XM for $3 a month

[Aubs]

SIRIUS will come to rule the satellite airwaves. I am with you PARAGON.

[f5fstop]

Originally posted by PARAGON:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by DRTYFN:
Sirius is getting ready to really sh.it the bed.
http://quote.morningstar.com/Quote.html?ticker=SIRI

Can't wait for this:
http://news.morningstar.com/news/PR/...gid=qtqnPress4
Probably going to be a little worse than expected.

You're kidding right?

Look a little bit deeper? If you want to invest in a stock that will triple, Sirius is a good bet. It's health is much better than XM and XM has nothing to show that it's going to change. Sirius has more cash, less debt, and now all of the sports programming.

XM has missed the boat and GM was probably the only reason it performed as well as it did. Their values are pretty close to the same and currently Sirius has about half the subscribers that XM has, but that's quickly changing.

At $4 a share it's a good buy, IMO, for 3 years down the road. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I won't say Sirius is not a good stock, and I won't say they won't grow above and beyond Howard. I have quite a bit of their stock and hope they do grow. But, I do have to say XM made some additions this month with quite a few new stations and so far they are good. (Oprah was a good move, since that will add color to XM and open up a new segment of society that has not been big into satellite radio; as Howard did.)
I will have to also say that GM is not the reason why in the start they blew away Sirius.
In the beginning, they were backed heavily by Worldspace the first Satellite provider of radio, and with Worldspace, they developed (along with Delphi) the best units on the market. This helped them greatly, as did their hook up with GM. In the early days, XM was not standard on all GM products, in fact, it wasn't until around 2004 or 2005 that XM was put on all GM vehicles. GM helped put them on the road, but their aftermarket equipment in the early days helped them expand in the aftermarket.
I still say, XM versus Sirius is the same as Chevy versus Ford. I had Sirius and went to XM, and I love it (then again, I hate Howard ). Some swear by Sirius, some swear by XM. There is plenty of room for both in the satellite radio market.

Will I also stay with XM? Can't say at this time but right now I am satisfied, and that is all the counts to the consumer.

One other note; has anyone other than the original poster had their monthly fee reduced to $3.00 per month?

[MarineHawk]

I've always been happy with XM since I got it in May 2003 and do not know much about Sirius except that the have Howard Stern and now NFL.

Comparing this:
http://www.xmradio.com/programming/full_channel_listing...=number&refsrc=hp_ex

With this:
http://www.sirius.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Si...up&cid=1139320914821

I just don't see a reason to change. I don't care to listen to Howard Stern anymore (I have my reasons). Even on the rare 60 hour round trip drives across the country, I’ve never had a minute with XM where I didn’t have more good things to listen to than I physically could (I’m limited to one thing at a time). I’m usually not going to miss any one football game that much, and between the ESPN, ESPN News, Fox Sports, and Sports Illustrated channels on XM, I’m going to get a ton of coverage of the NFL throughout the week (to the point where, on my way back from Missou in late March, they were barely talking about college hoops - my favorite; nothing but T.O). I like watching NASCAR, but I don't listen to it on the radio.
I could be wrong, but I just don’t feel that I’m missing much.

BTW: How does Sirius channel 149 have the weather for “Boston / Philadelphia”? They’re 300 miles apart. XM has different weather stations for Washington and Baltimore and they’re only 35 miles apart.

Does Sirius provide any advantage over XM other than Stern, Nascar, and even more NFL coverage? If not, I'm not interested. I might switch in a second if they had full-time Big 12 coverage, let alone an all-the-time Rock Chalk Jayhawk KU basketball channel.

[f5fstop]

Basically, the only difference, other than Howard and Martha versus Ophrah, is the background disc jockey spinning the CDs. Other difference is sports. (I like to watch a game, but I have never gotten into listening to one.)
As for dropouts, I did get some dropouts in the TJ last year driving through Glenwood canyon (CO) last year, but the guy following me had Sirius and he had as many, if not more dropouts. Due to narrow canyons with high walls. It will be expected, and dropouts lasted only a few seconds each time at 80 mph.

