XM / Sirius Satellite Radio merger is a done deal?

[Ksyrup]

Not digging the channel reconfiguration so far. I've had to rework my presets as best I can, and the result is an increase in the amount of knob-turning to get to the stations I listen to the most. I especially don't like that they've separated the MLB Network channel from the channels they broadcast the games on. I understand lumping all the sports talk channels together, but separating them from the game channels makes it difficult to get to them now (for me, anyway).

[Butter]

My radios all update my pre-sets automatically (I guess they are done based on the channel names), so it was mostly a non-event for me.

[Ksyrup]

Mine did too, but that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying now that they've moved channels around to different spots, it's harder for me to get to the channels I listen to. I can preset 6 channels on my car radio, but I might want to access 15-20 different stations. Where they are now positioned makes it harder to get to them, so there is more manual knob-turning required than before.

For instance, when MLB was 175 and the game channels were 176-189, that was easy to get to. Now MLB is 89 and the game channels are still in the 170s/180s, so if I want to listen to games, I have to basically spin the knob all day or use a preset just for the games that I didn't have to do before.

Same thing with the rock stations - all of the rock stations used to be conveniently buffered between Liquid Metal on one end and Boneyard on the other, so all I had to do was hit one of those two presets and turn the knob to the closest station I wanted. Now those two channels are lumped together, so I have to change my presets to get the same effect, otherwise I've got 2 presets right next to each other and have to knob-turn to get to the other channels.

The net result (for me, anyway) is more distracted driving as I fumble with the knob.

[cuervo72]

I see what you're saying. I do* that a little bit too - presets are as much waypoints as featured channels.



* well, I did on my old radio. My new radio will show a list of my presets along with the Artist/Song that is playing, so it makes sense to have actual favorites stored. Before, I might not need 50s or 60s if I have 70s or 80s stored - just hit the favorite and tune down to the others.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

I might not need 50s or 60s if I have 70s or 80s stored - just hit the favorite and tune down to the others.

Exactly. That's what I do - my 6 presets are the channels I listen to most (or used to be), but they just happened to be conveniently located to make it easy to get to the other channels I listen to as well. Now, that's all been screwed up.

It's especially inconvenient for the game channels. I hate to use a preset up in the 190s or 200s just so I'm close to baseball, college football, etc., because I'll only use it every so often and will still need to tune to the channels I need depending on what sport it is, but I may have to, because tuning from the 80s to 200s is a bit much.

[fantom1979]

On my radio that I installed, I can push in the tuner knob and type in a station number. You mentioned that you only have 6 buttons, so I am going to guess this isn't an option for you. After 6 years, I have gotten pretty good at hitting the button and the channel number without looking down.

[RainMaker]

Have any of you had to cancel your account? It's a bitch to do. I hate fucking companies that make it difficult.

[fantom1979]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Have any of you had to cancel your account? It's a bitch to do. I hate fucking companies that make it difficult.

Never canceled my account, but a couple of years ago I bought a new radio to replace my original one that I had since 2003. They had no way to do this online so I had to call them. Apparently they have no way to do it on the phone either. They had to cancel my account and start up a new account for me with the new radio. The entire process took over an hour. To this day I still get the "we want you back" emails......

[Marmel]

What kind of receivers are you guys using?? I bought the cheapest one possible 5 years ago (50 bucks?) and it still works great. It has 30 preset buttons and you can quickly punch in any other channel you want. Their customer service on the phone is nice enough, but they are not the quickest bunch of reps I've ever dealth with. I did cancel one of my other radios once, and it was a snap. What problem did you have Rainmaker?

[fantom1979]

I am using a Sportster 5:



I like it because it shows scores and the channels of my favorite teams. I think I bought it for about $120.

I am assuming that Ksyrup is using an in-dash factory radio.

[molson]

I cancelled recently - it wasn't as bad as removing a premium channel from DirecTV but it was still a pain in the ass. I think the best thing to do to just screw with them in whatever manner amuses you when they start the retention pitch. (Tell them you're cancelling because your arms were chopped off in a farm accident and your can't change the radio channels anymore - that usually moves things along.)

(I quit just because I'm not in the car as much, but also becaue I've gone through 3-4 radios in 5 years with something always breaking. I never had a car setup I was I was happy with - I'd give them another shot if I ever bought a new car with an in-dash setup.)

