Comments on: XM and Sirius Merger in Jeopardy as Lawmakers Tune In and See a Problem http://svenontech.com/2007/06/19/xm-and-sirius-merger-in-jeopardy-as-lawmakers-tune-in-and-see-a-problem/ The technology resource you can't resist! Thu, 22 Dec 2011 13:37:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Sven Rafferty http://svenontech.com/2007/06/19/xm-and-sirius-merger-in-jeopardy-as-lawmakers-tune-in-and-see-a-problem/comment-page-1/#comment-113417 Sven Rafferty Fri, 24 Aug 2007 03:55:11 +0000 http://svenontech.com/2007/06/19/xm-and-sirius-merger-in-jeopardy-as-lawmakers-tune-in-and-see-a-problem/#comment-113417 Bill, I hear what you're saying, but in my experience, every time a market dwindled down to one player, the interest of the customer was never on the radar. Sirius has lots of bills it can not handle on its own due to purchases like Howard and the NFL and now it needs help. While XM's stock is worth more than Sirius and has the best chance of going profitable soon, it too needs help. These guys need each other to survive. Once together, raising prices won't harm us satellite addicts because we'll have no other drug dealer to go to any more. Hence, price raising and lesser quality at the customer service desk is a sure thing. Based on Congress' rubber stamping anything that runs through the halls of Capital Hill in the last decade, this will probably happen anyway. Sirius and XM were keen to do this before Bush left office because he won't veto this. As to the oil companies, don't even get me started there. Ugh! Bill, I hear what you’re saying, but in my experience, every time a market dwindled down to one player, the interest of the customer was never on the radar.

Sirius has lots of bills it can not handle on its own due to purchases like Howard and the NFL and now it needs help. While XM’s stock is worth more than Sirius and has the best chance of going profitable soon, it too needs help. These guys need each other to survive. Once together, raising prices won’t harm us satellite addicts because we’ll have no other drug dealer to go to any more. Hence, price raising and lesser quality at the customer service desk is a sure thing.

Based on Congress’ rubber stamping anything that runs through the halls of Capital Hill in the last decade, this will probably happen anyway. Sirius and XM were keen to do this before Bush left office because he won’t veto this.

As to the oil companies, don’t even get me started there. Ugh!

]]> By: Bill Swanson http://svenontech.com/2007/06/19/xm-and-sirius-merger-in-jeopardy-as-lawmakers-tune-in-and-see-a-problem/comment-page-1/#comment-113089 Bill Swanson Tue, 21 Aug 2007 17:14:52 +0000 http://svenontech.com/2007/06/19/xm-and-sirius-merger-in-jeopardy-as-lawmakers-tune-in-and-see-a-problem/#comment-113089 Sven, you have everything completely wrong. Only one satellite company will survive in this current market, most likely Sirius. The notion of higher prices is a pure negative speculation by the NAB lobby and Congressman with interest in the terrestrial radio industry. Satellite radio is not a necessary commodity (I wish our government would scrutinize mergers of necessary goods like Energy, Oil, etc.). If the merger goes through and subscription fees are raised, subscribers will be lost. This would not be a good thing for the merged satellite company. Actually there is talk of a la cart subscriptions where you could only pick the channels you wish to have, at a lower cost. Imagine having NFL, MLB, NASCAR, Golf, NHL, NBA, and all sporting programming, along with the music, with one satellite company. Satellite radio can not afford to lose subscribers, there will be no “Monopoly”, and there will not be higher prices. Sven, you have everything completely wrong. Only one satellite company will survive in this current market, most likely Sirius. The notion of higher prices is a pure negative speculation by the NAB lobby and Congressman with interest in the terrestrial radio industry. Satellite radio is not a necessary commodity (I wish our government would scrutinize mergers of necessary goods like Energy, Oil, etc.). If the merger goes through and subscription fees are raised, subscribers will be lost. This would not be a good thing for the merged satellite company. Actually there is talk of a la cart subscriptions where you could only pick the channels you wish to have, at a lower cost. Imagine having NFL, MLB, NASCAR, Golf, NHL, NBA, and all sporting programming, along with the music, with one satellite company. Satellite radio can not afford to lose subscribers, there will be no “Monopoly”, and there will not be higher prices.

]]> By: Nabisco http://svenontech.com/2007/06/19/xm-and-sirius-merger-in-jeopardy-as-lawmakers-tune-in-and-see-a-problem/comment-page-1/#comment-104867 Nabisco Wed, 20 Jun 2007 20:19:10 +0000 http://svenontech.com/2007/06/19/xm-and-sirius-merger-in-jeopardy-as-lawmakers-tune-in-and-see-a-problem/#comment-104867 Sven, you've gotten right to the heart of the matter: a merger between XM and Sirius would create a monopoly, and the <i>only</i> beneficiaries of such a monopoly would be XM and Sirius. I do some work with the NAB, and we've created a <a href="http://xmsiriusmonopoly.com/" rel="nofollow">site</a> that I would encourage you to check out for even more reasons why this merger simply shouldn't go through. Sven, you’ve gotten right to the heart of the matter: a merger between XM and Sirius would create a monopoly, and the only beneficiaries of such a monopoly would be XM and Sirius. I do some work with the NAB, and we’ve created a site that I would encourage you to check out for even more reasons why this merger simply shouldn’t go through.

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