NAB attempts to delay XM / Sirius merger even further

Tag : Satellite Programing
eQUIV @ Jun 26th 2008 8:19PM
Well those Arbitron ratings say Howard Stern is the most listenedto station on all of satellite radio (XM+Sirius) combined, sothat's kind of a weak argument saying he had little to do Sirius'sgrowth in subscribers.

And as d0x360 says those Arbitron ratings aren't accurate by anymeans. Sirius has ways of knowing, and Stern's easily has around 6million listeners. Just look at google trends almost some sort ofguest or reference from his show ends up in google's top 100 trendsalmost everyday.

"Satrad is the only source for live, new, uncensored mobile contentthat offers uninterrupted, national coverage. Can I hear songs thatI haven't already heard on my Ipod? No. "

Actually yes, ipod touches have wifi access and can access internetstreams. Iphones have wifi, edge and 3g for accessing the same typeof content, as do most people's cellphones nowadays. Laptops withwifi, or tethered to their phones internet connection all have thesame access virtually anywhere.

"Can I get live sports and talk shows uncensored on my Ipod or froma terrestrial station? No. Do local terrestrial stations carryseamlessly across America? Obviously not."

So what's your point? People get what they pay for. Radio is free,satellite radio is a pay service. Hey you can watch public accesschannels for free, or you can pay for cable, or if you wantcommercial free movies and uncensored channels you pay extra forthose channels as well. Just like public access channels don'tcompete with HBO. Is HBO a monopoly then?

"Satrad is a unique product that, while it may compete in a generalsense for the attention of the public (that argument could be madead infinitum; once could claim that watching grass grow iscompetition), does not compete in any way with other servicescurrently available."

That's a weak argument, and a stretch. Sattelite radio is just oneoption in a wide market of audio entertainment. Radio, satelliteradio, internet radio, itunes are all in the same market. Watchinggrass grow has nothing to do with the audio entertainment industry.