Sirius, XM to merge

[Caviar]

Sirius, XM to merge
February 19, 2007 12:25 PM PST
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In a merger of the two major satellite radio players, XM Satellite and Sirius Satellite announced Monday that they plan to join forces.

The deal, an all-stock merger worth about $13 billion, according to a statement, would create a single satellite radio giant with around 14 million subscribers.

The companies plan to reveal more details in a conference call on Tuesday.



news.com.com/2061-10802_3-6160483.html?part=rss&tag=2327-10784-0&subj=news&tag=cnetfd.blog

[🅳🅸🆂🅲🅾]

I wonder if they will consolidate some of the similar stations and get rid of a bunch of them?

I knew this was going to happen eventually. It's a sad day for satellite radio.

[derek]

This probubly means prices will go up. no competition. *sigh*

Hopefully the stations will improve rather than degrade after the change. Wow...I have Howard and Oprah soon!

[S4C]

eros said:

I knew this was going to happen eventually. It's a sad day for satellite radio.

[tico]

From what I've been hearing, it doesn't seem, at this moment in time, that the FCC will approve of the merger. That's the vibe I got from the commissioner Kevin Martin in an interview I heard yesterday.

[reception]

Sirius will air in Isles but not by satellite

Associated Press
Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. will soon be arriving in Hawaii - only it won't be broadcasting by satellite.

The Federal Communications Commission has approved the subscriptions-only service's entry into the Hawai'i market. But instead of using satellite technology, the New York-based company will use a ground-based repeater, equipment commonly used in terrestrial radio broadcasting.

The FCC decision grants Sirius 180 days of transmission time. But such arrangements have repeatedly been extended in other markets, according to Sirius' November request.

The company told the FCC that the repeaters "will be used to overcome the effects of satellite signal blockage and multipath interference."

The National Association of Broadcasters had opposed Sirius' application and encouraged its members to also oppose the company's request to operate a single repeater in Downtown Honolulu.

Sirius said in its FCC filing that it believes that at less than 2,000 watts, the repeater won't interfere with other radio signals, including broadcast and wireless telecommunications devices.

Subscribers can listen to the service online or through receivers built into their vehicles.

On Monday, Sirius and competitor Washington, D.C.-based XM Satellite Radio Inc. announced a $13 billion merger, not including debt.

The companies will have to gain approval of the plan from the Justice Department as well as the FCC. Justice typically goes first in satellite mergers. The department looks at how mergers affect competition and has the power to block the deal.

[MikeCheck12]

I think the merger will get approval....but it will take a little time to get there. The FCC will mandate certain regulations/restrictions. This one should be very interesting....

[reception]

Feb 26, 12:36 PM EST
XM Radio Posts Narrower 4Q Loss

McLEAN, Va. (AP) -- XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc., which last week announced plans to combine with rival Sirius, said Monday a 45 percent jump in revenue and a tighter leash on marketing costs helped narrow its fourth-quarter loss.

The Washington-based company, which has never reported a profit, said it lost $263.1 million, or 90 cents per share, after paying preferred dividends in the final three months of 2006. That beat a loss of $270.4 million, or $1.22 per share, a year ago.

The fourth-quarter loss includes a one-time charge of $57.6 million to reflect the declining value of XM's 23 percent stake in Canadian Satellite Radio. Excluding that one-time charge, XM lost 70 cents per share, a penny better than the consensus estimate of Wall Street analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial.

XM shares rose 10 cents, or 0.7 percent, to $15.20 in midday trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market.

Quarterly revenue increased to $257 million from $177 million a year ago.

XM finished the year with 7.6 million subscribers, a 29 percent increase from a year ago, when it had 5.9 million. But XM had predicted at the beginning of 2006 that it would have 9 million subscribers at this point.

Subscriptions slowed as smaller competitor Sirius, which added Howard Stern to its programming lineup, took an increasing share of the market, particularly on radios sold through retail outlets as opposed to those installed in automobiles at the assembly plant.

For the year, XM lost $732 million, or $2.70 per share, compared to a loss of $675 million, or $3.07 a share, in 2005. But annual revenue increased 65 percent to $933 million from $558 million in 2005.