[ree]

Originally posted by Scouts Out:
ok, I need help, my free subscription is up...

You've done little but cost them money up to this point. They'd rather have you leave than to give you a discount for continued services. Pay them a while and then threaten leave. Only then will you be affecting their revenue stream negatively.

[ZigsRig]

Not that I am by any means a "smart Investor", but wouldnt you think that Paying $500 Million for one personality kills cash flow for other things like reasearch and devolipment? I am just happy that there is an alternate to listining to "Free FM".. That is what really sucks ass..


BTW, I have both XM and Sirius

[HummerNewbie]

Originally posted by MarineHawk:
...let alone an all-the-time Rock Chalk Jayhawk KU basketball channel.

That could possible get me to switch

I also love the new XM Traffic tuner that I just installed.

[ratesguy]

Sirius is reporting double the loss this quarter due primarily to the Stern contract. I guess I heard the NFL thing wrong.

[Scouts Out]

I signed up for another year as I had to make a deal with the EX-wife. The kids bought her a XM tuner and when she went to sign up we agreed to sign up as the family plan. Ended up paying $120 a year. I really wish they had the NFL. I do get to listen to the Pirates lose even when I am not in PGH

[Mrs.ssippi]

let alone an all-the-time Rock Chalk Jayhawk KU basketball channel.

I thought so, That's why you are Marine "HAWK". I heart the Jayhawks. I grew up hearing Rock Chalk Jayhawks!!!!!!!! Are you from KC?

[PARAGON]

Originally posted by ratesguy:
Sirius is reporting double the loss this quarter due primarily to the Stern contract. I guess I heard the NFL thing wrong.

- Revenue Nearly Triples to Over $126 Million

- Satellite Radio Leader with 57% of Net Subscriber Additions

NEW YORK, May 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SIRIUS Satellite Radio SIRI today announced strong first quarter 2006 results including record market share of satellite radio net subscriber additions.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19991118/NYTH125 )

SIRIUS ended the first quarter with 4,077,747 subscribers, reflecting net subscriber additions of 761,187, a 149% increase in net additions from the year-ago quarter. For the second consecutive quarter, SIRIUS led the satellite radio industry in net subscriber additions.

First quarter 2006 revenue grew to $126.7 million, up 193% from $43.2 million in the year-ago quarter. Advertising revenue increased to a record $7.3 million, representing 53% of total satellite radio industry advertising revenue in the first quarter. Average monthly churn was 1.8%, in line with guidance. Subscriber acquisition costs (SAC) per gross addition were $113 for the first quarter, a 41% improvement over the year-ago quarter.

"SIRIUS led the industry in the first quarter with the majority of satellite radio net additions, while achieving 64% share at retail and strong growth in our OEM channel. Based upon our growth we are pleased to be raising our subscriber guidance for 2006 to over 6.2 million and we continue to believe we could be free cash flow positive as early as the fourth quarter of 2006 and for the full year 2007," said Mel Karmazin, CEO of SIRIUS. "We are also very excited about the launch of our first live wearable radio this summer and our plans to stream The Howard Stern Show via the Internet to SIRIUS subscribers by Father's Day."

During the first quarter, SIRIUS added 534,958 net subscribers from the company's retail channel, a 169% increase from 198,558 net retail subscriber additions in the year-ago quarter. The company also added 225,343 net subscribers from its automotive OEM channel, 109% more than the 107,855 net automotive OEM subscriber additions in the year-ago quarter.

SIRIUS reported a net loss of ($458.5) million, or ($0.33) per share, for the first quarter of 2006, including a ($0.20) per share impact from equity charges, compared to a net loss of ($193.6) million, or ($0.15) per share, in the year-ago quarter, including a ($0.03) per share impact from equity charges. The adjusted net loss per share, or net loss per share excluding equity charges, was ($0.13) in the first quarter 2006 as compared to an adjusted net loss per share of ($0.12) in the first quarter of 2005. (Refer to the reconciliation table of GAAP net loss per share to the adjusted net loss per share).