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by fantom1979

Never canceled my account, but a couple of years ago I bought a new radio to replace my original one that I had since 2003. They had no way to do this online so I had to call them. Apparently they have no way to do it on the phone either. They had to cancel my account and start up a new account for me with the new radio. The entire process took over an hour. To this day I still get the "we want you back" emails......

So I call, inform the system why I'm calling. They try to pull up my account via phone number and can't. They try to pull up my account by account number and can't. Mind you I'm inside their online account center reading the numbers directly off their fucking site. "We can't find your information in our system". Well it's there you assholes, I'm reading it directly off my fucking screen.

Of course I go on hold for 30 minutes and go through the whole cancellation speel with them trying to keep me and so on.

Which brings up something that I wish credit card companies would add. The ability to setup blocks on certain services. If you're going to make it a pain in the ass for me to cancel, then I just set it up to block your service and you can get a denial everytime you try and ding my card.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by fantom1979

I am assuming that Ksyrup is using an in-dash factory radio.

Yep. Mine shows teams/scores, too. It only shows so many characters, but the artist/song name, channel name, scores, etc., are all mostly there.

[cuervo72]

XM XpressRCi, I believe. It's like an evolved version of whatever I had before (controls are pretty much the same, but has color and better display), though the old one had A/B/C preset groups for 30 total presets. This one has 10, but can alert for 20 songs/artists and also stores ten songs.

The old one stopped registering any input from the unit itself, so I had to rely on the remote. It actually did this fairly early on in its life - I just put up with it rather than have it fixed.

[Butter]

Originally Posted by Marmel

What kind of receivers are you guys using?? I bought the cheapest one possible 5 years ago (50 bucks?) and it still works great. It has 30 preset buttons and you can quickly punch in any other channel you want. Their customer service on the phone is nice enough, but they are not the quickest bunch of reps I've ever dealth with. I did cancel one of my other radios once, and it was a snap. What problem did you have Rainmaker?

That's what I have, or something like it. Was a cheap radio. It has 30 presets, so I guess that is why I don't have the problem KSyrup is having. My C-band is mostly filler that I rarely even get around to listening to. The first 20 channels are more than enough.

[Lathum]

So it appears FOX sports is gone. I could not find it this morning.

Another interesting tidbit. I wanted a new radio for my birthday since mine is about 6-7 years old I would guess. My Mom got me one and it didn't have a remote so I went to exchange it at Best Buy. Well apparently radios don't come with remotes anymore, guess they were to distracting.

I am still thinking about upgrading to the XMSkydock that I can plug my IPhone into. Anyone has experience with it?

[Lathum]

dola- Just looked online. Apparently it is now channel 169. Makes perfect sense considering ESPN, Maddog radio, etc...are all in the 80s

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by Lathum

dola- Just looked online. Apparently it is now channel 169. Makes perfect sense considering ESPN, Maddog radio, etc...are all in the 80s

That's interesting. I wonder if Fox Sports was a late re-add to the lineup, for some reason. I don't see anything on channel 95 (at least according to the new lineup card). Could have put it there.

[Mota]

I'm so mad, a few weeks back we started getting College Sports Nation in Canada. We've never had it. I listened to it for a week, loving all the college talk (and trust me in Canada there's no other place to get it). Then about a week later it's gone. There's channel 142 and 144, and nothing in between. Damn.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Mota

I'm so mad, a few weeks back we started getting College Sports Nation in Canada. We've never had it. I listened to it for a week, loving all the college talk (and trust me in Canada there's no other place to get it). Then about a week later it's gone. There's channel 142 and 144, and nothing in between. Damn.

Try Channel 91

(per http://www.sirius.ca/en/channels/cha...spx?cat=sports)

[SirFozzie]

I was flipping through today after my radio, and I noticed they added a new (to me) channel. THe Spice Radio channel.

I guess it's for those people that consider Playboy Radio too classy.

[Mota]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Try Channel 91

(per http://www.sirius.ca/en/channels/cha...spx?cat=sports)

I have XM, so unfortunately I still don't get that channel. I did check for it this morning as soon as I got into the car though.

In Canada the rights to both Sirius and XM are owned by Canadian companies. It's part of the whole regulatory system, which most Canadians hate, they're very protectionist.

They just approved a merger between the two companies up North, crazy that it took that much longer than in the US.

[tyketime]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

I was flipping through today after my radio, and I noticed they added a new (to me) channel. THe Spice Radio channel.

I can hear it now... "Tell me what you want, what you really really want..."

[SirFozzie]

Nope, not Spice Girls Radio..

SPice TV Radio as in the porn channel.