A week ago, XM Satellite and New York-based Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. announced a deal to combine their operations. The companies bill the deal as a merger of equals, but to make it happen Sirius will be giving $4.57 billion of its stock to XM shareholders.

First, though, the companies must gain approval from the Federal Communications Commission and other regulatory agencies.

The companies have said a merger will help keep costs down. In the last few years, both XM and Sirius have spent millions to lure top talent and programming to their respective lineups, including lucrative deals for Oprah Winfrey and Major League Baseball on XM, with Stern and the NFL on Sirius.

In a conference call with analysts, XM executives took pains to assure consumers they will not be stranded with obsolete receivers if the deal goes through, though they did not offer details. Currently XM and Sirius receivers are incompatible. Sirius chief executive Mel Karmazin offered a similar assurance Monday in an interview on Stern's radio show.

But XM executives declined to answer an analyst's question about whether its marquee programming, including its Oprah channel and baseball package, require renegotiated contracts if the deal is approved.

Two analysts who follow XM gave different opinions on the deal's prospects with the FCC. Sanford C. Bernstein analyst Craig Moffett gave the deal a 50 percent chance at approval, while Bank of America analyst Jonathan Jacoby estimated the chances at less than 50 percent.

Karmazin, in his interview on Stern's show, said he believes the chances are better than 50 percent. He argued that consumers will benefit from an expanded programming lineup and rejected the argument that a merger will result in higher prices, arguing that competition from free radio, iPods and the like will keep a sole satellite provider honest.

"We're competing with (something that is) free," Karmazin said. "If the argument against the merger is higher prices, I'm convinced I can make the argument that won't happen."

Stern, who was on vacation when the proposal was announced last week, endorsed the deal on his show.

"I'm psyched that I'll have a bigger audience," Stern said.

Last year marked the first year that XM added more subscribers through the automobile market than the aftermarket retail segment. XM chief executive Hugh Panero said XM believes the market will become increasingly reliant on factory-installed models.

"Our financial metrics are heading in the right direction as marketing costs have declined and our revenues have increased," Panero said.

XM Chief Operating Officer Nate Davis said during the conference call that XM tamed its marketing costs by offering consumers below-cost radio receivers only when they committed to subscribing to XM. Previously, consumers could get the cheap radios without any long-term subscription commitment.

Sirius reports its earnings on Tuesday.

[reception]

Apr 18, 12:42 AM EDT
Sirius CEO Faces Skeptics in Senate

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A Senate committee chairman said Tuesday Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. has "a steep hill to climb" in showing that its proposed purchase of XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. will not hurt competition in the audio entertainment market.

Sirius Chief Executive Mel Karmazin told members of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee a combined satellite radio provider would benefit consumers by letting them access both companies' services for a diminished price.

Both companies currently have subscription fees of $12.95. Karmazin said a merged company would be able to provide both companies' programming on one "interoperable" radio for less than the $25.90 it would currently cost to subscribe to both services.

Karmazin also said the merged company would offer consumers the option of subscribing to fewer channels for a monthly price lower than $12.95.

The combined company would consider offering regulators a guarantee that they would not raise prices in order to complete the merger, Karmazin said.

Sirius' proposed buyout faces significant regulatory hurdles.

FCC granted licenses to the two companies in 1997 on the condition that they would never merge to create a potential satellite radio monopoly.

But Karmazin argues that new technology has evolved over the last 10 years to provide them with significant competition in the form of high definition radio, online radio and even iPods.

"The audio entertainment market is robust, competitive and teaming with innovation and will remain so after our merger," Karmazin said.

Karmazin received a cool response to this argument from Democratic Senators, including committee Chairman Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii.

"Given the public interest in promoting competition and maximizing a diversity of media outlets, we should be skeptical of claims that new technologies necessarily 'change the equation' and provide competition sufficient to restrain monopoly power," Inouye said.

Inouye is the second Senate chairman to express doubts about the merger in as many months. Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., chairman of a Senate Judiciary subcommittee on antitrust, aired misgivings about the deal during a March hearing.

Karmazin, who previously headed CBS Radio, walked a thin line in his testimony between affirming the profitability of satellite radio while drawing attention to the financial challenges both providers have faced.

After investing more than $5 billion in each of their businesses, Sirius and XM reported operating losses last year of $1.1 billion and $719 million, respectively.

