Sirius/XM Merger finally approved!
 

And it only took what...a year and a half?

Exxon/Mobile took far less time. It's amazing that the FCC took this long to make this decision. It was such a no-brainer from the beginning. I'm just glad it's finally over and they have a chance to see if this business model is going to work at all. In the meantime, bababooey to you all. :)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sirius Satellite Radio Inc's (SIRI.O) purchase of XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc (XMSR.O) was approved with conditions by U.S. communications regulators on Friday, clearing the way for a deal that will leave just one U.S. satellite radio service.

The Federal Communications Commission voted 3-2 in favor of a proposal that would allow the deal to proceed as long as the companies meet a series of consumer protection conditions, including a three-year cap on prices, set-aside of channels for minority and non-commercial programming and payment of a $19.7 million penalty for past FCC rule violations.

Think of all the new people that will hear Riley Martin now!

Oh My

I've been sitting on a bunch of shares for a while expecting this. Let's hope for a pop upwards on Monday. I need some good news from the markets (been getting my arse handed to me lately)...

targzissians are mostly reptilian

Both companies are bleeding money right now. Merging them MAY not have an affect on the function of the company, which is the issue. They need to rethink the business model and make some tweaks.

What will happen to Opie and Anthony ??

Me too--but I bought @ $4.88 a while ago, so it's gonna be a while...

I don't see why they can't stay. Hoo hoo has his own channel, they can keep theirs. I'm so glad the "golden ticket" other shows never materialized. I like listening to O&A in the evening when I'm working on my car in the garage.

Hey Now!!!

No way his ego will allow that to happen, he had them removed from the air before, and I'm sure he aims to again. Their deal with FM is also going to be problematic since Sirius doesn't roll that way.

Yea...I think he's a major stockholder, and was the primary reason why Sirius took off when it did. That said....new Howard is not like old Howard. He's definitely more mature now. And, if he pisses off a bunch of O & A subscribers, many O & A fans will leave.

DAMN IT! This is bad.....

Competition helped the breed.....plus I don't want to subsidize the moron called Stern....

i think only because he's a shareholder (I didn't know that) could he do something. I don't think he has nearly the clout he used to. When your 5 million subscribers now have to pay and drop significantly...that lets you know how much your really loved.

I listen to O&A a bunch, but only because they made it free and I was already an XM subscriber. I wouldn't sign up for them or really any one thing.

Competition is HD radio and the IPOD, either change the channel, or go with one of those. And I don't think you're subsidizing him seeing as how he was paid up front for four years, that check was written by Sirus and and has left the building.

Fla, fla fluhee.

hey now!

right on.

t951 is completely wrong. regular radio is the competition. why else did they oppose the merger?

i am glad.

flee, flii, flohie.

Why would the deal with FM be a problem? BTLS on Howard 101 has a FM show separate from his Sirius show.

Its a joke that this took 1.5 years to approve.

and a baba boohey to you all as well.

So, I undersrtand you can listen to the radio and an ipod.....but you think that Sirius and XM weren't directly competing? That is retarded. They both offered the exact same service, satellite radio, and competed for the same market.

XM and Sirius had to outperform each other, as well as the other options.

And of course regular radio would object. As the two satellite options got better, and had to compete in price, it would drive the cost down and quality up, further reducing regular radios weakening position.

Wow, and you guys think i am wrong......

still think you are wrong. they sell music, and noise for our LISTENING enjoyment. the vehicle of delivery isnt in question. it is in it's most basic form, just a radio. they compete with radio that broadcast for effen free! i think radio needs to step it up. they got into bed with the FCC and slit their own throats. regular radio needs to get way more entertaining. that is where they need to put their energy. not fighting a merger, that they claim they DONT compete against.

I've held off on getting an XM or Sirius receiver for precisely this reason - because I knew a merger was likely and knowing my luck, I'd end up with an obsolete/out-of-date piece of electronics junk in a few months. In the event of a merger, is there any guarantee that such-and-such receivers would still work afterwards? No. That's why. Once it goes through, I'll see a bit more reason to buy such things maybe. I really do like the idea of listener-supported radio (the NPR model) in exchange for no commercials.

The other thing I'm a bit worried about is that I go out and spend all this $$$ on a satellite radio receiver, a subscription, etc. and then they decide "well, I guess we can let a FEW commercials in, to help the bottom line you know..." Kind of like what happened with CATV many years ago (anyone else remember that? I do.) It started off as a commercial-free venture and people paid (dearly) for the ability to watch their programming commercial-free. Then the broadcasters got greedy over time and we find ourselves where we are today - paying out the nose for *****ty programming and endless infomercial blathering and commercial blocks that are 40%-50% of a scheduled program block. And we pay for this. Why should I think radio would NOT do the same thing (the "frog in the boiling water" plan)?

The difference is that the satellite radio subscriptions are pretty cheap and easy to get rid of if one ever decides to bail, but I'm still a little skeptical... I do like listening to it when I get the occasion though (JetBlue has it on their airplanes, some rental car companies are starting to come with the sat. receivers, I can listen to it through my Direct TV, etc.)

