I get into my car and, as usual, turn on my XM radio. Whoa! The channel is different. Yes, that happened last week, November 12th; the day the Sirius-XM merger affected XM’s lineup.
I got XM with my new car, so I never “shopped” the competition. Once they announced the merger, I knew this day would come; but uncertain on what would actually happen. Now, I’m adjusting to what I lost while trying to determine what’s offered – much like I did when I bought the car.
My favorite is gone: Starbuck’s XM Café (Channel 45). The replacement (The Spectrum) isn’t close enough to the music I grew to appreciate. The closest thing I can find is The Coffeehouse (Channel 51). It’s not the café, but I’m giving it a chance.
Another favorite also gone is Audiovisions (Channel 72), which has been replaced by The Spa. Both feature new age music, but The Spa has an easy-listening edge. It’s close enough, but not close enough to stay tuned in for a period of time.
Flight 26 (Channel 26), another favorite, and yes, it’s gone. Being that it featured adult rock sounds, replacing it in the new lineup will be easy. The question is where; but I’ll find it.
XM-Sirius says the new lineup offers more music. Maybe so, but it depends how one defines music in terms of style and genre. So far, my eclectic, wide-ranging ears have detected channels that are more similarities, yet differentiated by small differences. Others can say the new lineup favors listeners 30 years old or younger. Even if so, management has reasons for their decisions.
Satellite radio is a good thing, especially for those with a wide range of music interests. My time with Starbuck’s XM Café was a pleasure and will be missed; but I’ll adjust. Time will tell what Sirius does with its new sibling, and time will tell not only how I adjust, but also what I discover.
A Frank Angle 
Pingback: XM Cafe vs. Sirius Coffee House « A Frank Angle
I was a big fan of Cinemagic, that now is apparently only availble for an additional payment and only on the web, including via smart phone that I currently don’t have. My kid has an Iphone, maybe I could bum her’s…or maybe not.
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Bruce,
Cinemagic? Was that an XM station? Interesting how some things survive through subscriptions. Oh boy — and how many will transition to it! Thanks for commenting.
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i’m not a fan of satellite radio. when we were kids, once a year we’d see a charlie brown christmas or the wizard of oz or winnie the pooh on the wonderful world of disney. now we’ve got those things at our fingertips from dvd’s and the internet. that’s great, but it’s taken the fun out of it.
what made those shows special back then was the “shared experience,” the idea that millions of people were watching that one show at the same time we were watching it. you couldn’t see any of them, but you knew they were out there. maybe you’d talk to your friends about it at school the next day. regardless of how it was talked about – if at all – you still knew it was a communal event.
radio is also a shared experience, but satellite radio is not the same. i greatly enjoy listening to a dj introducing songs, breaking for the weather and traffic, and knowing that other cars on the road next to me are joining in. i don’t get that feeling from satellite.
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Rich,
Wow … you went why back in time for this one. Great point about television and the way millions tuned in for an event other the sports and major news events. Then again, back in the day, there were only the 3 major networks, PBS, and maybe an independent station.
I still have satellite radio in the car. I enjoy listening to your Philly guy (Smerconish) but also the wide range of music that I can get. But when it comes to the music stations, I’ve grown to appreciate less talk.
Back to Smerconish, what do you know about TC?
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big fan of smerconish, and i was very disappointed when he left philly talk radio for satellite. TC?
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TC is his lady producer, who participates on the show.
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haven’t seen the show often because of when it’s on. that’s my weekend breakfast/beach time.
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Not on TV … but on the radio show. I understand she has been with him a long time.
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oh, now i remember him referring to someone by those initials during his show. never had a visual, only a voice on radio.
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