Let's Rename this Board

[jo-nathan]

I think I should send an email to the administration of this website to suggest that they rename this board to "Satellite Radio Bashing." It seems like every post in here is from people who hate Sirius/XM. Some of us actually enjoy it. I know that in this po dunk place where radio choices are gospel, country, more country, AC, CHR and yet more country, it's nice to have such a wide array of music and talk programming available. I don't mind paying for a quality product and satellite radio is a quality product for the most part. Sure, there are some channels I don't like. Guess what: I don't listen to them.

Hate if you want. I enjoy having a real choice and not having to maintain a MP3 library in order to do so.

 

[SHIFTY 1]

Satellite is great for avid radio listeners, only wish all non internet, I pod service was one price. Merger should include Howard, NASCAR, NFL..... for all radios 8)

 

[Darth_vader]

.

 

[Casey]

There is a lot of negativity regarding SiriusXM lately, but I don't think it is undeserved. They have done nothing but axe niche stations, tighten playlists, raise prices, lower sound quality, ignore subscribers, and lower the overall value of satellite radio in recent years. I really can't name one thing they have done right in recent years. Not even SiriusXM 2.0.

 

[nocomradio]

To the O.P:

I am not sure how long you have been a subscriber to XM, or Sirius/XM as it is now known and has been for a few years. If you'd been there in the beginning as I was, and enjoyed what XM was and where it was going, you may have a different and not so rosy view of the merger mess that gutted XM. I am also not sure if you've ever had the occasion to deal with any of their personnel with a problem or issue with your subscription. It can frustrate you to tears at best. I dumped them shortly after the merger because they really, and truly seemed to me to act as if the customer meant nothing to them whatsoever. And that after paying for their service.

If you just want music and expect nothing more, they do provide it, but at a cost and with many trade-offs in absent customer service, and complaints that fall on deaf ears. I think the sheer amount of complaints here on RI probably are very reflective of the bigger issue, in that most people are not being heard by the company that is taking their money each month and these subscribers have no outlet for their problems. The only choice they have is to either accept the poor service or dump it altogether, after the contract is up.

 

[KR4BD]

I had XM for over 6 years in my 2006 Silverado. I only listened to 50's, 60's Channels and some of the country music channels. With a tight economy, I just took a look at what could be eliminated from my budget. XM was at the top of the list. With gas so high, I am driving much less and just could not see paying MORE for XM and listening LESS. I also have a very large collection of the music I like (mp3 format) and could not justify paying to hear it again on XM. All the recent price hikes, additional licensing fees, new taxes, etc., hastened my decision to drop it.

A few miserable experiences with their Customer DIS-service Department did not help, either....like the time we were on vacation TWO weeks AFTER paying the bill and the service gets dropped while we're hundreds of miles away from home. Talking to a guy in India (or who knows where) said I had not paid the bill and they would not turn it back on until I did. I tried to tell this guy I had proof the check had cleared, but it was at home! I had to get home a week later and mail a copy
of the cancelled check to get it turned back on.... No apologies, no nothin' from them.

To those of you who like XM, go for it! No one is stopping you from subscribing, including me. I had just had enough of it!

 

[RadioPhillyFan]

I liked it; but preferred our Philly FM's more. I had every format here I needed and the bit-rate was higher.

XM is great though!

 

[JohnnyElectron]

Those of us who "bash" the bastardized SXM are mainly those like myself who had multiple subs 8 years ago when XM was nothing short of 'fantastic'. Decades channels had MD/PD's on the air live who knew about the music and interacted with the listeners. Niche channels abounded; audio quality was great; then one by one, away went the XM niche channels; now only 2 XM niche channels remain. Mel "Radio Satan" Karmazin forced the merger and the 70's and 80's channels were gutted of their live on-air staff replaced by voice-tracked assclowns; the audio quality continues to go down the crapper and the payola channels continue. SXM 2.0 could have been a way to return the great XM channels back 'on the air' but no, 2 of 20 channels of any value. I throw-up when I think of buying 5 freaking radios for $169 each back in the day, plus accessories, because XM was SO good; now the only thing worth spending $169 on is an Internet (Squeezebox) radio. It's just so freaking disappointing the direction XM was going before the Stern spending wars wrecked SatRad, culminating in the POS merger. I want my old XM.

 

[Radio_bored-Op]

+/-

Basically comes down to this :

(+)The plus. is awesome for BPM. xm46 and the decades.

(-) aLot of options, for XM _ w/ dish-tv.

because it is an auto-deduction w/ a pre.Paid card (ie: credit card)
I *dont notice* the fee each month...and its "only" 15.bucks

all in all, its not bad - "just like every thing else"

 

[AZJoe]

Many people on these boards are old terrestrial radio hacks (former & current employees/owners, etc) and they quite frankly hate the competition. Its always been AM/FM to them and always will be. Satellite and Internet Radio is a challenge to them and they don't like it. SiriusXM and Internet Radio are far from perfect, but much of it is far better than the cookie cutter clutter of offerings most markets provide. When you can get dozens of formats, no ads on the music channels- with coast to coast coverage it can't be all bad. 20 million plus people seem to like it. I recall several years ago the demise and failure of sat radio was predicted--- they will never grow it was said, yet even in a crappy economy they have. Haters will always exist, its life. Don't like it, dump it.... just as millions have with terrestrial radio, to each their own.