Howard had the man that orchestrated the merger on his show today and to be honest their initial plan sucks and I am glad I am happy with my Sirius and have no desire to get any of the XM programming.

If you have one or the other in Sept/October they will make certain channels on the other system available to each other. You will have to pay $4 more a month to get them.

The only channel they will say is available on either system right now is Howard 100 and Howard 101 with Stern, Bubba the love sponge, Ferrel and whatever other programs on those 2 channels are there.

They said there will be bundles from both Xm and Sirius available to each other and your current units will be used for it. Again, you have to pay $4 more a month to get this programming.

I would imagine the monthly fee for both is going to go up to $16.95 from $12.95 now as well.

I would have liked them to just merge the 2 systems together but I see how this will make for a simpler transition.

I am sure there are XM subscribers out there that love their programming and Sirius subscribers that feel the same way, I guess this will rock the boat the least.

Its good to know Greg Brady still has his job on the 70's channel. :D

I'm listening to 101 now, good interview with Mel.

What did you think of the Jesse Ventura interview yesterday? Great radio. Hopefully the merger allows it it to take off.

I don't think approving the merger was a "no-brainer".

When they were initially formed and licensed, both companies expressly promised the FCC that they would NEVER merge. So this merger breaks that commitment. Approval was justified based on the fear that either or both would go bankrupt, since they have allowed their costs to skyrocket by signing excessive contracts with Stern etc.

A reasonable alternative would have been to let one, or both, of them go bankrupt. The shareholders would be wiped out, the managments replaced, the companies could cut expenses and have as good a chance to survive as the basic business model will allow.

But, here we are, so we'll see if the consumer or the shareholder is better served by reducing competition.

Note the FCC is requiring a la carte plans, so you won't have to buy Stern's show if you don't want to.

Ventura was a great interview. Didn't agree with the Baba Booey song parody winner tho!
:)

I love Sirius but never listen to Stern, I don't know how you guys can do it.

That's just it. CHOICE

Its easy, it makes me laugh. A sense of humor is required. Plus hands down he gets the best interviews.

and his interviews go to taboo places that no other interviewer will go to. I am not talking about favorite sex positions or when they lost their virginity either.

When Jesse started going off on his 911 conspiracy, Fred stepped in and confronted him.

Did anyone that does not listen know that Jesse was going to run for senate? He made his decision as to whether or not to run over a coin toss.

I agree that he can be good but never for more than 5 minutes at a time without a fart comment or some other junior high humor. I'm no high society- upturned nose type for certain, but that stuff just kills it for me. It's literally like nails on a chalkboard when he goes into that stuff.

good but not more than 5 minutes? hardly. people that say this usually dont listen because the reality of the show is really not that at all. if it was, i would be bored to death of it. as much as i like naked women, all the sex talk bores the hell out of me after a while. still, ive been listening everyday for 18 years because its much more than just immature silliness

the ventura interview was pretty cool. i dont buy into it but his 911 conspiracy theory was interesting

No kidding. The 911 bit was a but loony but his Navy stories were great.

Some of the XM music channels are pretty good, I look forward to having more options.

Plus Jesse is a Porsche guy, I didn't know that either.

I gave it 8-10 minutes during lunch and heard a couple bobaboooe songs with him getting squired with vag juice and his diarrhea breath then I heard a paralyzed guy talking about his penis for a few minutes. I turned the station for 20 minutes and when i came back they were back on the guys penis.

Just my bad luck I'm sure:D

The thing was bent 90° he was born that way, I was sort of fascinated by it. He cannot have comfortable sex and its been a big problem for him.

I guess 2 people can hear the same thing and come away with totally different views on what they heard.

I didn't hear anything about that(but I'm glad to know they went into even greater detail) The part I heard was how it was over 6", still worked and was very heavy. The second part was his offering it to be kissed by some girl in the studio.

I think the "E!" show did more to damage his long-term reputation than anything else, because all it showed was the really sensationalized stuff. I agree...his interviews are amazing. I kind of "put up" with the potty humor stuff so I can listen to the regular banter, Artie's genius, Robyn's News, and the phenomenal interviews.

Give it two weeks. Just listen on the way to and from work. If you have the same opinion after that then the show it just not your cup of tea.

I didn't care for Stern many years ago when he first came on the air locally in Austin. I just didn't it at all. My friends insisted that I give him a chance and I am now a reformed hater. I bought a Sirius radio 6 months before he moved just so I'd have one the day he came on uncensored. The first couple of months on Sirius was a little over the top with cursing and pushing the shows adult content, but it has since mellowed out and they have really found their groove. Granted when a hot chick comes on the show they are going to insist she get on the sybian :D

Back when I smoked I would take my "thinking stick" breaks in the machine shop here and those guys always had Stern on. I've heard hundreds of hours over the years, but one cigarette was usually too long a time without a break. The problem is not that I've been underexposed.

That being said there were plenty of times that I found his show(not really him) hilarious.