I just cancelled XM

[live love laugh]

I abhor the prospect of having no choice when I pay to listen to the radio. I have had it up to here with satellite radio which I only bought because of Air America. It has been a struggle keeping up with Air America in the short time that they've been on the air--from switching from Sirius to XM and having to buy new equipment, to enduring ridiculously chopped up radio shows with extremely excessive prolonged commercials.

They rep offered me half off for the next year if I did not cancel in case anybody's interested. I am done.

[aquart]

1. You told them flat out you signed on for Air America?

[live love laugh]

14. I told them I didn't like the fact that they were limiting my choices by

merging with the only other satellite radio company; that their programming was poor and the commercials were excessive when people are paying to listen.

They sent me a renewal notice. I still have a month left on the year's subscription. I will miss AAR but it's not worth it anymore to me. In the morning, I hear the Young Turks (they're OK sometimes); Sam Seder is moved to a time when working people can't hear him; when I take lunch I hear Ed Schultz and quickly turn to any other station; and in the evening, if I work late I drive home to Eco Talk or Politically Direct--both snoozers. Sometimes I catch Rachel Maddow, and just like Sam Seder, I miss out on Randi most of the time. It's like AAR puts their best people in the worst spots.

I figure the best choice for me is no choice at all. Funny how demand is supposed to drive the markets and yet AAR and XM seem impervious to demand.

Satellite radio is "cool" to have to most people. I don't need cool. I bought it for one reason only--AAR. And AAR sucks now.

[Postman]

16. Do what I did....

buy yourself an Mp3 player or an iPod and sign onto Air America Premium. You can download what you want to hear, when you want to hear it.

I paid for a "Gold" pass ($70.00) for one year subscription - gives me access to all the programs on Air America.

Sam Seder, Thom Hartmann - two of the best progressive voices on radio.

I still have XM but once my contract expires, I'm not renewing since I only bought it for Air America and they're not even honest in their presentation of THAT because Ed Schultz isn't an Air America host and in the process, is bumping Thom Hartmann from being heard.

I'm glad I bought my Mp3 to be able to listen to the people I want to listen to, and not what XM wants me to listen to.

[bbgrunt]

23. I like that idea, but being tech impaired, I really

hope you can explain to me how to do this. Do you have to have a separate mp3 player? I have an mp3 player right in my computer programs. Does that mean that I could download these podcasts to a cd or directly to my hard drive?

[live love laugh]

26. You download podcasts to iTunes and then synch/download them to your player. n/t

[bbgrunt]

29. thanks for the quick response--I guess I'll have to bravely try a new

technique and seee if it works. Is itunes a website?

[Poiuyt]

35. iTunes is a free program for playing music and videos

http://www.apple.com/itunes/

[NYCGirl]

28. You can also play them on your computer — in iTunes or any program that

plays MP3s. You don't need an iPod or separate MP3 player.

[tridim]

2. So I take it you have to actually call them to cancel?

Because I would love to pay half price for the one AAR show I listen to on XM.

[live love laugh]

15. Yes, if I didn't call to cancel they would have continued charging to my card. n/t

[jazzjunkysue]

3. I was tempted, but, I assumed as much and never bought in.

Sorry you got burned. Let's hope the new $$ for Air America an stabilize the station.

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. Well if I didn't live in red state radio hell,

and if I had other choices besides sports talk, rush, bill or sean, I would have no need for XM. I was in California last week. It was so awesome to turn on AM radio and hear Randi Rhodes! But that is not how it is here. For my sanity, I gladly pay XM for AAR.

[EnviroBat]

37. Oh, you're in Ohio too?

f'ing radio is all owned by Clear Channel, (Clearly right-wing). They really want to push the propaganda bullshit here now that we won big last November...

[Renew Deal]

5. I love my Sirius.

I'm in NY so I get AAR locally. I would never give up my Sirius. No commercials. Free speech. Pretty much all sports except baseball. It's terrific.

[madfloridian]

6. Could you explain more? Our letter said no new equipment.

:shrug:

Are they dropping AAR, what are you talking about?

