of total Sirius subscribers.
I'm not a Stern hater, and I'm not a fan, either. My point is this: Satellite radio does not really seem a good place for morning shows and shock jocks, whether Stern, Opie and Anthony, or whomever else. I believe this because satellite radio listeners tend to want something different from regular radio, and the FM dial is full of morning shows of all stripes. Also, what really makes a morning show "go" is having a critical mass of people in a certain city who listen to it, which makes it a subject of local conversation, such as among people at work, and on other media, such as TV. With satellite radio, there are too few subscribers in any given city for the show to develop that kind of momentum.
x country, im not trying to say you are wrong or argue but im curious as to where your # come from? "while stern has the highest ratings on sirius his listeners represent only a fraction of total sirius subs"where did you get those numbers?you doubt people bought a car based on what svs it had? me too.they just bought the radio and put it in the car they had.after sterns annoucement to move to sirius subs went from 600,000 to over 2,000,000.obviously 2,000,000 cars werent sold...the majority were radio units installed into cars people had already."what makes a morning show go is having a critical mass of people in a certain city who listen..."you know sterns show was syndicated across the country for years right? also was the #1 rated show in those cities that his show was on,right?
Good questions.
Numbers come from the Arbitron satellite ratings, the last one I was able to get was Fall '07, so it's a year and a half old, but probably has not changed too much since then, given that Stern's show was well established by that time.
Actually, if you look at the retail vs. OEM numbers, not that many people buy radios and put them into cars -- and fewer are doing it every day. That's one of Sirius XM's big problems. OEM still makes up 80 percent of radios, I believe I recall from the last numbers I've seen on that.
Of course Stern was syndicated, as are most big-time morning shows. It makes no difference where the show originates. When it is broadcast over local radio, it becomes a topic of local conversation in markets where it's heard. Of course, Stern has a historic tie to New York City -- and the local connection is great if it's there -- but he became big in many markets where he was featured on local radio.
A little more specific info for possible discussion:
Stern's Cume numbers in the report I saw were about 1.2 million on one channel and 500,000 on the other; the caveat is that you don't know if those are the same people or different ones. To give him the benefit of the doubt, let's assume they're different and that roughly 1.7 million people tune into Stern for at least five minutes on Sirius in a typical day. And, actually, that fits with the figure you cited of Sirius' subscriptions going from 600,000 to 2 million after adding Stern. The addition of his fans to the Sirius subscriber roster definitely would have been front-loaded -- most would have signed up right away -- with some more trickling in over time, perhaps enough to replace the ones who fall away.
Looking at these numbers, I think it'd be fair to say that there are somewhere between 1.5 and 2 million subscribers for whom Stern is a major or exclusive reason for having satellite radio. Given what they pay for their subscriptions compared to Stern's salary, Sirius XM probably can say Stern provides positive cash flow, but there are still a few problems:
1. Stern could be reaching far more listeners, making far more money for his industry, on terrestrial radio. On satellite radio, he probably costs his employer $10 to $20 per year for subscriber, which would unquestionably qualify him as one of the most expensive entertainers of any type, of all time. You just can't pay that much for talent -- not when you also have to run hundreds of other channels to keep the majority of your listeners who did not sign up for Stern happy.
2. The small number of people who have access to Stern has, in itself, caused his show to lose momentum, thus reducing his ultimate value to the company. Every day he's on satellite radio, he becomes more irrelevant, less of a household word, more of a has-been. Yeah, he can say 'the F word' on the air, but after the fiftieth time it loses its impact, and with a measly couple million listeners, at most, in the whole country, nobody's hearing him anyhow, in the overall scheme of things.
the ony time howie gets in the paper anymore is if his wife is doing an excercise machine infomercial
R.I.P harry kalas
Very nice!!!!
Great response you moron. However that's still one more mention than o n a.
The trade and newspapers can't write about the "wonder twins" because there's nothing to say, they've been dropped by every station and are falling back into obscurity. Maybe if they offed themselves, they'll get a mention, then again, maybe not.
Ummm, how many times does Howard have to say he will NEVER go back?? 'Tards!
I called Sirius corporate on Thursday 04/16/09 about the issue of MLB not being a part of the Best of XM package and to inquire as to when it will be added. After waiting on hold for 22 minutes, the adviser returned with good news...
Complete MLB play-by-play coverage will begin on the Best of XM starting May 1st, 2009 !!!
I hope it's not bullshit!!
Not true i called and we are still not getting MLB
Not True i called over there and they said we are still not getting MLB
Untrue i just called over there and they said nothing yet , so no MLB games as we speak
Give it time. When wireless internet is available in cars, Sirius/XM will be kaput.
I say SiriusXM should call their bluff. XM has already paid through 2011, as I'm lead to understand, why doesn't XM just say to MLB, "Fine, we may have already paid you, but we're not going to air any MLB games on EITHER system, AND we're NOT going to renew. Find your own national radio host!"
Sounds like Sirius baseball fans are getting screwed. I would gladly trade my XM Lifetime subscription (w/ best of Sirius) to any of you for the sirius package and best of XM. (can't lose Ron and Fez and O n A.)
Seems that if you buy a new car w/ Sirius installed, you can't convert. Even though they merged.
So I get my new Hyundai with free XM for a few months and I hear announcements that there will be free NFL for a few weeks. Fine. I have my lifetime Sportster that I need to install. But when I try to find a game I want to listen to, that XM dork announcer doesn't announce all the games in progress, only what's coming up next week or some junk like that.
As for baseball being a yawner, it's a matter of taste. If your home team is not competitive, you might not care. However, if your team is in the hunt (as mine is) I do like to listen in often.