XM Satellite Radio has just officially unveiled its new channel lineup, with the addition of 10 new music channels and 7 regional news/talk channels, bringing the total number of channels to 170.
The bump in music channels brings the number of commercial-free channels to 69. As we know, both XM Chill and Big Tracks were added earlier this month, and here's the official lineup of the new music channels being added during April and May:
U.S. Country (XM Channel 17): Country Superstars of the 80s & 90s
Flight 26 (XM Channel 26): Modern Hits of the 90's & Now
XM Hitlist (XM Channel 30): Today's Hit Music
enLighten (XM Channel 34): Southern Gospel
XM Liquid Metal (XM Channel 42): Heavy Metal
The Heat (XM Channel 68): Rhythmic Top 40
Escape (XM Channel 78): Easy Listening
Viva (XM Channel 91): Latin Pop Hits
XM will also introduce six more regional news/talk channels in late spring/early summer. These will individually be announced when they're ready, but they'll be similar to the WLW addition we saw earlier this month. These seven regional news and talk channels are provided by Clear Channel Communications will be part of a new category on the channel guide called "Regional News, Talk & Music Channels."
This new category will also include Clear Channel-programmed music channels KISS, MIX, Nashville, and Sunny, plus the launch of WSIX, with country personality Gerry House live from Nashville. As we all know, Clear Channel will start carrying commercials on these music channels in May, so they are grouped separately from XM's lineup of 69 commercial-free music channels on the new channel guide. (Very good move by XM in my opinion.)
Other changes include some renaming of channels:
XM 32 The Fish -> The Message
XM 52 Unsigned -> The Verge
XM 90 Alegria -> Fuego
XM 165 Ask -> Talk Radio
XM 172 Franc Parler -> SportPlus (Broadcast in French)
The Torch, Music Lab, The Flow, and Luna will be making the move to XM Radio Online, DirecTV and AOL.
Download the entire new XM Channel Lineup here (PDF) or visit the XM Radio New Lineup page to read more.
I want a jam band station. I know that sirius has one, and I think that xm should!!
I like XM for the Mets games, but it needs an answer to serius' jam band channel! XM better do it before Serius gets baseball!
XM's primary shortcoming is the lack of a jam channel. XM Music Lab was a poor second, but even that's gone now. Come on XM - how about some jams!?
bring back msnbc that was the best always kept it there as I travel
I wish XM would bring back a jam Band station. This was one of the reasons I got XM to start with and then it was gone. There are no real outlets to hear new Jam Bands.
Bring back Music Lab!!! It seems that, with the recent changes, XM is trying to model itself more like Sirius and less like the LEADER in satellite music that is is/was. Music Lab was one of those unique channels that caused me to get XM. Progressive rock, jam bands, fusion... musician/player oriented stuff. I got my fill of old Genesis, Yes, Rush, etc., and was introduced to GREAT newer bands like Porcupine Tree, The Secret Machines, etc. I MISS IT, and quite frankly, I truly do not have the same love for XM that I had before they axed it.
u guys are a bunch of whinners christian rock like honestly that crap don't sell
u guys are a bunch of whinners christian rock like honestly that crap don't sell
Jim, you obviously don't know why people get XM Radio's, it ain't just about the lack of commercials, they can just get iPods and or a Napster/Zune subscription for that if all they want to listen to is the top 40.
It sold me on getting an XM Radio, I mean thats the whole point of satellite radio, to offer the stuff that is hard to find locally, or not quite popular enough for a local audience but has a huge combined audience nationwide. I wanted it because of The Torch, because I can't get Radio U in my car. Looks like I'm stuck using my iPod.
I'm new to the satellite radio world and my initial impressions are less than exciting. I'm surprised at just how poor the sound quality is. I find that I enjoy listening to Sirius premium quality Internet streaming much more than listening to the satellite radio.
I love the commercial free aspect, and the content is very good. But I have to say that HD Radio is the clear winner here in Chicago with good commercial free content (for now) and far superior sound quality over the air.
How about a few less stations, and little better sound!
here we go again, it looks like xm has killed the music lab for good. no longer available on line. the best part is they have replaced it with the 30 days of cold play. are you serious. is it possible to get any more innane or banal. this really bums me out and i think it will be the end of my xm subscription. i thought xm was about the listeners not the ratings. oh well it was fun while it lasted.
After taking a road trip with some friends who have Sirius, this XM subscriber is switching over pronto and I'm not waiting for this merger to get the Sirius channels.
Sirius has the Grateful Dead channel, JamOn and another cool channel called The Faction which were all way better than anything XM has to offer.
XM has gone downhill as far as music selection goes since I first subscribed 4 years ago. Incidentally, that 30 days of Coldplay could also be considered another nail in the XM coffin for me, no matter what channel it took over.