 

[Radio_bored-Op]

excellent point AZ JOE !!
I will say, by being the onLy game in town,
xm has got "lazy" with the 80s,90s, pop2k
as it is a narrow playlist... but the bpm and
backspin surely make up for it !!

I Will say its way better than the dime (more like
a penny a dozen) of winamp/virtual dj internet "streams"
that are pretty much broadcasting to the cobwebs of
the servers that offer the bandwidth ..

>Only thing I dislike more than the "haters" is the "praisers"
that give ALL THE Credit to XM. "its the best, hands down"
this applies to MTV more than any one else, they could
broadcast a COLOR/TEST pattern and u would have
a half a million teens going nuts!!!

>> >> YES, too many cookie cutter formats serving a dozen markets,
*IF I WIN* the mega!millions, . . . change is comin!

 

[RadioPhillyFan]

excellent point AZ JOE !!
I will say, by being the onLy game in town,
xm has got "lazy" with the 80s,90s, pop2k
as it is a narrow playlist... but the bpm and
backspin surely make up for it !!

I Will say its way better than the dime (more like
a penny a dozen) of winamp/virtual dj internet "streams"
that are pretty much broadcasting to the cobwebs of
the servers that offer the bandwidth ..

>Only thing I dislike more than the "haters" is the "praisers"
that give ALL THE Credit to XM. "its the best, hands down"
this applies to MTV more than any one else, they could
broadcast a COLOR/TEST pattern and u would have
a half a million teens going nuts!!!

>> >> YES, too many cookie cutter formats serving a dozen markets,
*IF I WIN* the mega!millions, . . . change is comin!

Philly's knocking

You should give us a CHR and Oldies Competitor

94.1 and 100.3 would be much better running different formats.

 

[Darth_vader]

"(-) A lot of options, for XM with DiSH-TV."

Uhhh, no. Direct-TV has the XM simulcasts, last I saw. DiSH Network (Echostar) has Sirius simulcasts. In the 6000s block, directly above the stereo Muzak programmes.

Although I guess it's really kind of a moot point with the two SDARS companies being a monopoly.

 

[nocomradio]

>Only thing I dislike more than the "haters" is the "praisers"
that give ALL THE Credit to XM.

With the current state of affairs on the bird, I'd say that XM deserves all the credit for NOT wrecking a good thing. Sirius just doesn't get it and never will.

 

[Ai4i]

With gas so high, I am driving much less.

Adjusted for inflation, fuel costs much less than it did before you were born, whatever your age might be.
Do the math, with an annual inflation rate of about 5%, a dollar is worth about four pre-inflated ¢ents, and I don't remember ever paying 16¢/gallon.

Many people on these boards are old terrestrial radio hacks (former & current employees/owners, etc)...
Its always been AM/FM to them and always will be...to each their own.

I have been following AZJoe's comments for several years across several discussion boards and they are allways intelligent.
He beat me to getting XM by just a couple of months!

 

[jo-nathan]

I don't remember the exact year I subscribed but I had it way before the merger. I loved it then and I love it now. The literally two times that I've had to contact customer service, it's been a good experience and they went above and beyond - including recently. I don't understand what you folks complain about. I see nothing wrong with it and I look forward to being able to hear the diversity of the music and other programming.

And FYI, I spent 8 years in radio as a jock and a MD.

 

[nocomradio]

The literally two times that I've had to contact customer service, it's been a good experience and they went above and beyond - including recently.

Did you actually have a billing issue, or service interruption? I only ask, because of everyone, and I mean without exception, everyone I've ever spoken with who needed real help from anyone there after the merger, was frustrated to tears trying to get even a simple request fulfilled. Closing service tickets is the mantra over there.

 

[Kent]

I had satellite radio for a little less than five years. I dropped several of my subscriptions when they merged the two services as I no longer needed four radios to hear the same programming. As the programming continued to change and prices continued to increase, I decided it wasn't worth the costs I was paying. So, I finally dropped the other two radios about two years ago. My iPhone works fine, and I have an unlimited data plan that will let me stream whatever I want. My data plan costs the same or less than two radios anyway, and, when I got it, I needed it for work anyway.

I never had a problem with Sirius-XM customer service. I always got someone who spoke English well and could help me. They were even helpful in canceling my subscriptions.

Recently, I looked into resubscribing after I found out you could get an XM Sky Dock for $10 if you subscribed for a year. I changed my mind after looking at the reviews on the iTunes App Store. For more than 18 months now, the app has gotten a one star review because it's apparently no longer connecting to the Sky Dock or not connecting consistently. Also, the channels have apparently changed while there has been no change on the iPhone app. So, finding some of the stations can apparently be a little challenging. Looking at the update history a few days ago, the Sky Dock app hadn't been updated in almost 2 years.

So, I'll skip resubscribing for now. If I do go back, it will be when they upgrade their online presence, which is supposedly in the works, and it will be an online only subscription. It's cheaper, and I have few to no issues with drop outs on the cellular data network.

 

[richaroo]

In the market where I live, radio is a vast waste land Sirius/Xm is not perfect but I get way more than what I do where I live.

 

[johnnyu]

I will not pay to listen to radio.