XM / Sirius Radio - Who's still got them?

[tmc]

Until all the cell carriers have seamless and uninterrupted (by network congestion) coverage, I will remain an XM subscriber.

I love Pandora, and I already use iheartradio (iPhone app), but in the car or on the bike traveling, especially long distance in the boondocks, there is no substitute for satrad.

Also, my wife loves it, so that seals the deal.

I voted "overpriced but staying". I do think that pricing needs to be kept in check for me to continue with them long term.

 

[Fred W]

The subscription price made me decide to never get in. I can play MP3's for several days (for free) and never hear the same one. Plus I get to choose what I want to hear at any given moment.

 

[Lowcountry Joe]

I don't listen to music on a motorcycle...I don't need it for comfort or company or sanity (it wouldn't help anyway . I do have XM in the Yukon and have been subscribing for about 5 years. I think it's over-priced. How can a company "guess" what you want to hear on the radio and get it right? That's why Sir/XM is bankrupt now, and that's why they will probably never be successful. Why don't you just buy an mp3 player of some kind with big storage capability, and put the songs on there that you really want to hear? I guess that's one alternative, among others.

The thing that has really pissed me off the last couple of years is that now, there are a bunch of damn DJs running their mouths on the 70s and other channels. I didn't sigh-up to pay for that kind of hog-wash, hell we can get that on AM and FM now to the point where we puke. Who wants to listen to their BS? And moreover, who in the hell wants to PAY to listen to their BS?

I told the wife the other day that I don't like it and I am tired of paying for a service that we barely ever use. She likes it so I have an uphill battle looming. I plan to try to get her "Sirius" about dumping them for good. There are better, more economical options out there my friends. But here on the home front, I must pick my battles wisely! You know what I mean... <_<

 

[Fred W]

While I never have subscribed to satellite radio, I have recently paid for a year of Pandora ($36).

Why, you may ask, since you can get it for free?

Two reasons, really. One, because I think it is an idea that is worthy of investing a few bucks in. If you haven't played with it, do so (for free). I'm hopeful that if they can make some money and that they will put even more work into the "intelligence" part of their music system. Making it even more capable of learning likes and dislikes and custom tailoring music channels to my personal tastes. The second reason I subscribed is to make it play longer without pausing with the "Are you there?" question.

I have my desktop PC (in my office over the garage) hooked up via an RCA Lyra wireless music bridge that goes to the whole-house music entertainment system. It pipes music into the entire 1st floor of my home and then can be selected room by room. So if I am reading a book in front of the fireplace in the family room, I can crank Pandora up with a "Brahms Concertos" playlist and it will play for over 5 hours of soothing musical wallpaper, even though I don't own a single Classical Baroque music CD. Or make that Neil Young (which I do have a lot of), or make it the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

During our extended family Christmas party just a few weeks ago, I had Pandora play music throughout the entire house from a playlist of music similar to Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song". It worked flawlessly and played all the golden oldie Holiday songs. And I sure don't want to buy that on CD.

Now, if there was a satellite radio that was INTERACTIVE like Pandora, that would be something I could see myself subscribing to.

 

[ShinyPartsUp]

I've had XM on the bike and truck (one unit that I move to the bike for multi-day rides). Not much forfree radio stations around me. I'm a CNN junkie, and listen to oldies for a change. My main reason for getting XM back in the early part of 2007 was for baseball games (I miss the Red Sox and AL). In addition, there is no culture outside the occassional rodeo or goat roundup :wub: around here. So listening to some classic music or other material I can't get is a respite and piece of what I miss from the big city. The automatic $77 payment every 6 months hurts, but I keep it going. At worst, it keeps the kids quiet on long rides because they get to listen to the Disney channel.

 

[Bounce]

I chose that the price was fine. The options are all skewed the wrong way.