"This was a great quarter on every front for SIRIUS," added Mel Karmazin. "Non-cash equity charges were the primary reasons for our widening loss over last year and do not impact our free cash flow guidance or our very bright short and long term prospects."

Other Developments

During 2006, SIRIUS reached new exclusive agreements with Kia, Volkswagen, Audi, and Rolls-Royce. SIRIUS will be a standard feature in all 2009 model year Kia vehicles. In the 2007 model year, Volkswagen is expected to include SIRIUS in 80% of its production. SIRIUS is now a standard feature in all Rolls-Royce vehicles sold in the United States.

SIRIUS enhanced its strong programming line-up during the first quarter with new additions including the Howard Stern channels, Playboy Radio, Cosmo Radio, Blue Collar Comedy Radio, FOX News Channels, and a new morning call-in show from Court TV. SIRIUS is the original and only home of 100% commercial free music.

Guidance
SIRIUS provided the following guidance for full year 2006 and beyond:

Full Year 2006: * Over 6.2 million subscribers at year-end
* Average monthly churn of approximately 1.8%
* SAC per gross addition approaching $110
* Total revenue to exceed $600 million
* Adjusted loss from operations of approximately ($565) million,
reflecting the impact on total SAC of more robust subscriber growth
than previously expected
* SIRIUS' first quarter of positive free cash flow, after capital
expenditures, could be reached as early as the fourth quarter of 2006

Longer Term: * Total revenue for 2007 of approximately $1 billion
* SAC per gross addition for 2007 to decline further from the 2006 level
* Positive free cash flow, after capital expenditures, for full-year 2007
* Total revenue for 2010 of approximately $3 billion
* Free cash flow for 2010, after capital expenditures, of approximately
$1 billionConference Call Information:

SIRIUS will hold a conference call today at 8 am ET to discuss operating and financial results. The public, members of the investment community and the press will have live access to the conference call via the company's website, www.sirius.com, and on the SIRIUS service by tuning to SIRIUS Channel 125. A replay of the call will also be available on the SIRIUS website.

FIRST QUARTER 2006 VERSUS FIRST QUARTER 2005

For the first quarter of 2006, SIRIUS recognized total revenue of $126.7 million compared with $43.2 million for the first quarter of 2005. This 193%, or $83.5 million, increase in revenue was primarily driven by a $73.3 million increase in subscriber revenue resulting from the net increase in subscribers of 2,629,052, or 181%, from March 31, 2005 to March 31, 2006, and a $6.8 million increase in advertising revenue.

The company's adjusted loss from operations increased by ($9.6) million to ($136.7) million for the first quarter of 2006 from ($127.1) million for the first quarter of 2005 (refer to the reconciliation table of GAAP loss from operations to adjusted loss from operations). This increase was driven by a 63%, or $42.1 million, increase in subscriber acquisition costs reflecting higher shipments of SIRIUS radios and chip sets and increased commissions to support a 171% increase in gross subscriber additions from 354,708 for the first quarter of 2005 to 960,610 for the first quarter of 2006. This increase was offset by reductions in hardware subsidy rates as the company continued to reduce manufacturing and chip set costs. The increase in subscriber acquisition costs was more than offset by a 175%, or $73.3 million, increase in subscriber revenue as a result of a 181% increase in the company's subscriber base.

Programming and content expenses increased by $32.1 million to $56.4 million for the first quarter of 2006 from $24.3 million for the first quarter of 2005. The increase was primarily attributable to license fees and consulting costs associated with new programming, and broadcast royalties.

Customer service and billing expenses increased by $6.3 million to $15.8 million for the first quarter of 2006, from $9.5 million for the first quarter of 2005. The increase was primarily attributable to call center operating costs necessary to accommodate the increase in the company's subscriber base. Customer service and billing expenses per average subscriber per month declined 42% to $1.40 for the first quarter of 2006 from $2.40 for the first quarter of 2005.

Sales and marketing expenses increased by $4.2 million to $39.3 million for the first quarter of 2006 from $35.1 million for the first quarter of 2005. The increase was primarily attributable to higher distribution and compensation related costs, offset by decreases in advertising costs.