[live love laugh]

17. Sorry for the long time to respond, I was out for a while.

No they aren't dropping AAR. I just don't like that XM and Sirius are merging. I think it portends for even less in the way of liberal programming since Sirius has Talk Left and XM has AAR. In addition to that, XM's advertising during AAR programs is excessive--especially during Randi Rhodes. There are commercials that run for nearly five minutes at a time-many of them XM's own commercials--and in between the commercials you get small segments of the show. It's impossible to listen and follow.

It's bad enough that they have moved the best shows out of drive time, the commercials are ridiculous and now they are merging. Maybe things will stabilize as somebody mentioned in one post here, and maybe I will go back if they do. For now, I will have to get liberal news elsewhere.

[bbgrunt]

22. If I'm not mistaken , the long commercials breaks are due

to the set up for local radio stations for advertising. These are mandated by AAR to fund their operation. Since local advertisers don't sign up for xm national broadcasts, the xm programming fills in the blank spaces. So I believe that the commercials are not a function on xm.

That being said, I too am reaching my limit since the only reason I have it is for AAR. I've gone through the whole sirius/xm/novam bs and am beginning to feel really jerked around. .....and to have Schultz instead of Hartman is just salt in the wound.

[Greyhound]

7. It occurred to me that this one of the most significant differences between

"our money people" and "their money people". Mellon-Scaife will literally drop a billion dollars to create a whole industry segment to promote his twisted view, while George Soros demands a return on his investments.

[live love laugh]

18. Huh? You lost me. Please explain what George Soros has to do with XM and AAR. nt

[Greyhound]

33. Nothing, he's just the best known name of a "liberal" billionaire.

The point was that if it were 25 years ago and it were the republiks starting a communications network, their backers tend to be more patient with the building process.

Limpballs, for example, was the second-monkey commentator for the Kansas City Royals when they picked him and he had shit for ratings for years and years but his backers didn't quit because he was getting their message out there. Air America is just 3(?) years old and has been sold twice and gone into bankruptcy.

David Brock talked about this in his "Blinded by the Right".

[madfloridian]

8. Again, what equipment?

Our letter said none would be required.

[live love laugh]

20. The equipment is an old issue, I used to subscribe to Sirius and had

their equipment; then AAR went to XM so I dumped the old Sirius receiver to get XM's equipment. The hassle of keeping up with AAR is what I am talking about and although the merger won't require new equipment this time, I don't care to buy into one giant corporation's services because I have no choice. I choose not to listen via satellite at all.

[Nite Owl]

9. What's happening with XM?

I haven't gotten anything from them about any changes. I got the three year package when I got my car, it's got about a year left.

[Democrat 4 Ever]

11. I have XM and love satellite radio. I have been calling the last

several months complaining about their dropping MSNBC and now carrying Ed Schultz instead of AAR in the 12-3 time slot. Registering complaints but no resolution. So I decided to try a different method -

I finally told them today that I was going to start filing complaints with Congress in relation to their proposed merger with Sirius. That I thought there were serious concerns about XM radio was showing a definite conservative, rightwing slant and I thought that the combining of these two satellite services would only compound the problem (Thank you Jaysus for a Democratic Congress!!!). I then told them that I would review my subscription upon renewal but for now, would no longer recommend them to family and friends.

I also told them that a community of over 100,000 progressive/liberal people were discussing XM and their services on line and right now it wasn't looking too good for them. That did seem to get their attention. I'm calling the corporate office again tomorrow morning - 202-380-4000 to register another complaint. Call if you can. You might want to mention Congress since they are reviewing the merger of Sirius and XM and mention a community of over 100,000 are pissed at them right now. Couldn't hurt.

[Nite Owl]

12. They dropped MSNBC?

Come to think of it the other day I turned to it to try to get the press conference with the Edwards and it didn't come in so I got it on another channel. I was going through the mountains and reception can be spotty so I didn't think they cancelled it. I will try to call them tomorrow. What congressional committee is reviewing the merger?

[riverdeep]

10. If you have an mp3 player

and a subsciption to air america podcasts, you can listen that way. It's not in real time, but half the shows aren't broadcast on real time anyway, and if you don't buy the mp3 player just for this, it winds up being cheaper. Although I think there are some very inexpensive players out now.