Spice Radio - Entertainment - Entertainment - Spice Radio - SiriusXM Satellite Radio - SiriusXM Radio

[RainMaker]

Just curious if anyone still listens to Stern. The show seems to have taken a slow turn toward the toilet and I can't justify my Sirius subscription with things like Pandora and Spotify to get music from.

It's on 3 days a week, they're on vacation practically half the year, and the show just isn't good. The bits are tired and repetitive, guests are bad, and he mainly just talks about AGT the whole time now. Feels like a show for middle-aged housewives half the time. It still has moments from time to time, mainly when they do get an interesting guest in because Howard is such a good interviewer. But that rarely happens anymore.

The rest of the network is trash too with Bubba and Ferrell being replaced by shows you'd find on college radio.

[heybrad]

I still listen but you nailed it when you said it only has occasional moments. They seem to be on a run of trying to create drama with staff fights that is boring as hell.

[RainMaker]

Yeah, I kind of go on and off with my subscription. Forget to listen for awhile and cancel. Then have some time where I'm working a lot and want something to listen to and sign up again. But the only reason I do is for the show and it's just not that good anymore. I noticed the other day that I prefer 5-10 podcasts over it.

[BYU 14]

I still listen here and there as I got a lifetime subscription when it he first went there, which has paid for itself.

I still enjoy some of his interviews and the bits, couldn't care less about strippers and AGT talk though. I still find the show entertaining in short spurts, but it has definitely fallen off a bit as it seems he really doesn't have a passion for it anymore.

During the first few years after he went to Sirius when he was followed by Bubba and then Ferrell I rarely missed a day, but with Bubba gone, Ferrell going and not much other content worth listening to on his channels it just isn't the same.

[JonInMiddleGA]

A day I really never imagined would come ... I'm pretty sure that Santa is going to bring a SiriusXM receiver & subscription.

Then again, I never imagined I'd live anywhere that didn't have an FM rock station either.

{shakes head}

[JonInMiddleGA]

Done & done.

Was going to add the online access anyway, so ended up with the whole programming bundle. Can't imagine I'll use much/any of the extra channels but it was actually like $4 cheaper to take Howard & everything (with online thrown in) than to buy the 130 basic channels + internet.

[MikeVic]

If there's another thread better-suited for this, can someone point me to it?

I have SiriusXM that came with my car, and recently experienced it through some free week that they had. I liked it enough for it to maybe take over my normal radio listening. I had some questions that I was hoping people here experienced with this satellite radio stuff could answer?

-If I want to subscribe for my car, would I need some account number or my VIN or...?

-Can a subscription be used in my car, and also the same subscription on one of those standalone radios? I saw on their website you can get one for $60... is it possible to get this and have it at work, then connect earbuds to it?

-The monthly cost on the site is something like $22/month... which is definitely not something I'd pay. I've heard of a 3-month free trial, or 3 months at $3/month, or a yearly package for $80-100. If I can use this at work too, I can see it being worth like $10/month for me, otherwise I don't see myself spending $22/month. Is there a rule of thumb that people don't pay the listed price? Or is that accepted by satellite radio fans?

Thanks!

[JonInMiddleGA]

-- I believe there's a receiver number associated with the unit. Seems as though there's a way to get that to come up via something like "options" or "info" or something. The exact process depends upon the model of the radio I'm sure.

-- At least as I understand it, subscriptions are based upon the receiver, not the person. I think if you had a built-in unit in the car & a standalone (or home, or dual purpose) unit that would require two separate subscriptions.

-- Subscribe via the annual rate, waaaaay cheaper than the monthly or even quarterly rate. You may (or may not) be able to get an unadvertised deal to activate an existing receiver in your vehicle however, that's probably a call-and-ask kind of thing.

[britrock88]

Just throwing it out as an example, I pay $10 (plus fees, to ~$11.50) for the smallest package, which is plenty enough (all the music minus the artist-specific channels, 80+ channels in all). My billing period didn't seem to affect the price.

Between my and JimGA's feedback, I suppose the thing to note is that you can definitely negotiate your terms.

[stevew]

There's an epic thread on this on fat wallet. I'd figure out what the most current posts are saying.

[Ryche]

I got Sirius on a 6 month trial in the car I bought in October. When the trial ended, they contacted me offering to continue for something like 5 dollars a month for another 6 months. Doubt I'd pay more than that, but it certainly shouldn't be necessary to spend 22 dollars a month. I like it for the out of market baseball games if nothing else.