I got mine (Sirius) and right away bought the lifetime subscription. That was the selling point for Sirius over XM (other than some content issues I preferred with Sirius). I've been locked in and not paying additionally for something like 6 years now. I LOVE my Sirius and listen to it daily in the car an in the office (boom box).

With nearly 20 Gigs of MP3 encoded and still not done ripping all my CDs yet, I find that they repeat too often when on longish road trips. Plus my MP3s only play what I've already bought. They don't provide me with new content to discover.

 

[fjrob1300]

I had XM in my Chevy and on my Bike. I was at GM when I first got it and got it free for a year then 4.99 a month . Then the bottom fell out and it cost 14.99 for the car and 9.99 for the bike. That was the end. But to cancel was like brain surgery. So when they tried to get me to come back with a free trial I told them to take a hike until they learned what customer service was. When my wife bought her Ford pick-up she got Serius for free for a year and that was the end of that. I now have a new Sony Walkman (8gig) with a FM reciever. so now I have music for the bike and the car that I can choose.

Rob

 

[RadioHowie]

Personally, I'm a fan of terrestrial radio. (I wonder why?)

I wouldn't blink an eye if their satellites fell out of the sky and landed on Howard Stern's house, killing all the occupants inside.

We in the "real" radio business are still gasping for breath after laughing so hard for the last nine years from all the prognostications how "we" would be out of business in five years. 2006 came and guess what....we were still in business. Another 4 years and lookee-lookee....Sirius/XM don't have two nickels to rub together and the wolves are at the door.

Still gasping for breath.

 

[Bounce]

--opinion--

The terrestrial radio (TR) template fails in the 21st century. In a time of Tivo's, time slip recording, and skipping any remaining commercials, TR continues to extend their commercial:content ratio in the wrong direction. The last time I listened to TR there were 40 minutes of commercials for every 20 minutes of content (and no way to skip them, so channel hopping was the only sane way to actually get even close to any content.

When TR went to the FCC and cried about internet radio (and sat radio) that wasn't gasping for breath from laughing, it was gasping at straws to try to kill the competition.

If sat radio fails, then cell radio will take over (using cell phones to pipe in internet radio stations). Choice and a higher content:commercial ratio is what modern customers expect. They get it with their TV, they expect it with their radio.

 

[RadioHowie]

--opinion--The terrestrial radio (TR) template fails in the 21st century. In a time of Tivo's, time slip recording, and skipping any remaining commercials, TR continues to extend their commercial:content ratio in the wrong direction. The last time I listened to TR there were 40 minutes of commercials for every 20 minutes of content (and no way to skip them, so channel hopping was the only sane way to actually get even close to any content.

When TR went to the FCC and cried about internet radio (and sat radio) that wasn't gasping for breath from laughing, it was gasping at straws to try to kill the competition.

If sat radio fails, then cell radio will take over (using cell phones to pipe in internet radio stations). Choice and a higher content:commercial ratio is what modern customers expect. They get it with their TV, they expect it with their radio.

Honest to God, if the radio stations in your market truly are running 40 minutes of spots every hour, than they positively deserve to fail...and fail hard. However, to say the TR template fails in the 21st century is ridiculous to me when just 1 of the stations in my 4 station group in little Podunk Polk County, Florida grosses 13 million a year...not from a top 10 market...not a top 20 market...hell, not even a top 50 market. We're in market #98....just barely make the top 100. And our expenses are nowhere near 13 million. We're not "printing money" but certainly not operating from some failing template, either.

It's like your "40 minutes of commercials for every 20 minutes of content" argument. It's not what you do, it's how you do it. TR can be, and is very successful when done right. It just seems the Cox, Infinity and Clear Channels of the world just can't seem to do it right.

Regardless of what satellite or internet radio proponents think, the VAST majority of radio listeners want their local content. The want DJs who live in their communitiies and talk about them. The want to know what the weather is going to be like this afternoon. They want to know about school closings or who's running for city council, or where the best local barbecue joint is. THey want to know about when and where local veteran groups' meeting are takign place. VAST majority. You satellite/internet radio guys are currently a tiny minority, as Sirius/XM's struggling to survive proves at the bottom line.