[live love laugh]

19. Thanks. I may try that. nt

[Maat]

13. I actually went back to Sirius after about a year with XM - switched back 4 months ago.

I can listen to the full three hours of Hartmann on KLSD 1360 San Diego, and re-listen to the second and third hours at 10 PM on Sirius, if I so desire. Plus, I can listen to Bobby and Pap on the weekends on KLSD. I get the music I like, and RadioDisney for my kid on Sirius, and I can listen to Malloy so clearly I could hear a pin drop at nighttime.

XM carrying Ed Schultz in that did it for me - and I told them so when I cancelled (that - combined with them not carrying Malloy). I told them that I was well aware of who the DLC-corporatist-centrist propangadist was (no offense to listeners of said host), and that I was always watching for signs of self-censorship on the part of the hosts. XM's program just didn't cut it anymore.

[Rosco T.]

21. Of course, XM picks up the NovaM network in May....

and my birdies tell me that the delay from mid march till May is because of a second left channel (not all the pieces in place)

picking up NovaM...
second left channel...


hmmm..

right now the 'major name' for NovaM is Malloy from 9p-midnight ET

lots of channel to fill, and the merger is the BEST thing that can happen, Sirius turned their back on AAR and has given lib talk the short shrift ever since (check BuyBlue for an eye opener)

Bill Press?
Hartmann?
Stephanie?
Lionel?


nose, meet spite.

The best is yet to come.....

[Ignacio Upton]

24. Having two companies actually LIMITS choices

Different associations have to sign different contracts with XM and Sirius. With terrestrial radio, you have the FCC assigning frequencies for stations, providing a "common area" for all content providers. But the proprietary format of satellite radio makes this impossible. However, my only reservation about this merger (and a big one too) is that monthly rates will be artificially high due to the lack of competition. Hopefully this merger doesn't create a satellite radio version of AT&T pre-1984.

[Bombtrack]

30. Mel Karmazin made a promise not to raise prices on his Howard Stern interview

[Ignacio Upton]

31. Call my cynical, I doubt he'll keep that promise

He'll find some kind of excuse. The problem with satellite radio is the same that cable had in the early '80s: how can you get people to pay for something that you can already get for free? Satellite radio will have to keep reasonable rates in order to do this, and with a merger, I'm skeptical, even though choice will expand.

[Bombtrack]

32. How is false notion a problem when people ended up doing exactly that with cable

paying for it almost universally in the middle class and even the majority of the low income class.

If Karmazin has ever shown a history of dishonesty I've yet to hear about it.

[Ignacio Upton]

34. I don't know much about Karmazin personally

So if I'm jumping to conclusions, then I apologize. But media mergers in general have not helped consumers in terms of rates and costs (the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was sold to us as something that would help lower rates for consumers; this has not happened.)

[Marnieworld]

38. But there would still be competition

Even if/when the companies merge they will still compete with Free/radio and they still compete with MP3 players that anyone can have in their cars now. There is an entire entertainment market that they are in, not just satelite radio.

Obviously they have to keep prices down, they promise even lower prices, because they are still having to compete. If they are overpriced no one will buy them and they will die.

The merger only increases the number of subscribers and the satelites available to provide programming. And sirius has no commericials on music channels- none which is sooooo worth it.

What it provides for sports fans is revolutionary. If you like football every game is not just on the radio but you get feeds for both the home and visitor station so you can be comforted by your team bias. With Nascar you can actually hear the driver's conversations with their crews. The medium offers unique advantages that free radio can't provide.

It's also so exciting when you hear absolutely uncensored free speech. That's priceless.

For $12.95 a month you can't beat it. Now that they have portable radio/mp3 players you can record and save programming including just an individual song as you hear it.

There is a reason why most people have cable now instead of free antenna TV. Satelite radio is just as exciting and new and more than before. Worth the price.

[BlooInBloo]

25. Wow. Such committment to such an immature product offering is... interesting.

[live love laugh]

27. What do you mean?

[LTR]

36. They have no control over commercials

Those are AAR network and local breaks. That's an AAR issue, not XM.

After all, they have to do it.