During the first quarter of 2006, the company also had increases in general and administrative expenses and engineering, design and development expenses. General and administrative expenses increased $4.3 million to $19.1 million for the first quarter of 2006 from $14.8 million for the first quarter of 2005 primarily as a result of overhead expansion to support the growth of the business. Engineering, design and development expenses increased $1.0 million to $12.7 million for the first quarter of 2006 from $11.7 million for the first quarter of 2005 primarily as a result of costs associated OEM tooling and manufacturing upgrades for SIRIUS factory installations.

For the first quarter of 2006, the company recorded ($4.4) million for its share of SIRIUS Canada, Inc.'s net loss.

SIRIUS reported a net loss of ($458.5) million, or ($0.33) per share, for the first quarter of 2006, including a ($0.20) per share impact from equity charges, compared to a net loss of ($193.6) million, or ($0.15) per share, in the year-ago quarter, including a ($0.03) per share impact from equity charges. The adjusted net loss per share, or net loss per share excluding equity charges, was ($0.13) in the first quarter 2006 as compared to an adjusted net loss per share of ($0.12) in the first quarter of 2005. (Refer to the reconciliation table of GAAP net loss per share to the adjusted net loss per share).

(Selected financial information follows).

This press release, including the selected financial information to follow, includes the following financial measures defined as non-GAAP financial measures by the Securities and Exchange Commission: average monthly churn; subscriber acquisition costs, or SAC, per gross subscriber addition; customer service and billing expenses per average subscriber; average monthly revenue per subscriber, or ARPU; adjusted loss from operations; adjusted net loss; adjusted net loss per share; and free cash flow. SIRIUS believes these non-GAAP financial measures provide meaningful supplemental information regarding operating performance and liquidity and are used for internal management purposes, when publicly providing the business outlook, and as a means to evaluate period-to-period comparisons. These non-GAAP financial measures are used in addition to and in conjunction with results presented in accordance with GAAP. These non-GAAP financial measures may be susceptible to varying calculations; may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies; and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP.

SIRIUS defines average monthly churn as the number of deactivated subscribers divided by average quarterly subscribers.

SIRIUS defines SAC per gross subscriber addition as SAC and margins from the direct sale of SIRIUS radios and accessories divided by the number of gross subscriber additions for the period.

SIRIUS defines customer service and billing expenses per average subscriber as total customer service and billing expenses divided by the daily weighted average number of subscribers for the period.

SIRIUS defines ARPU as the total earned subscriber revenue and net advertising revenue divided by the daily weighted average number of subscribers for the period.

SIRIUS defines adjusted loss from operations as GAAP loss from operations before charges for depreciation and equity, reported as equity granted to third parties and employees. SIRIUS defines adjusted net loss as GAAP net loss before charges for equity granted to third parties and employees. SIRIUS defines adjusted net loss per share as adjusted net loss divided by the actual weighted average common shares outstanding (basic and diluted).

SIRIUS defines free cash flow as cash flow from operating activities, capital expenditures and restricted investments activity.

Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.
Subscriber Data and Metrics
(Unaudited) For the Three Months
Ended March 31,
2006 2005
Subscribers:
Beginning subscribers 3,316,560 1,143,258
Net additions 761,187 305,437
Ending subscribers 4,077,747 1,448,695
Retail 3,000,321 1,109,813
OEM 1,049,036 311,324
Hertz 28,390 27,558 For the Three Months
Ended March 31,
2006 2005

Metrics:
Gross subscriber additions 960,610 354,708
Deactivated subscribers 199,423 49,271
Average monthly churn 1.8% 1.3%
SAC per gross subscriber addition $113 $190
Customer service and billing expenses
per average subscriber $1.40 $2.40 Monthly ARPU:
Average monthly subscriber revenue
per subscriber before effects of Hertz
subscribers and mail-in rebates $10.70 $10.64
Effects of Hertz subscribers 0.03 0.01
Effects of mail-in rebates (0.58) (0.06)
Average monthly subscriber revenue per subscriber 10.15 10.59
Average monthly net advertising revenue per
subscriber 0.65 0.13
ARPU $10.80 $10.72 Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.
Financial Highlights
(In thousands, except per share data)
(Unaudited) For the Three Months
Ended March 31,
2006 2005