Sure, local radio CAN suck....one of the 4 stations in the group I work at doesn't make a dime. Totally subsidized by the other three. Big Band/Oldies format. YUCK!!! But guess what...it has the 2nd highest ratings of all 4 stations because of its content. So I guess it DOESN'T suck...at least not for an audience big enough to push its ratings to #2 in our town of license. And it's a 1Kw AM while our "big dog" is a 100Kw fm.

Sure, TR is under attack...but it has weapons satellite and internet radio will never have.

 

[Bounce]

Sure, TR is under attack...but it has weapons satellite and internet radio will never have.

like the FCC to change the rules to keep them in business like AMA racing rules that let 1200 Harleys compete with 600cc bikes from everyone else?

 

[RadioHowie]

Sure, TR is under attack...but it has weapons satellite and internet radio will never have.

like the FCC to change the rules to keep them in business....

Such as???

If you know of such a rule change I'm not aware of, or have interpreted differently from the way you have, I'd be interested in knowing what that/those rules are.

I'm also curious why you have such an axe to grind against TR. If it's because your radio market has been fuxored beyond all recognition by the "Mega" companies like Clear Channel, I can understand. But to paint the entire industry with the same brush is like saying all motorcyclists drive obnoxiously loud V-Twins made in Milwaukee.

 

[Neil San Diego]

I bought two Sirius lifetime subscriptions almost three years ago, one for each car. It has just about paid for itself as of this year. If I had to resubscribe, I'd say screw it. I originally got it for the feejer with the intention of moving it between the bike and my truck. But the damned unit wouldn't last more than three months of in-and-out of the cradle; the plug on the bottom would always break and lose antenna connection. After recieving the 3rd replacement unit under warrantee in less than one year, it now sits permantly in the truck. 8gb iPod on the bike will have to do for now.

...I've had XM on the bike and truck (one unit that I move to the bike for multi-day rides)...

Just curious, do you have any issues with the units breaking due to moving from one cradle to another?

Looking to the future, I'm thinking of something like Pandora also. A phone with internet streaming music and reliable internet connection would be fantastic for me. I'm waiting and watching...

 

[beemerdons]

As much as I truly hate agreeing with RadioHowie on anything, I'd rather have a hemorrhoid inflammation, I fully understand RH: I much prefer terrestrial radio these days! Bought my Jeep Liberty Diesel SUV in October of 2006 and one of the "free" incentives was a 3-year subscription to XM / Sirius. So, since I was getting it "free", which we know is baloney cause it was somewhere in my purchase price deal, I listened to it constantly until two months ago, too many damn $$$ for me to renew!

I'd forgotten what an outrageous hoot local Phoenix gasbag disk jockeys and news reporters were; real funny guys and gals.

XM/Sirius only has a bunch of god damn robots and you don't get any of local area "flavor" and your home town happenings!

Feel no need returning to Sirius, I prefer local blabbermouths on air like RadioHowie; looking forward to listening to RH 3/13!

 

[tcfjr]

I've had XM since '06, through a GXM-30 on my Zumo. Each month I pay $12 for basic XM, $3 for Best of Sirius (for NFL and other Sirius-only sports), and $4 for traffic and weather. Add in the royalty fee, and it's $21 per month.

Compared to all the other money I spend on my bike (fuel, maintenance, riding gear, insurance, accessories, rally fees, motels/campgrounds, etc.), I'm okay with the price. I have 140gb of MP3's floating around, but still prefer having someone else do my programming for me.

But there's two big reasons I keep it around: a) I commute in Southern California, and the NavTraffic is really helpful (even with lane-sharing); and B) I do a lot of riding in areas where there's no cell coverage and no terrestrial radio available. In '07 I rode to the Yukon and the Northwest Territories, in '08 I rode a bunch in central Nevada, and in '09 I rode to both CFR and WFO, and it was great having something fresh to listen to out in the middle of freakin' nowhere.

