XM & Sirius Satellite Radio

fintail

That's interesting...the only pet peeve I can see is that if it uses bluetooth as a modem link, the mobile device will eat up its battery in no time, so it will have to always be plugged in. The wires annoy me.

It'd be interesting to see an ipod-like device with a built in internet radio tuner that could be used anywhere.

tallman1

The comments on the Motely Fool link are rather interesting... lots of folks don't agree about the demise of Sirius XM. We'll see how it all turns out but for someone who makes 250 mile drives quite regularly, having the ability to listen to more than just music is a godsend. CDs, iPods, and others can't compete. Recorded spoken words don't quite compare with current news, sports, or talk radio.

Hopefully, they survive.

fintail

I hope it doesn't die off as well, other than that I paid for a custom install of a Sirius receiver in my car...I live in an area with very unremarkable broadcast radio, and it is nice to have a venue where I can almost always find something to listen to.

Or if it does die off, something even better replaces it.

tallman1

heh-heh... I live in the same general area so I can relate.

stever

I thought the comment that only satellite could give you nationwide coverage of unique coverage (Howard Stern comes to mind), but I do wonder if net radio wouldn't cover most of it. I listen online to stations via Shoutcast, etc. all the time.

tallman1

I don't know that internet radio for your car will be what sat radio is. I don't know enough about it though. Like you, I tend to listen to radio over the net instead of XM when I'm on the computer.

nippononly

to me that streaming internet radio in cars will cause the swift demise of sat radio, but I guess it is possible that Sirius/XM will still have the edge on geographic coverage for some time yet.

Did anyone read Autoweek's coverage of the CES show in Las Vegas? Sounds like Sirius is on its way out, while HD radio is the latest up-and-comer. Of course, HD radio expands channel options for free, but it is only available within a given, fairly small, radius of the transmitter. The distinction is unimportant in most major metro areas, but if you are a rural resident it is very important.

For me it is a moot point as the merger killed all the good music channels on Sirius and replaced them with crud from XM. I will be cancelling this month...

carnaught

For me it is a moot point as the merger killed all the good music channels on Sirius and replaced them with crud from XM. I will be cancelling this month...

And I doubt that Howard Stern's $500 million reward helped them.

qbrozen

well, the scare tactics worked on me, at least.

I already have a contract on our primary receiver, but pay monthly on my secondary because they had no "deals." Received an email last week telling me my secondary will go up to $9.99/mo UNLESS I buy time up front now at the normal $6.99 price. Oh, and they also say they will start charging for using it on the internet unless I buy up front. So I did. Took 1 year on my secondary.

drtravel

Bought a new car and it comes with a three-month trial. Received a mailing listing their pricing structure. Just wondering if anyone knows of a way to get a subscription at a discount price. Ran across a few sites that say you can get it for $77/year. Who do I have to badger to get this?

michaellno

I believe when you call in to extend the free trial membership, you can use the code "ZWINBACK" and you should get the $77/yr subscription rate.

It only seems to be valid for the first year, however. I tried to use it again last November when the first year expired, but they have it in their history so was unable to use it again.

I did, however, get them to renew for 6 months at around $38, so still got the roughly $6/mo price. Given that my wife listens to one channel 95% of the time, that is how much I think the subscription is worth. And I told the person I renewed with exactly that.

Am still hoping for an 'a la carte' pricing structure, where you can choose, say, 25 or 50 channels for a lower price.

drtravel

Been doing some more digging and it seems if you threaten to cancel your subscription, they will offer you the $77 no matter how many times you have used this special. Also found some getting a renewal of $62.16 (XM Everything - Sixty Percent 12 Month Special). Many report that you need to call weekends or night and that not all operators will give it to you. So you might need to call a few times until you get the right person. Call 1-800-347-0600 and say you will cancel unless you get the discount.

My free trial still has a month-and-a-half to go, so I'll see if this still works then.

michaellno

I guess when my 6 month renewal period ends in May, I'll have to play hard ball. I've been pretty upfront with them about the "regular" price not being good value for the money.

qbrozen

we'll see what current economic conditions bring, but my recent experience (ie, post merger) was that they are through cutting special deals. (without competition, why bother?)