Some lawmakers questioned the rationale for the proposed merger after Karmazin said that both companies would still be able to prosper if they do not combine forces.

"You are saying both companies are in pretty good shape and you believe both companies are in position to achieve profitability," said Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D. "That is not what provokes a merger."

RBC Analyst David Bank agreed that satellite radio will remain a viable business without the merger, but he said both companies, and their shareholders, would benefit even more from joining forces.

"The combined company will almost certainly have greater resources to invest in further technological innovation leading to a more rapid development of improved products," Bank said.

Shares of XM rose 3 cents to close at $11.90 Tuesday on the Nasdaq Stock Market. Shares of Sirius fell 1 cent to close at $3.03 on the Nasdaq.

[reception]

Jun 9, 12:32 AM EDT
Shot Clock Starts on XM-Sirius Merger

WASHINGTON (AP) -- After 3 1/2 months of industry lobbying, congressional hearings and intensive Wall Street analysis, the public will have a chance to weigh in on whether it thinks the proposed merger of the nation's only two satellite radio companies is a good idea.

The Federal Communications Commission issued a public notice Friday seeking comment on the proposed merger of licensees Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. and XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc.

The FCC will decide whether it is in the public interest for both licenses to be controlled by a single company.

The merger, valued at $4.7 billion when it was announced on Feb. 19, is also subject to approval by the Department of Justice, which will examine any competitive harm that may result from the combination.

The acceptance of the applications for filing starts an informal "shot clock" at the FCC, which tries to finish its review of mergers within 180 days. That would put a decision potentially sometime in December.

The merger faces some steep challenges.

To succeed, the Department of Justice will have to decide that the combination of the only two companies in the satellite radio business will somehow not be considered anticompetitive.

The FCC will have to decide whether to allow the companies to break a condition of the licenses that made the business possible 10 years ago.

The agency, at the time, said one licensee will "not be permitted to acquire control" of the other. The clause was inserted to ensure "sufficient continuing competition" in the new business.

Lawyers, lobbyists and executives for Sirius and XM have said the market has changed since 1997 - that competition extends beyond satellite radio and includes all forms of "audio entertainment," including Apple iPods, digital "high definition" radio and even cell phones.

Consumer groups have generally opposed the merger. Opposition from the National Association of Broadcasters has been relentless.

The FCC says that interested parties must file initial comments by July 9. Replies to comments are due by July 24. Comments may be filed via e-mail and should include docket number 07-57.

On the Web: www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs

[Caviar]

What is everyone's thoughts on the merger? Since I have XM, I wouldn't mind having programming from both providers. My only issue is whether or not I will I will have to get another receiver which I'm sure XM/Sirius will absorb.

[🅳🅸🆂🅲🅾]

72 House Reps Oppose Satellite Radio Merger
June 18, 2007

A letter signed by 72 members of the House of Representatives has been sent to FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, and Federal Trade Commission Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras opposing the proposed satellite radio merger.

The letter was authored by Reps. Gene Green (D-TX) and Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and signed by 47 Democrats (including Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich) and 25 Republicans. In the letter, the House members state that, "On its face, we believe that sanctioning the marriage of the only competitors in the satellite radio market would create a monopoly which would be devastating to consumers." They add that "there is scant evidence that a merger would produce any cost savings that a combined Sirius/XM potentially might pass on to subscribers. Both companies are locked into numerous long-term expensive arrangements with their most prized talent and programming. In addition, Sirius and XM would face protracted obstacles to combining their platforms because they use different radio encoding technologies."

The letter concludes by urging the DOJ, FCC and FTC "to protect consumers, and protect competition, by denying this merger."

Just last week, House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) and House Judiciary Antitrust Task Force Ranking Member Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH) sent a letter to Martin and Gonzalez questioning the proposed merger.

www.fmqb.com/Article.asp?id=425385

[reception]

Jul 23, 6:38 PM EDT
XM-Sirius in New Pitch for Merger

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The top executives at the nation's two satellite radio companies detailed pricing plans Monday that they said would let customers choose which channels they want to receive if the two firms are combined.

Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. announced last February that it would acquire XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. for $4.7 billion. The combination requires approval from antitrust regulators and the Federal Communications Commission.