The music stations I listen to are still commercial free, and the DJs only pop in every 3-4 songs for a 15 second cutaway. Sports talk is a nice diversion, and I even enjoy the odd baseball play-by-play during a long slog on I-5 through the Central Valley.

So, it's not cheap, but for me I still think it's worth it - at least for now.

 

[Crash Cash]

Regardless of what satellite or internet radio proponents think, the VAST majority of radio listeners want their local content. The want DJs who live in their communities and talk about them. The want to know what the weather is going to be like this afternoon. They want to know about school closings or who's running for city council, or where the best local barbecue joint is. THey want to know about when and where local veteran groups' meeting are takign place.

Man oh man! I guess as usual I'm not in the "VAST majority" as I don't care about any of that shit. If I could put a 9mm round through the head of the WDBO/WMMO/WJRR/104.1 DJs and get away with it, I'd do it. I'm also tired of my music choices being "top 10", "24hrs of nickelback", "top 10", "rap", "Neil Bortz", "top 10", and "would you like some more rap?" especially at night. Sometimes I might get lucky and get some WUCF reception or some Rollins' 91.5, but only if I cover myself in oil and dance widdershins around the antenna.

If I want local weather, I go to radar.weather.gov and it's got PICTURES as well as answering the question of "is it raining between work and home?"

It's so bad I finally set up a Windows VMWare partition so I can run iTunes.

 

[beemerdons]

Christ on a Crutch, won't somebody step up and defend poor RadioHowie? Shiny & Bust, where the hell are you 2 jackoffs at?

 

[Jay H]

I have to admit I am a Sirius Satellite junky as well; the price is worth it as I do not have the continual inane assault on my intelligence of stupid commercial, upon stupid comercial, upon ......... Besides they have great programming choices.

 

[tmc]

I'd use terrestrial again - if they had the syndicated sports talk shows I listen to on the local AM. Add back in MLB, NBA, College, etc. and they'd have me full time. Not happenin.

I too have a stupid large mp3 collection, but when I do listen to music I'd rather it pick for me. So I use the obscure stations on satrad - or Pandora or Genius or Last.fm. My taste in music is all over the place, so mixing it all up is a chore when done by hand.

The local stations all seem to be stuck on the same 20-30 current hits song rotation and that is frustrating. A few terrestrials are better than others and can play a good mixed bag, but they are becoming fewer and farther between. And Indie.... pretty much ferget about it on terrestrial outside of a college station.

I do like some of the local DJs though. Not the talk radio fuksticks mind you. At least not the ones 'round here. Hell, not the ones national either. If I wanted to hear that crap I'd just stick my head up a horse's ass and cut out the middleman.

 

[Knifemaker]

When I got my Zumo I also got a good deal on the XM puck , so I ended up subscribing along with adding traffic and weather. I had a MYFi before this that I used alot at work, in the car, and on the bike before this.

Well I found I was just using the XM on the bike, so I let the other devices contracts run out. The one for the Zumo has now run out (they never contacted me to tell me this) and I am unsure if I will resubcribe this spring.

I did like having the weather and traffic, and did like a few of the music channels. But if it is going to cost me more than a 100 bucks a year, I kinda doubt I will be returning. I have filled a few SD cards with MP3s...so music on the bike is covered.

I was really hoping that the merger would make them better...but it seems from what I am reading that this is not the case.

My wife had better luck with them, lol, she bought a Roady at a garage sale along with TWO boombox docking stations for 20 bucks. She never called to "sign up", as she found out that the Roady was still working.....which it did for almost 2 years. So I guess if I factor in getting 2 years free I guess I should not be complaining over the costs now...lol.

But, still not sure about renewing for the Zumo.

So keep your eyes on the sell page here this spring as I might be selling off the GXM puck cheap.

KM