Revenue:
Subscriber revenue, including effects of mail-in
rebates $115,181 $41,904
Advertising revenue, net of agency fees 7,338 534
Equipment revenue 3,692 767
Other revenue 453 11
Total revenue 126,664 43,216 Operating expenses:
Cost of services (excludes depreciation shown
separately below):
Satellite and transmission 7,301 6,813
Programming and content 56,444 24,278
Customer service and billing 15,841 9,492
Cost of equipment 3,465 976
Sales and marketing 39,296 35,122
Subscriber acquisition costs 109,144 67,093
General and administrative 19,144 14,832
Engineering, design and development 12,679 11,662
Depreciation 24,933 24,501
Equity granted to third parties and employees (1) 284,586 38,706
Total operating expenses 572,833 233,475
Loss from operations (446,169) (190,259)
Other income (expense):
Interest and investment income 9,937 4,487
Interest expense (17,124) (7,325)
Income (expense) from affiliate (4,445) -
Other income 10 45
Total other income (expense) (11,622) (2,793)
Loss before income taxes (457,791) (193,052)
Income tax expense (753) (560)
Net loss $(458,544) $(193,612)
Net loss per share (basic and diluted) $(0.33) $(0.15)
Weighted average common shares outstanding
(basic and diluted) 1,386,982 1,314,312 (1) Allocation of equity granted to third parties and
employees to other operating expenses:
Satellite and transmission $902 $559
Programming and content 249,800 4,888
Customer service and billing 244 139
Sales and marketing 2,202 13,430
Subscriber acquisition costs 9,899 6,228
General and administrative 14,506 7,277
Engineering, design and development 7,033 6,185
Total equity granted to third parties and
employees $284,586 $38,706 For the Three Months
Ended March 31,
2006 2005

Adjusted loss from operations:
GAAP loss from operations, as reported $(446,169) $(190,259)
Depreciation 24,933 24,501
Equity granted to third parties and employees 284,586 38,706
Adjusted loss from operations $(136,650) $(127,052) Adjusted net loss:
GAAP net loss, as reported $(458,544) $(193,612)
Equity granted to third parties and employees 284,586 38,706
Adjusted net loss $(173,958) $(154,906)
GAAP net loss per share (basic and diluted),
as reported $(0.33) $(0.15)
Equity granted to third parties and employees,
per share 0.20 0.03
Adjusted net loss per share (basic and diluted) $(0.13) $(0.12)
Weighted average common shares outstanding
(basic and diluted), as reported 1,386,982 1,314,312 As of
March 31, Dec. 31,
2006 2005

Balance sheet data:
Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities $715,231 $879,257
Restricted investments 108,315 107,615
Working capital 266,656 404,481
Total assets 1,908,104 2,085,362
Long-term debt 1,083,929 1,084,437
Total liabilities 1,773,401 1,760,394
Accumulated deficit (3,187,397) (2,728,853)
Stockholders' equity 134,703 324,968 For the Three Months
Ended March 31,
2006 2005

Cash flows from operating activities:
Net loss $(458,544) $(193,612)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash
used in operating activities:
Depreciation 24,933 24,501
Non-cash interest expense 761 762
Provision for doubtful accounts 1,777 1,400
Non-cash income (expense) from affiliate 2,276 -
Loss on disposal of assets 221 127
Equity granted to third parties and employees 284,586 38,706
Deferred income taxes 753 560
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Marketable securities - 16
Accounts receivable 9,952 (340)
Inventory (1,198) 16
Prepaid expenses and other current assets (21,758) (3,181)
Other long-term assets 579 (1,157)
Accounts payable and accrued expenses (45,220) (5,601)
Accrued interest (10,460) 2,736
Deferred revenue 44,458 19,423
Other long-term liabilities 7,543 (1,524)
Net cash used in operating activities (159,341) (117,168)
Cash flows from investing activities:
Additions to property and equipment (5,496) (6,888)
Sales of property and equipment 52 12
Purchases of restricted investments (700) (6,291)
Purchases of available-for-sale securities (71,600) -
Sales of available-for-sale securities 104,450 -
Maturities of available-for-sale securities - 4,835
Net cash provided by/(used in) investing activities 26,706 (8,332)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from exercise of stock options 1,459 993
Other - (8)
Net cash provided by financing activities 1,459 985
Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents (131,176) (124,515)
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of period 762,007 753,891
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of period $630,831 $629,376About SIRIUS

