Thoughts on Sirius/XM Merger?

magenta321 · #1 11-12-2007, 08:17 AM

I have an email in my inbox this morning telling me to vote for the merger (I don't own stock, so it's not in my hands really, anyway).

I am worried about how such a merger will change my satellite radio experience.

Without any competition I think prices will go up.

I like my "dial" the way it is. Certainly if they merge there is duplication of stations, and not all of them will stay in their current format and their current "spot."

If the price goes up for my satellite radio, I doubt I will continue to use it. And I think I'd go insane if I had to listen to radio commercials.

If any of ya'll are shareholders, vote no

Do it for Margaret

**pippadaisy**[$] · #2 11-12-2007, 08:37 AM

Don't care one way or another. I don't bother with it. My dad has XM in his truck, and when I've borrowed it, I have to admit I do listen to it (almost exclusively the Broadway station), but other than that, I would be more likely to pay for something that allowed me to pick up Internet radio streams than satellite.

Satellite and Clear Channel combined are killing the independents.

**theworm**[$] · #3 11-12-2007, 07:46 PM

Thanks for reminding me - I'm going to cancel our XM subscription. It was great in Florida and great for the move, but there is a wonderful radio station here, and I find that I like it better than XM. I used to listen a lot to the comedy stations and I may miss those, but my drives now are quite short (small town) so it's not worth paying for.

This is the new station that we like, by the way. You can listen on the computer too.

Anyway, if I did have a vote, I would vote against the merger. I think a bit of competition is a good thing.

brian_igo · #4 11-14-2007, 10:38 PM

I would vote for it because I don't think there's enough market to support two companies. Let it continue as is and one will fail, and the other will lose a lot of money in the meantime.

**amykhar** · #5 11-14-2007, 11:07 PM

I was looking forward to it, but with Bob losing his job in January, I'll be turning Sirius off anyway. But, I think it could be a good thing to consolidate the two.

**mjfrombuffalo**[$] · #6 11-14-2007, 11:12 PM

What happened?

**theworm**[$] · #7 11-14-2007, 11:14 PM

I'm sorry, Amy!
I hope he finds something else soon!!

**amykhar** · #8 11-14-2007, 11:18 PM

Verizon is closing the Reading office. They're being sneaky about it too. They technically offered all of the employees jobs in the Allentown office. But, on the wages these people make, gas would be out of the question for commuting. Technically, the other office is 35 miles away; so there is some question if the employees will be able to collect unemployment too

We're trying to figure out exactly what we're going to do. But, we're still WAY better off than we were two years ago. Something will come of this. It generally does.

Amy

**mjfrombuffalo**[$] · #9 11-14-2007, 11:34 PM

At least you have good lead time! Here's hoping Santa brings a great Xmas present in the form of a job offer...

**theworm**[$] · #10 11-15-2007, 12:14 AM

what a sleezy thing to do if they deny them unemployment!! I'm sorry!

**jgibson2**[$] · #11 11-15-2007, 01:50 AM

Quote:

theworm said

what a sleezy thing to do if they deny them unemployment!! I'm sorry!

Not at all uncommon, sadly. Several years ago, my hospital downsized the staff in the NICU by offering some of the nurses positions in other units. Stupid administrators failed to note that many area hospitals were paying whopping sign-on bonuses for experienced NICU nurses. The nurses didn't. The administrators feigned surprise -- but because they'd offered the nurses other positions in the hospital, nobody would have been eligible for unemployment if they'd had any difficulty finding another job.