The pricing plans announced Monday range from $6.99 per month for 50 channels offered by one service to $16.99 per month where customers would keep their existing service, plus "choose from the best" of channels offered by the other service.

That means a customer could subscribe to both the Major League Baseball channel on XM and the National Football League channel offered by Sirius, on the same radio.

Currently, the price of a monthly subscription for both companies is $12.95 and there is no channel choice, or "a la carte" option.

A combination of Sirius and XM, which broadcast to a combined 14 million subscribers, faces steep regulatory challenges, however. When the companies received their licenses from the FCC to begin offering subscription radio service via satellite, they agreed not to merge.

The companies must prove to the Justice Department that the deal is not anticompetitive. They must also prove to the FCC that the acquisition would be in the best interest of the public, which owns the airwaves the two companies use to deliver their signals.

Sirius CEO Mel Karmazin, in a speech at the National Press Club in Washington on Monday, said the U.S. is in a "revolutionary age of audio entertainment" and that the companies must compete with a whole range of products that weren't around when the licenses were first issued.

He said the companies compete with free services, including portable digital music players, cell phones that download music, digital radio and the "800-pound gorilla" that is terrestrial radio.

The National Association of Broadcasters opposes the acquisition, calling it a "government-sanctioned monopoly."

Spokesman Dennis Wharton said in a written statement that policymakers "should not be hoodwinked" by the announcement. He said the "a la carte" option would require customers to buy new radios and he said that nothing in the past has prevented either company from offering an a la carte option before.

Karmazin noted that the NAB itself claims satellite radio is a competitor when it lobbies the FCC to loosen limits on radio station ownership. He said the NAB is "not just in conflict with us, they are in conflict with themselves."

He said savings to be realized with a combination would amount to "hundreds of millions of dollars per year," thanks to a drop in expenses. Such a savings is what would make the "a la carte" packages possible.

He noted that Sirius has never turned a profit in its 17-year history and lost $1 billion last year, but insisted that if the proposed acquisition does not go through, nothing will change.

"I believe both companies will be able to compete in a robust market," he said.

If the buyout is approved, the combined company would offer a total of eight different packages.

The lowest-priced "a la carte" package would offer 50 stations from one service for $6.99 per month, plus additional nonpremium stations within the service at 25 cents apiece. Premium programming, however, like professional sports and the Howard Stern show, would cost $5 or $6 more.

A second "a la carte" plan would let customers tune in to 100 channels, mostly from one service, plus a handful of "best of" channels on the other service, for $14.99.

Both the a la carte packages would require the purchase of a new radio, the companies said.

Other packages would include family friendly lineups priced at $11.95 and $14.95 and music and news talk packages, both for $9.99. Customers happy with their existing service would still pay $12.95 per month.

Consumer groups have opposed the deal.

Chris Murray, senior counsel at Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of "Consumer Reports" magazine, called the announcement an "interesting, positive development." However, he said, the merger of the two companies would still result in a monopoly, which would ultimately be bad for consumers.

Sirius and XM hope to close the deal by the end of the year.

[dperkins]

I dont whether this is good or bad? lol It might hurt the flop songs both overplay a lot though.

[Slinky]

I think it's too early to tell whether it's a good thing or a bad thing. As an XM subscriber, I'd love to get a few Sirius channels, but not at the expense of losing the great XM channels. I'm cautiously optimistic about the merger.

[reception]

Nov 13, 5:31 PM EST
XM, Sirius Shareholders Approve Takeover

NEW YORK (AP) -- Shareholders approved a deal Tuesday to allow Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. to acquire its rival XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. for about $5 billion, but the largest hurdle has yet to come - regulatory approval in Washington.

Shareholders of Sirius and XM had been widely expected to approve the deal, which would allow the companies to save costs on programming, acquiring subscribers and broadcasting. Shareholder advisory firms had already endorsed the deal.

More difficult will be getting the deal approved in Washington, where the Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission must both give their blessing. Several consumer groups have opposed the combination, saying it would create a monopoly that could hurt consumers.

Sirius said in a statement that more than 96 percent of the shareholder votes cast approved the acquisition, while XM said 99.8 percent of its shareholders were in favor. The companies said they still hoped to complete the deal by the end of the year.

