XM & SIRIUS MERGE

[Vettster]

Originally Posted by Icyelle

http://www.voipmonitor.net/2007/02/1...IUS+Merge.aspx

I wonder how this will affect subscribers?

I wonder how many subscriber there are between the two companies?
Lets see.....


XM: 132 subscribers
Sirius: 73 subscribers
Total: 205

You do the math.

[wilfred]

XM & Sirius did not merge again, again and again!

[DRTYFN]

HAHA!!!! MERGED!!!

[MarineHawk]

Originally Posted by DRTYFN

HAHA!!!! MERGED!!!

I figured that was going to happen. It's enough to me that, for a few minutes, I had my very own satelite radio merger thread. My 15 minutes of fame.

[usetosellhummer]

If they mess with Stern I'm out. It is just like regular radio, buy buy.
consoladation = ****ty product
Just spin your regular radio dial and tell me how many of the voices you hear are taped? more then you think ouside of the top 30 markets.

[DRTYFN]

Originally Posted by usetosellhummer

If they mess with Stern I'm out. It is just like regular radio, buy buy.
consoladation = ****ty product
Just spin your regular radio dial and tell me how many of the voices you hear are taped? more then you think ouside of the top 30 markets.

HAHA!!!! Mess with Stern??? That douche has already ruined his show and alienated his audience.

[Sewie]

Originally Posted by usetosellhummer

Just spin your regular radio dial and tell me how many of the voices you hear are taped?

Hard to tell. They're all speaking spanish.

[ZigsRig]

O&A > STERN !

that is all...


oh, and if they mess with O&A, im going to take my XM unit, and go f^ck their mothers with it....

[DRTYFN]

Originally Posted by ZigsRig

O&A > STERN !

that is all...

Gotta agree on this one. I used to be a huge Stern fan, too. But he really sh*t the bed after his divorce. O&A really is a funny show.

[BlueHUMMERH2]

Originally Posted by DRTYFN

HAHA!!!! MERGED!!!

Hahaha. How ironic.

[KenP]

I listne to XM, but I really don't care about how the programming will be affected, I'm not renewing.

[SnakeH2]

Originally Posted by Icyelle

http://www.voipmonitor.net/2007/02/1...IUS+Merge.aspx

I wonder how this will affect subscribers?

Which ones? The small percent that actually pay???

[DRTYFN]

The merger just got the okay from the Department of Justice.
http://biz.yahoo.com/rb/080324/xm_si...ust.html?.v=12

Satellite radio merger gets antitrust OK
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sirius Satellite Radio's (NasdaqGS:SIRI - News) $4.59 billion purchase of rival XM Satellite Radio (NasdaqGS:XMSR - News) was given antitrust clearance on Monday as the Justice Department concluded consumers have many alternatives, including mobile phones and personal audio players.

Investors sent shares of both companies sharply higher even though the Federal Communications Commission must still approve the combination of the only two U.S. providers of satellite radio, a deal first announced in February 2007.

In a victory for Sirius Chief Executive Mel Karmazin, who lobbied hard for the deal, the Justice Department agreed the satellite radio companies face stiff competition from traditional AM/FM radio, high-definition radio, MP3 players and programming delivered by mobile phones.

"Competition in the marketplace generally protects consumers and I have no reason to believe that this won't happen here," Justice Department antitrust chief, Thomas Barnett, told a conference call with reporters.

The traditional radio industry, consumer groups and some U.S. lawmakers had criticized the deal, which would bring entertainers such as talk show host Oprah Winfrey and shock-jock Howard Stern under one roof.

The National Association of Broadcasters, which fought against the deal, said the Justice Department had granted XM and Sirius a "monopoly" and called the decision "breathtaking."

Sirius and XM, which are losing money, each currently charge subscribers about $13 a month for more than 100 channels of news, music, talk and sports.

New York-based Sirius' programming includes lifestyle guru Martha Stewart and NFL Football while Washington, D.C.-based XM is home to Bob Dylan's radio show and Major League Baseball.

The Justice Department said the combination would lead to "substantial" cost saving steps such as consolidating the line of radios they offer. It said those savings would "most likely to be passed on to consumers in the form of lower prices."

XM stock ended Monday up 15.5 percent to $13.79, while Sirius closed up 8.6 percent to $3.15, both on Nasdaq. At that price for Sirius' stock, the deal, in which 4.6 shares of Sirius are to be exchanged for each XM share outstanding, is worth $4.59 billion.

AWAITING FCC DECISION

The antitrust decision shifts the spotlight to the FCC, which must determine whether the XM-Sirius is in the public interest, and whether to enforce its 1997 order barring either satellite radio company from acquiring the other.

A source at the FCC said Chairman Kevin Martin has yet to make a proposal either approving or opposing the XM-Sirius combination, but has asked the agency's staff to draft documents for different possible outcomes.

This source said the FCC could be strongly influenced by the Justice Department decision. "I think it would be hard to go in the complete opposite direction," said the source.

Analysts at Stifel Nicolaus said the FCC could impose conditions, such as requiring the companies to adhere to promises Karmazin made to Congress last year.

Karmazin promised lawmakers that a combined company would offer packages of channels that customers could pick on an "a la carte" basis, and that customers would be able to block adult channels and get a refund for those channels.

In addition, Stifel Nicolaus said, the FCC also may require Sirius and XM to promise that all existing satellite radios will continue to work after the companies are combined.

David Bank, an analyst with RBC Capital Markets, was optimistic about FCC approval. "Now it's past DOJ, and we feel pretty optimistic it will get through the FCC," he said.

The Justice Department's decision provoked immediate criticism from a key lawmaker in Congress, Senate antitrust subcommittee chairman Sen. Herb Kohl, a Wisconsin Democrat.

Kohl took the department to task for "failing to oppose numerous mergers which reduced competition in key industries, resulting in the Justice Department not bringing a single contested merger case in nearly four years."

"We urge that the FCC find the merger contrary to the public interest and exercise its authority to block it," Kohl said in a statement.

Sirius and XM said in a brief statement that they had received antitrust clearance and that their deal was still subject to FCC approval.

[wpage]

Expensive radio. About to get more pricey!

[Karsun]

I love my Sirius radio(s). I hope the merger just means even more stations. XM had one I really liked a while back, something like a one hit wonders station. Now that'd be super cool!