They contacted me about 2 months before my contract was up. I declined renewal, stressing to the salesperson that I would wait for a better deal. Got down to 1 day before contract expiration and had received no further contact from Sirius. Not wanting to have to pay the activation fee again, I called on the last day. I believe the deal, which was the same deal they were offering to everyone, was 24 months for the price of 18 on our primary receiver. I went ahead and took it. No obligation, though, and no early termination fees of any kind.

drtravel

There is a good chance the company may not survive this year. They are on many lists of companies who may not survive. Just like Circuit City and a host of others. The folks who reported getting good deals did so last month. But they did mention that you have to call more than once - not all salespersons want to give discounts.

carnaught

There is a good chance the company may not survive this year. They are on many lists of companies who may not survive.

It makes we want to buy only a few months service at a time.

nippononly

(without competition, why bother?)

Competition = iPods, HD radio, in-car streaming radio from the internet? Not to mention the old standards, talk radio AM and the CD changer pretty much every car comes with now. ;-)

stever

15 Companies That Might Not Survive 2009. (Yahoo)

If this keeps up I won't be able to drive to Krispy Kreme in my Caliber while listening to Howard Stern.

Refinancing (or bankruptcy?) looms and Ergin/Echo Star is trying to buy them. MarketWatch

gagrice

I thought Krispy Kreme already went bankrupt. None around here anymore. I only had one and thought it tasted like any other glazed donut. Not as good as mom made when I was a kid.

stever

They were wonderful hot off the conveyor belt when I could only get them in Chattanooga when I'd go visit family. There's one here in Boise and I never go there.

Today's channel - Urban Soul - Classic (link)

qbrozen

Competition = iPods, HD radio, in-car streaming radio from the internet? Not to mention the old standards, talk radio AM and the CD changer pretty much every car comes with now. ;-)

Those are not competition, they are alternatives. That would be like saying an F-150 competes with a Taurus.

Internet radio I suppose comes the closest, although I'm not familiar with it. And what would I have to do to actually receive it? We're talking mobile internet connection, right? Not to mention an in-car PC. So how does that compete with $10/mo? We have ipod, cd changer, and sirius all in my wife's vehicle. When nobody else is with me, I turn on the satellite.

drtravel

Sirius XM is in the music delivery business to your car. Free radio is the main competition and it is much more affordable. I'm always switching channels when I listen to either. Throwing in an ipod lets me choose what I want to hear and I never have to change the station! Any method of putting music through my car's stereo system is indeed competition.

Back to another point I made: Sirius XM is preparing documents to file for Chapter 11 bankrupcy as I type this. So maybe Sirius XM = Taurus and all other music delivery systems = F-150. I know the F-150 and other music delivery sysyems will still be around for awhile. Not so sure about the Taurus and Sirius XM.

gagrice

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sirius XM Radio Inc has been working with its advisers to prepare for a possible bankruptcy filing, the New York Times reported on its website on Tuesday, citing people close to the company.

The move could put pressure on satellite television company EchoStar Corp, which reportedly holds a substantial amount of Sirius XM debt. The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that EchoStar chief Charles Ergen made an offer to take control of the satellite radio company late last year, but he was rebuffed.

Sirius officials did not respond to several telephone and email messages, and EchoStar declined comment.

I guess I was lucky Toyota did not have a Sat option for my Sequoia. I would have been real ticked if I paid $500 and they went off the air. My take is they brought it on themselves paying jerks like Howard Stern $millions$. Too bad the CD player in the Sequoia is substandard.

ral2167

i like the news...cnn, fox, cnbc... and sports...espn, nfl network, sporting news....

will miss all that if no more satellite,,,

for music i just do the cd changer mostly...hardly use satellite for music.

gagrice

The 15 months we had XM I don't think we listened to anything but the Classical stations except at Christmas. It was nice out in the Desert and back country. We wanted it in our 07 Sequoia. Toyota dealer lied and said it was an option with the NAV. Turns out it would not work with the DVD player. So we have gotten used to not having it. Guess that is good if they go out of business. They need to dump all the expensive programing and just do news, talk and music. Does anyone listen to Sports. That is supposed to be for spectators.

nippononly

Internet radio I suppose comes the closest, although I'm not familiar with it. And what would I have to do to actually receive it? We're talking mobile internet connection, right? Not to mention an in-car PC. So how does that compete with $10/mo?

You don't need an in-car PC, they make receivers for this now, that cost the same as the one you have to buy to pick up sat radio. Service is a little more expensive, but the choices are far wider. I think it runs around $30/month.