The FCC had originally said the two satellite radio companies couldn't combine, but that rule can be changed. Sirius and XM have argued that satellite radio now faces more competition for listeners since the boom in digital listening devices like Apple Inc.'s iPod, Internet radio and cell phones that can play music.

Sirius and XM have said that a combined company would offer listeners more pricing options and greater choice and flexibility in the channel lineups they receive.

Both Sirius and XM now offer packages of music, talk, sports and other programming for a fixed rate of $12.95 a month. Many of the music channels are commercial-free, and unlike terrestrial radio, the signals can be received anywhere in the U.S.

If the deal is approved, the companies have said they would offer pricing plans ranging from $6.99 per month, for 50 channels offered by one service, up to $16.99 a month, where subscribers would keep their existing service plus choose channels offered by the other service. It isn't possible now to pick channels one by one.

The deal calls for XM shareholders to receive 4.6 shares of Sirius for every share they own, which values XM at $16.56 a share or about $5 billion, based on current share prices.

Sirius shares rose 22 cents or 6.5 percent to close at $3.63 Tuesday, while XM shares gained $1.33 or 9.7 percent to $15.06.

[layla17]

I think this will end up benefiting consumers, because they will be able to offer more channels and services. They won't be able to jack up the prices, because there is too much competition from other media outlets.

[reception]

Jul 17, 6:05 PM EDT
Analysts: Tough conditions won't kill radio deal

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Meeting a regulator's tough conditions for approval of Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.'s purchase of XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. may be tough but isn't likely to derail the deal, analysts said Thursday.

"These do seem to be onerous additional conditions," said David Joyce, an analyst at Miller Tabak. But, Joyce said, "I don't think Sirius will walk away. I think they will still work on negotiating the conditions."

Jonathan Adelstein, an FCC commissioner, told The Associated Press Thursday that he would vote in favor of the deal if the companies agree to his tougher requirements.

Joyce said the concessions would be easier for Sirius and XM to swallow if they are compensated for setting aside 25 percent of their capacity as Adelstein has asked.

So far, two of the five members of the Federal Communications Commission have voted to approve Sirius' $3.1 billion buyout of the nation's only other satellite radio provider.

Sirius announced an agreement to buy XM in February 2007.

A vocal opponent of big media mergers, Democrat Adelstein was thought to be against the deal. But he may wind up casting the swing vote on the five-member commission and tip the balance for the deal's approval.

Adelstein wants the companies to cap prices for six years and make one-fourth of their satellite capacity available for public-interest and minority programming, among other conditions.

Adelstein's demands echo those of U.S. Rep. Ed Markey, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, the Massachusetts Democrat who wrote the FCC Tuesday asking for similar concessions. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin had sought a three-year price freeze and a reserve of 12 of 300 channels for public-interest programming.

"Six years sounds a little egregious, depending on what conditions Sirius are attached," said Kit Spring, an analyst at Stifel Nicolaus & Co. But Sirius "may be amenable if it's a price freeze with a certain inflationary adjustment."

Spring said if the companies agree not to raise prices for six years, he would have to reduce the estimated $5 billion in annual savings and synergies he's projecting.

Sirius and XM need the savings, since neither company has had an adjusted operating profit or positive free cash flow on its own.

The two have been hemorrhaging cash as revenues have been insufficient to cover operating expenses. They are also saddled with debt: In the first quarter, which ended March 31, Sirius had long-term debt of nearly $1 billion while Washington, D.C.-based XM had $1.7 billion.

Last month, Sirius said it expects to post an adjusted operating profit and positive free cash flow in the first year after it buys XM.

New York-based Sirius said it expects savings of about $400 million in 2009 from combining their operations. It is forecasting $300 million in adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, excluding capital costs for satellites.

Shares of Sirius rose 3 cents to $2.10 on Thursday, while XM was down 17 cents to $8.44.

[friday]

Looks like they started consolidating their station lists this morning. XM's nostalgia channels have replaced Sirius's, though the Pulse is still there, I assume as strictly a Hot AC channel. Additionally, XM's AC, hard rock and heavy metal channels are on Sirius, as well as Mad Dog Radio, among others. Perusing XM's website, I see a bunch of Sirius channels appearing on their list as well, including the amusingly titled Fred, Ethel, and Lucy channels being replaced by 1st Wave, Lithium, and Alt Nation respectively.