[Toddzilla]

Go to channel 1 and it will display your radio id - thats what you need to subscribe

[General Mike]

Originally Posted by Toddzilla

Go to channel 1 and it will display your radio id - thats what you need to subscribe

Thanks. I also just bought a new car and was wondering about that for when my trial ends.

[Scarecrow]

Not sure where you got the $22/month rate - prices run from 9.99 to 18.99 (SiriusXM Radio). Although the charge is monthly, they charge your credit card quarterly.

I've had SiriusXM since before they merged, and cannot think of driving without it. That being said, they have the worst customer service I've ever had to deal with. Currently going on 3 years of trying to get my $5/month multi-car discount, with each call being told it would be done only to see the full amount the next quarter. (Side note: the reason the discount is difficult is because I have Sirius in my Nissan, and my wife has XM in her Mercury).

[sooner333]

I usually get a 5 month/$30 dollar promotional deal that reverts to the highest rate after that. You just call in to cancel and they offer you various deals which get better and better until you're back where you started. Although I may quit at the end of this run because I walk to work now and I'm not driving that much in general.

[MikeVic]

Thanks a lot guys for all the answers and help.

I looked around the site and saw that they had a 3-month free trial for pre-owned vehicles. So I signed up for that now, and will try to get some sort of deal after it's done. I will definitely use this in the summer in my car.

I'm in Canada, so that's where I found the $22/month. After looking some more, I saw an option for $15/month, but nothing less than that. I'm hoping they have the same sort of deal that other people here have mentioned (but for a couple dollars more a month or something).

[Marc Vaughan]

They keep offering me a 75% discount for the first six months then $15/month after that, I'd sign up like a shot at the $4/month price but not if they're going to revert six months down the road.

Simply put I work from home and rarely drive that far, as such its not worth paying a lot for something I'll only use sporadically to catch soccer matches if I'm forced out and about while one is on.

(I'm sure they'd get far greater pick-up/revenue/ad-income if they just dropped their prices to something 'reasonable' - to me $15/month for a radio is NOT reasonable)

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Marc Vaughan

(I'm sure they'd get far greater pick-up/revenue/ad-income if they just dropped their prices to something 'reasonable' - to me $15/month for a radio is NOT reasonable)

Y'know, I'd said that for years.

Now, given the sorry state of radio in my area, it's become more of a "it's a bit high still but given the lack of alternatives it's worth it" thing.

[stevew]

I'd justify buying it because of how much I drive for work, but podcasts are free.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Oops.

Latest Radio News, Talk Shows, Sports, Hosts, Personalities | AllAccess.com

edit to add: Okay, so the headline doesn't show it. SiriusXM has fired Anthony Cumia (of Opie & Anthony) after some sort of dust up on Twitter that apparently involved racially insensitive remarks (I haven't gone looking to find out).

[kcchief19]

Upon reading his Twitter feed and the media accounts, Sirius XM had no choice, he dug his own grave. He dropped every bomb other than the N-word. If you're a celebrity and you drop the C-word, it's pretty much just as bad.

He was fired for being an idiot. I don't know how you can be that stupid. But if you are that stupid, you deserve to be fire.

[jeff061]

He's said worse. I have to wonder if there is more going on and they are using this as a public excuse.

[jeff061]

What does satellite radio have if not shows that don't fit on terrestrial radio? I'll use Spotify for music over satellite. Trying to figure out the logic behind this move, especially considering he has basically said whats in that twitter feed verbatim on the radio every day for years. Also there wasn't any backlash I don't think, there was no pressure to fire him.

Wonder how their ratings were.

[Toddzilla]

Wow - he kinda sorta has had it coming for a while now

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by jeff061

What does satellite radio have if not shows that don't fit on terrestrial radio? I'll use Spotify for music over satellite.

Pretty sure you're in the minority on that one so far as the car goes.

Also there wasn't any backlash I don't think, there was no pressure to fire him.

The Washington Post, the New York Post and Gawker all went after him before Sirius made their announcement.

[jeff061]

Yeah I saw all that to, there is people posting articles and then there's actually getting traction and turning heads. I didn't see any of that until after he was fired and I did a search.

I may be in the minority now of users caching and playing music and radio, I'm new to Spotify myself, but I really doubt that's going to be the case in the not so distant future. Ten bucks a month I get to pick from a huge library of music without limits , listen to custom or Spotify generated playlists and automatically have this all cache local on my phone for when I'm off WiFi.