Anyone in the Howard forum listen to O&A? (And other musings)

[Kryptonite]

So it's an older post, but I just found this:

Annnnnnnnddddd... rates go up. Again. | Wackbag.com

the show isnt worth paying for anymore, one or 2 good shows a month doest justify the price or terrible service, i have till the end of the month then fuck them i'll be listening by other means.

Not only is the show not worth it the channel is pathetic, the weekend shows are terrible

So, apparently the fan apathy has also hit the O&A channel. Huh? What am I missing?


Musing number two:

Pre-merger, people apparently didn't mind having an XM radio for their NHL or NASCAR or music or whatever and a Sirius radio for Howard, NCAA, or whatever was on the Sirius side. I would have thought having two different equipment setups in the car would have been crazy -- and this was before built-in radios were common place. You could have a car with XM and a Sirius PnP unit and have been ok.

Now, it seems to be the same thing. They listen to the one or two talk shows (Stern, O&A, whatever) on satellite, then switch to Pandora (assuming free version) or whatever podcast is on or whatever else they listen to. In the interest of fairness, I have SiriusXM for just about everything other than one playlist I sparingly listen to on my iPod...I have CDs in the car until I have time to get my Sirius fixed and I have RadioIO for BTLS. Very occasionally, I may check out the music channels there, but it's always back to SXM for the music.

Other than a dedicated punk channel, what music is SiriusXM missing? So you can't customize for free...but I'd have to give SiriusXM's customization the nod over Pandora's free option. Too bad you can't "ban" or "like" tracks, but I wonder if Pandora has some sort of patent there...whatever...no big deal to me.

 

[RDog]

So it's an older post, but I just found this:

Annnnnnnnddddd... rates go up. Again. | Wackbag.com




So, apparently the fan apathy has also hit the O&A channel. Huh? What am I missing?


Musing number two:

Pre-merger, people apparently didn't mind having an XM radio for their NHL or NASCAR or music or whatever and a Sirius radio for Howard, NCAA, or whatever was on the Sirius side. I would have thought having two different equipment setups in the car would have been crazy -- and this was before built-in radios were common place. You could have a car with XM and a Sirius PnP unit and have been ok.

Now, it seems to be the same thing. They listen to the one or two talk shows (Stern, O&A, whatever) on satellite, then switch to Pandora (assuming free version) or whatever podcast is on or whatever else they listen to. In the interest of fairness, I have SiriusXM for just about everything other than one playlist I sparingly listen to on my iPod...I have CDs in the car until I have time to get my Sirius fixed and I have RadioIO for BTLS. Very occasionally, I may check out the music channels there, but it's always back to SXM for the music.

Other than a dedicated punk channel, what music is SiriusXM missing? So you can't customize for free...but I'd have to give SiriusXM's customization the nod over Pandora's free option. Too bad you can't "ban" or "like" tracks, but I wonder if Pandora has some sort of patent there...whatever...no big deal to me.

I still like the music options on SiriusXM vs. Pandora (for example). I have only lately started to use Pandora more but there's a lot of repetition and I think SiriusXM is just more "informative" -- I like the DJ breaks to report some band news and such.

Stern show is just a passing listen now, how can it not be... Ellis I try to catch as much of if I leave work before 7pm EST and/or the replay in the morning. In the past I've listened to NFL radio but not much else.

Podcasts I used to be huge on but with Diggnation and the Totally Rad Show going away, I don't watch/listen nearly as much anymore.

I've got to get my Stiletto replaced, as I've essentially stopped listening at home, which is disappointing at times.

 

[Kryptonite]

I wonder if SiriusXM figures on their music channels being akin to the movies on HBO, Cinemax, etc. Obviously, there was a time when we would all sit down and watch 1-4 (or however many) movies per week/month on HBO or Starz or whatever. Now, the movies are really "filler programming" between their hit series, which really are what makes those channels money.

The music on SiriusXM is nice, but I bet only a small portion of the subscriber base subscribes *for* the music. Obviously, with Howard, O&A, sports PbP, sports talk, Ellis, and whatever else is on there, a lot of people are going to check out those shows, so it may not matter if Octane plays a certain song five times between 7 AM and 8 PM...because the vast majority of people may only tune in between various talk/entertainment programming.

If you listen to O&A from 6-11 and Ellis from 3-7, that only leaves four hours for music during the day and even then, you're most likely not going to have on the same channel those entire four hours...meetings, phone calls and whatnot all come up, plus you may tune to Boneyard or 90s on 9 or whatever else you want.

 

[Bark]

Apathy for satellite? My thinking: Video killed the radio star, and internet streaming killed the satellite radio.