SIRIUS delivers more than 125 channels of the best programming in all of radio. SIRIUS is the original and only home of 100% commercial free music channels in satellite radio, offering 67 music channels available nationwide. SIRIUS also delivers 61 channels of sports, news, talk, entertainment, traffic, weather and data. SIRIUS is the Official Satellite Radio Partner of the NFL, NBA and NHL and broadcasts live play-by-play games of the NFL, NBA and NHL. All SIRIUS programming is available for a monthly subscription fee of only $12.95.

SIRIUS products for the car, truck, home, RV and boat are available in more than 25,000 retail locations, including Best Buy, Circuit City, Crutchfield, Costco, Target, Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, RadioShack and at shop.sirius.com.

SIRIUS radios are offered in vehicles from Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, Infiniti, Jaguar, Jeep(R), Land Rover, Lexus, Lincoln-Mercury, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, MINI, Nissan, Rolls-Royce, Scion, Toyota, Porsche, Volkswagen and Volvo. Kia will provide SIRIUS as a standard feature in its 2009 vehicles, beginning in 2008. Hertz also offers SIRIUS in its rental cars at major locations around the country.

Click on www.sirius.com to listen to SIRIUS live, or to purchase a SIRIUS radio and subscription.

[Klaus]

XM Satellite Cuts
Full-Year Targets
For Revenue, Users
By ELLEN SHENG
May 25, 2006


XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. lowered its forecasts for full-year subscriber growth and revenue, citing soft retail sales of satellite radios in the second quarter.

Shares of the Washington, D.C., company, which competes with Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. in selling radio service delivered by satellite, were down $1.76, or 11%, to $13.75 in 4 p.m. Nasdaq Stock Market composite trading. The shares already had dropped almost 45% this year.

XM Satellite expects to end the year with 8.5 million subscribers, down from a previous forecast of nine million. It lowered its revenue forecast to $835 million from $860 million.

XM struggled during the holiday season against Sirius, which launched a big marketing campaign centered around radio host Howard Stern, who started broadcasting exclusively on Sirius on Jan 6. In the past two quarters, Sirius's subscriber additions have outpaced XM's, even though Sirius has a smaller overall subscriber base. In the first quarter, XM added about 569,000 net new users, while Sirius added about 761,000. Bolstered by the subscriber trends, Sirius earlier this month raised its 2006 subscriber forecast to more than 6.2 million.

XM Chief Executive Hugh Panero said that even though XM has regained retail market share since earlier this year, "the satellite radio category has seen an overall softness" in retail sales.

A Sirius spokesman wasn't available to comment.

XM, like Sirius, has spent heavily in order to gain subscribers, which has made some investors nervous. Higher marketing costs have prompted several shareholder lawsuits alleging that Mr. Panero and other top executives sold off stock while misleading investors about the company's ability to control costs.

Yesterday's lowered outlook follows a string of negative announcements for XM in the last few months. The Recording Industry Association of America last week filed a lawsuit against XM, alleging that the company's portable player, the "Inno," should be subject to higher performance-rights fees because it can record and store music. The RIAA sued for $150,000 for each infringement, or a fee each time a song is recorded.

XM also is facing inquiries from the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission. The FCC found that one of XM's products didn't comply with transmission-codes standards, while the FTC questioned some of the company's marketing practices.