[derek]

BBC Radio 1 is NOT as good as I thought it was going to be.

[Slinky]

I'm OK with most of these changes. Radio 1 is better than U-Pop, which had been sounding pretty bad lately, and U-Pop is still available online anyway. Sirius Spectrum is way better than XM Cafe was. Also I like Area 80 better than The Move, which was a little too obscure for my tastes.

I will miss Ethel a little, although Alt Nation is a decent enough replacement. The only place I think listeners got shafted was the replacement of Lucy with Lithium. Lucy had a unique sound stretching back from the late 80's to the early-00's, with a number of obscure hits mixed in. Great imaging on that channel as well. What I've heard on Lithium thusfar is mostly overplayed 90's hits.

I was kind of hoping for a 20on20/Hits 1 merge but that didn't happen. I'm thinking it might happen in the next round of consolidation.

[friday]

Interestingly, I've recently heard "Bad" and "God Part II" by U2 on Lithium, two songs I know were not from the 90's. Lithium does tend to revolve around the Big Five grunge bands (it is named after a Nirvana song, after all), but I agree it wouldn't kill them to dial back on those artists. They will play their share of obscure stuff if you listen long enough. The good thing about Lithium, in my opinion, is it means Alt Nation doesn't have to play overplayed 90's hits, which can be found on most terrestrial alternative stations as it is.

And note to 90's on 9: "Bent" and "Bye Bye Bye" are not 90's songs! That's why I assume Pop2K was created. Speaking of which, I can't understand why that channel is stuck all the way at 39 on Sirius, and in the pop band on XM. You would think it'd be logical to put it at 10 on both services. But I'm glad the XM decades channels were taken over Sirius' since they seem to have a much broader range of songs, at least on the 80's and 90's channels. I'm just disappointed they have to get rid of Nina Blackwood's Big 40 countdown. Even though it'll be cool to hear Rick Dees and Casey Kasem, those old shows don't cover the entire decade individually, plus, as I understand it, the full breadth of shows isn't even available. At least the way Sirius did it, it was theoretically possible for every week of the 80's to eventually be covered.

[lsutigerfan]

Nov 19, 2008 1:17:22 GMT -5 friday said:

Interestingly, I've recently heard "Bad" and "God Part II" by U2 on Lithium, two songs I know were not from the 90's. Lithium does tend to revolve around the Big Five grunge bands (it is named after a Nirvana song, after all), but I agree it wouldn't kill them to dial back on those artists. They will play their share of obscure stuff if you listen long enough. The good thing about Lithium, in my opinion, is it means Alt Nation doesn't have to play overplayed 90's hits, which can be found on most terrestrial alternative stations as it is.

Lithium is trying to sound more like Lucy by adding some 80's and 00's alternative. A few days ago I heard Coldplay "Yellow" and Iggy Pop "Lust For Life". Lithium is getting better in musical variety, but still needs to work on imaging (I think they only have 4-5 sweepers). I miss the sarcastic Lucy....

I like having Faction on XM now.

[unicorns]

This merge sucks ASS. I miss the Boneyard! :( Luckily it comes back in January but I have a feeling it's not going to be the same.

Though there are some good things to come out of the merger - Hair Nation is a good station, would be better if they didn't overplay the same songs though. The 80's station sounds better too, they played Dokken and the L.A. Guns in one hour! :o

[Slinky]

Interesting to see that Mediabase hasn't combined the Sirius and XM stations, so as of right now, every SiriusXM spin on The Pulse, Spectrum, The Heat, etc., counts twice.

Now what's REALLY interesting is that, if you look at Mediabase, in some instances, the Sirius and XM playlists don't match up exactly right. Look at Sirius 18 and XM 45 for example. They're both "The Spectrum" but for some reason Sirius's top songs are getting played more than XM's. That's clearly a Mediabase error, because the stations have been a 24/7 simulcast for almost a couple of weeks now.

[unicorns]

It's not the same. I WANT EDDIE TRUNK AND KEVIN KASH BACK. GOD.

oh and kandy klutch too