Sirius Satellite Radio’s $3.3 billion purchase of XM Satellite Radio has been approved with conditions by U.S. communications regulators, clearing the way for a deal that will leave just one U.S. satellite radio service.
The FCC’s commissioners voted by a 3-2 margin in favor of a proposal that would allow the deal to proceed as long as the companies met a series of consumer protection conditions, including a three-year cap on prices, setting aside 8 percent of their channel capacity for minority and non-commercial programming and payment of a $19.7 million penalty for past FCC rule violations.
The companies also will have to make available to consumers radios that receive both Sirius and XM. As part of the order, the FCC also will conduct an inquiry into whether it should require that all satellite radios be built with technology that allows them to also receive high definition terrestrial radio signals…
The merger would bring entertainers such as Oprah Winfrey and shock jock Howard Stern under the same banner.
Neither firm has managed to outstrip the other, in content, style or substance. Maybe there’s now a better chance of a single self-sustaining operation.
I have XM and never listen to Howard Stern OR Ophrah. One hundred commercial free music channels is awesome! Sixties (sometimes with the risen from the dead Wolfman Jack) Seventies, Forties, Bluegrass, Accoustic Jazz, Fusion Jazz, Drum and Bass, Trance, Techno, even an all EMO channel, should I want to depress myself to death.
Multiple comedy channels, Old Time Radio Theater, Contemporary Radio Theater, every kind of talk.
Local traffic and weather for sixty markets.
American FM radio sucks, for the most part. It has been homogenized and blown out of the water by overconglomeration. There is only one message on ‘merkin radio, only one voice, only one master.
Satellite radio is great stuff.
I really don’t see this as a big help. I am not sure even one company can make it. Unless they reduce the payroll of the online talent and sports contracts. I had XM for a couple years and the quality of audio became almost worse then FM. Bandwidth has been over compressed to make room for more and more channels.
I am glad this finally happened…and the only reason it took so long was because the corrupt terestial station owners like clearchannel (clear? hah!) were allowed to put so much pressure on to keep it from happening.
Anyone who says ‘I won’t pay for radio!’ let me guess, you still picking up TV for free?
I’ve had XM since the day it launched, and haven’t once regretted it. No commercials, no moronic DJs trying to be ‘funny’ infinitely better music choices. Anyone who says ‘I won’t pay for radio!’ isn’t a music fan.
There are a few stations on Sirius I really like (Faction, Boobox) and to get those on the same radio I get my XM? I’m stoked.
Now you losers who think 60 year old ‘technology’ such as FM is the way to go, well, old fogeys, you couldn’t be more wrong.
I am an XM subscriber. This part bugs me.
“setting aside 8 percent of their channel capacity for minority and non-commercial programming”
This bothers me as much as infomercials on my cable. I am paying for a premiem service. To force them to include this crap may keep them from including some good programing. Would you except infomercials on your HBO? And yes I can read “noncommercial programing” but that is what it is alreaddy offering.
#24 – You can go to the web site and block out the crap that you don’t want to listen to like the religious nuts. Howard Stern is great, well worth the $500,000,000 salary.
“The merger would bring entertainers such as Oprah Winfrey and shock jock Howard Stern under the same banner.”
This isn’t any incentive for me to subscribe to XM or Sirius. Especially Oprah. I can’t avoid hearing her fawn all over Tom Cruise, enough. And no doubt Limbaugh is stinking up their airways too. If I want to listen to music on a long trip, I’ll take along my MP3 player. XM is for radio-addicts, who can’t get enough programming choices, to the point of absurdity. Doubtless, most of them are only slightly varied, to the point of being indistinguishable, without their channel logos. Like Tv shopping channels that carry only a select quality of CRAP you don’t need!
As for the long haul drivers, of whom XM probably got its start with. $4 a gallon gas will probably shorten both their trips, and the radio subscriptions. XM may not survive, being it’s never shaken being a luxury. It will have to depend on the top 5% of american incomes to support it. It may not get that many.
well, oprah doesn’t even appear on her channel more than 1 hr per week, from what i understand while on sirius martha stewart is there a couple of hours a day, 5 days a week.
as for the music channels, i like what i got but from what i understand xm also has a good playlist, so hopefully the merger will complment both of them. but what I want is hockey back (if for no other reason than to listen to flyers games wherever i am and not have to get the nhl center ice plan from comcast). as well, it will be nice to listen to penn state games without needing the net. and as for the lefty channel over on XM, eat Lynn Samuels’ and Alex Bennett’s shorts. but finally, i only listen to local radio anymore for local talk and maybe coast to coast am.
i am betting in 5 or so years, that most terrestrial stations will go to mainly local content while networked shows will head onto the sattelite radio and the net.
I only listen to lacal radio anymore for local tald and maybe coast to coast am.
Regulators clearing the way for a deal that will leave just one U.S. satellite radio service.