It's too bad sat radio is going bankrupt, but really is it any sort of surprise? They have NEVER made money, they have always struggled.

stickguy

I recently got the same notice as qbrozen about increasing the monthly cost on the 2nd units. And I have 2 now, at $6.99/each (3 cars, so 1 primary + 2 secondary).

I haven't yet checked out the offers, but maybe paying for a year to lower the monthly cost isn't such a great idea!

Pretty sneaky though. Raise the price enough to up cash flow for people who don't change (that is, stay monthly), and generate a "windfall" from people who prepay now!

I would miss it. I have a long commute now (1+ hour each way) and love the baseball talk coverage on XM, and the games in season. PLus I enjoy the music, and there are still pelnty of stations I like. ALso nice for when we travel, often through areas with no real over the air.

Yeah, I could live without it, but I would miss it. And I am a bit fuzzy on what the internet option gives me. Isn't it just a clearer signal of regualr broadcast stations?

smithed

"I thought Krispy Kreme already went bankrupt. None around here anymore. I only had one and thought it tasted like any other glazed donut. Not as good as mom made when I was a kid."

Plenty of KK here down South where they started. Great when first made and hot, otherwise, not. Dunkin Donuts is opening new places here now.

qbrozen

Sirius XM Radio Inc has been working with its advisers to prepare for a possible bankruptcy filing, the New York Times reported on its website on Tuesday, citing people close to the company.

uh-oh.

So does this mean I should call and cancel my subscriptions now and hope for a refund??

qbrozen

I consider competition to be 2 entities offering the same service. Free radio doesn't come close. I can't STAND free radio. There is SO little music. Its just like MTV.

the ipod is the same as putting CDs in your car, it just holds more. It is not a service. So, again, not really competition. My problem with the ipod is that it seems I can never put enough music on there to give me the variety I want, yet too much music makes it impossible to navigate.

Like I said, maybe internet radio comes closest. But at $30/mo, it is certainly not the economical choice.

If Sirius goes away, I will miss it. But I'll live. I will have to resort to MP3s.

xrunner2

Have enjoyed XM for a number of years. First, on home receiver hooked up to home sound system maybe 5 years ago. Our 2004 car came with XM and then combined subscription with home receiver for 1+ year. Our 2007 car came with XM but did not take out a subscription after free trial of first 3 months. Don't remember when, maybe about 3 years ago, our Direct TV subscription started including all the XM channels for no extra charge.

The variety of music offered is great and allows one to of course enjoy one's favorite music styles as well as exploring and finding other styles to enjoy.

WIll be a huge loss if Sirius/XM fails to come back some way after bankruptcy.

Never did understand why Sirius paid millions for a contract with a filthy porn talk show host. Are there that many listeners that want to be in the gutter? Sirius and XM should be about music.

gagrice

My guess is Echo Star that holds a lot of their debt will take it over. Still a big pile of cash coming in. I think that giving a lower price with monthly extraction from CC would be more desirable. One of my Internet providers does that. Then they have a steady stream of income. I think when people give them a year in advance they waste it on programing like Howard Stern. Tell Stern, Imus, Rush and others that they can get extended coverage and they will not charge them to be on Sat Radio.

stever

"a solid business with an outstanding customer base, but we are burdened with substantial debt obligations"

Sounds familiar. The music biz is tough these days:

Muzak files for bankruptcy (CNN)

lukedatruth

:confuse: I just recently hooked up my Sirius Stilleto 100 into my Toyota Corolla. I used the FM adapter and the hardwire hookup kit. My PROBLEM is that only the left side of my car speakers work with the Sirius Satellite on, when regular terrestrial radio on all speakers work. I went and traced all the hook ups which there are only a couple, everything seems to be hooked up right? Can someone PLEASE help figure out what it is I done wrong, Please!

ral2167

why did you hardwire it? when i used a car kit, all i did was plug it into the power thing that looks like a cigaretter lighter, and got the antenna on the roof, and eazy peezy that was it.

don't do the hard wire.

lukedatruth

I hardwired it because its alot better not having wires and that 12 volt plug sticking out. It was a kit that I bought from sirius, that has nothing to do with the problem, thanks though.

ral2167

perhaps you should hook it up without the hard wire and then see if you get sound out of both speakers-- if you do, then it's a hardwire problem.

nippononly

Liberty to lend Sirius $530 million, get 40% stake

February 17, 2009 - 9:45 am ET

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- John Malone's Liberty Media Corp. has agreed to lend $530 million to Sirius XM Radio Inc. in exchange for a 40 percent equity stake, saving the satellite radio provider from possible bankruptcy and sending its shares up 100 percent.