[HummerNewbie]

Originally Posted by Klaus

XM struggled during the holiday season against Sirius, which launched a big marketing campaign centered around radio host Howard Stern, who started broadcasting exclusively on Sirius on Jan 6. In the past two quarters, Sirius's subscriber additions have outpaced XM's, even though Sirius has a smaller overall subscriber base. In the first quarter, XM added about 569,000 net new users, while Sirius added about 761,000. Bolstered by the subscriber trends, Sirius earlier this month raised its 2006 subscriber forecast to more than 6.2 million.

That was in the first quarter but can they sustain that growth? How many of the 761,000 new subscribers would not have signed up if it were not for Stern? I know a number of people that signed up for Sirius simply because of Stern but probably would have gone XM otherwise. How many more die hard Stern fans can they count on to keep up that pace? To each his own. They both have a good service and the competition will only help all of us no matter which service you have

[Lucifer]

pay for radio, not me, as soon as I get my hummer, the radio is coming out and a pc is going in. I don't like the xm radio stations, nothing I care to listen to.

[Klaus]

Get Sirius: This radio company isn't making money yet

Posted 6/26/2006 12:52 AM ET

Q: Sirius Satellite Radio's stock (SIRI) is down this year. Is it a good time to buy?

A: Every time there's a new and exciting technology, investors want to pile in. And for some reason, they seem to forget about the price they're paying, virtually guaranteeing themselves poor returns.

Satellite radio was a classic case. Shortly after the dot-com bust, investors looking for wild and exciting investment opportunities didn't lose any time investing in satellite radio. It seemed to have unlimited promise. And it didn't seem to matter that Sirius hadn't made a dime and analysts were torn on when, or if, profits would arrive.

The craze hit a new high when I received a reader question on Ask Matt about Sirius' stock on April 25, 2005, when it was trading for $5.14 a share. As you can read here, I cautioned investors that a "string of losses makes it impossible to perform a traditional valuation on the company." I quoted a Standard & Poor's stock research report, which rated the stock a "hold."

Turns out that was great advice. Since that story ran, the biggest winner on the stock has been shock jock Howard Stern, who was paid $100 million a year plus given the opportunity to cash in $191 million in stock. You can read about Stern's mega payday here.

What has happened to regular investors? The stock is trading around $4.45 a share. That's a 13% decline since April 2005. Interestingly, too, investors haven't cashed in on Stern, either. The stock is down 35% since he started on the air. Meanwhile, the company still loses money, making it impossible to value the stock using any standard method.

If you insist on investing in this stock, all I can tell you is to make sure you use money you can afford to lose.

[HummerNewbie]

I have never tried to get the $3/month deal but they do keep offering me a $4/month deal. I keep getting emails that if I come back to XM they will only charge me $4/month when I pay for a year up front. What they don't understand is I have not left XM. I have canceled 3 radios this year but they have all been canceled because I replaced them and signed up for a new radio

[usetosellhummer]

I am a radio vet of almost 20 years, XM, Sirius, are hurting my industry in free radio. I have programmed radio stations in many formats. It is very clear when you do the pepsi challenge that Sirius is the better product. Howard has not even advertised yet. He pulled almost 4 million on his own. wait till the full effect comes in. Due to the FCC and Big Corp. owners all I can offer you is time, temp. that was and this is. You want to be entertained go to sirius. XM sucks, Howard rules and i know I will be selling cars again thats to people like myself who will pay to enjoy no commericals and great talent like Howard.

[HummerNewbie]

Only problem with your post is it comes down to personal preferences. XM doesn't suck because Stern is on Sirius. I know a number of people that have gone to Sirius because of Stern but I could care less where he is. Used to listen to him a number of years ago but not anymore. As far as not advertising, that isn't true, they banked everything on him coming to Sirius. Personally, I don't really think one is any better than the other, it all comes down to preferences. It is kind of like arguing which is better, Ford or Chevy

[usetosellhummer]

here is where you don't get it. My paycheck and company is built on what you like, your opnion. I don't sell a durable good or vehicle you can drive. My company sells air. Impressions, thought. think about it, and ford sucks with xm

[usetosellhummer]

venting, no harm intended.