The deal also helps Sirius CEO Mel Karmazin fend off a potential takeover bid by Charles Ergen's EchoStar Corp., which has purchased hundreds of millions of Sirius's total debt of about $3.25 billion.

http://www.autonews.com/article/20090217/ANA05/302179823/1182
(registration link)

So I guess they're not going bye-bye. But all is not that pretty, Liberty also owns a controlling share of DirecTV, one of the companies that was previously looking to take over Sirius. And that "doubling of Sirius' stock price" brings it up to a whopping $0.21 per share. :-/

gagrice

That is good I think. I really liked XM when I had it in the GMC. I would like it when I get around to doing some cross country traveling. When ever that happens. I drive so little locally that it is a waste of money.

upstatedoc

Just as an FYI, my subscription was up for "auto renewal" March 8th at the whopping price of $145 for the year. I called and said I wanted to cancel and the operator asked why, I said I can't afford it. She said I could renew for the promotional price of $77/year ( which I have been paying for the last 3 years) and I said yes. This price is available to everyone, you just have to ask for it. Heck, tell 'em I sent you!

spartan3c79

This question may already be on the forum but i want to ask specifically.

I have a 2005 Cobalt that i bought new and it has the XM radio built in, no additional accessories or box that you plug in, its set into my *bands* button selections.

My radio has been damaged and i can no longer use it. What i would like to know is:

Can i buy an aftermarket radio like the one i have, where the xm is already built in the deck where i can just call in the radio ID and swap my account to that radio.

OR do i have to buy an XM ready radio and still buy a box to tune it? It doesnt seem to make much sense since the xm box runs through a radio station anyway.

My car is already equipped with an XM antenna and wverything since it was like that when i got it. Is the satellite receiver built into the deck, or is it something built inside my dash that the radio i have hooks up to. I havent taken it apart yet to find out.

Thank you for any help

carnaught

Crutchfield offers many after market car sound systems and could probably answer that question.

click here

spartan3c79

awesome, thanks

stever

tomtomato, "Lexus GX and LX and XM Radio" #5, 28 Feb 2009 5:33 pm

stever

According to email former (and maybe current) subscribers are getting:

3/12-3/18

80s on 8
the Pulse
Prime Country
Elvis radio
Alt Nation
the Spectrum
the heat
Kids Place live
Laugh USA
Symphony Hall
24/7 MLB talk

3/19-3/25

70s on 7
top 20 on 20
the Highway
Grateful Dead Channel
Lithium
Radio Margaritaville
Heart Soul
Kids Place Live
Laugh USA
Siriously Sinatra
Mad Dog Radio

So blow the dust off your old radio and tune in. For a couple of weeks.

guss

I will have to try it. I let mine lapse after the initial 90 day free trial, but with this kind of good will I could come back ( I paid for the service for 2 years prior). It would have to be a short term subscription , like 90 to 180 days. With their financial position T am not getting stuck for a year.

nippononly

on Thursday and adios'ed my service. I was told Sirius does not issue partial-month refunds, so I guess I will still have service until April 5th. Whatever.

All the music channels started to suck once they dumped the old ones after the merger and put in the XM channels in their place. And reception CONTINUES to suck under overpasses, on streets and highways with tall trees at their edges, etc.

Maybe one day in the future when they have ironed out all the kinks and I am buying a new car, I will ask to have Sirius in it. We will see.

Until then, good riddance.

gagrice

Were the classical stations better on Sirius than XM? I would not have bought it if it was not in the PU truck. We liked the 3 Classical stations on XM. I was against Sirius because they wasted millions on Howard Stern. They should have spent the money on something worthwhile like upgraded technology.

tallman1

All the music channels started to suck once they dumped the old ones after the merger and put in the XM channels in their place.

Funny... I'm disappointed that my favorite XM channels are gone and those awful Sirius channels are there.

nippononly

Well, that's how most corporate mergers go, instead of "synergies" we get the worst of both companies. I wouldn't put a lot of money on the future success of Sirius/XM....