 

[Kryptonite]

Apathy for satellite? My thinking: Video killed the radio star, and internet streaming killed the satellite radio.

...if that's the case, it's my thinking that SiriusXM needs to better strengthen their exclusive content (and sports PbP doesn't count.) Bring back Bubba, Ferrall, etc. Actually promote O&A...I forget about them from time to time, to be honest. Let people know that you can buy a radio that gives you unlimited listening without worrying about 4G dropouts or data caps...which, you almost can't buy a decent radio...the Stilettos are a thing of ancient history by now, and the Lynx is almost dead. -- They need better portable radios that they can keep around for more than a year.

 

[blyons200]

Sirius might be able to keep me for the music if the sound quality was improved. It's unlistenable to me. The sports play by play kept me around but I think I'm gonna dump it. Sound quality is atrocious, I haven't listened to music on Sirius for years because I can't stand how awful it sounds.

 

[beaniemac]

Apathy for satellite? My thinking: Video killed the radio star, and internet streaming killed the satellite radio.

who's gonna pay for uncensored, commercial free music when its available for free on your smart phone?

and if they don't have exclusive, uncensored, talk content, I dont see any point of having sirius.

 

[scotchandcigar]

who's gonna pay for uncensored, commercial free music when its available for free on your smart phone?

and if they don't have exclusive, uncensored, talk content, I dont see any point of having sirius.

Before I went with Sirius for Howard, I was very interested in the type of DJ run music format that Sirius offered, and I still feel that Sirius provides all the "legitimate" new music of each genre, as opposed to the consumer preference-driven internet services, like Pandora and Slacker.

In other words, when I listen to Alt Nation and SiriusXMU, I think it reflects what's going on in the alternative-indie music industry, because there are actual music programmers who know what the national trends are. I'm not just hearing a bunch of bands that sound just like a particular band I punched-in on my preference list.

 

[Bark]

If the birds fail at too fast a rate, this company goes out of business. Its executives will retire to the tropics, lighting their cigars with burning dollar bills.

 

[TSS Taylor]

You guys do realize that the company is almost at 26 Million subscribers right?

I mean a lot of times the people that are saying they are bored with the service said the service was the best when maybe the combined subscribers for Sirius and XM were at less than 10 million, or even 5 million.

People go through phases. It's hard to keep the interest of someone for 4 hours a day for years at a time without them getting bored. I'd worry if someone DIDN'T get bored or move on with that kinda time.

But the fact is the company continues to grow and more people are introduced to the service and are pleased enough with it to stay subscribed.

And in my experience in the past couple years at TSS it's probably the Stern fans that are most disenfranchised with the service. But you gotta figure the energy level that Stern and O&A had when they moved to Satellite was incredible. And a lot of early adopters were very excited to ride that wave. But then later on you end up losing some of those people once something becomes more of a success. Kinda like the people who end up hating their favorite band once they get into the mainstream.

 

[Kryptonite]

You guys do realize that the company is almost at 26 Million subscribers right?

I mean a lot of times the people that are saying they are bored with the service said the service was the best when maybe the combined subscribers for Sirius and XM were at less than 10 million, or even 5 million.

People go through phases. It's hard to keep the interest of someone for 4 hours a day for years at a time without them getting bored. I'd worry if someone DIDN'T get bored or move on with that kinda time.

But the fact is the company continues to grow and more people are introduced to the service and are pleased enough with it to stay subscribed.

And in my experience in the past couple years at TSS it's probably the Stern fans that are most disenfranchised with the service. But you gotta figure the energy level that Stern and O&A had when they moved to Satellite was incredible. And a lot of early adopters were very excited to ride that wave. But then later on you end up losing some of those people once something becomes more of a success. Kinda like the people who end up hating their favorite band once they get into the mainstream.

Good points all around.

The pessimist in me wonders if the 26 million also include the new cars sitting on lots as well as the trial subscriptions that come with a new car purchase. Obviously, not everyone who buys a new car will convert their trial subscription to an active subscription when they can get their podcasts and music from any one of a number of free apps.

With that said, it would be interesting to know how many active subscriptions there are. Yes, I realize that information will probably never be released as "26 million" looks much better on paper, but still...the nay-sayer in me realizes that "26 million" is only part of the story.


ORRRR is it 26 million active? I remember when Sirius and XM were going back and forth with their subscribers, Sirius counted a "subscription" as a car sitting on a lot, whereas XM didn't count that "subscription" until the car was sold.

 

[Jimr]

Look at all of the rental cars that have SXM. They certainly count but shouldn't as they aren't activated once the trial runs out. I will say that I'm addicted to SXM. When I rent a car I ensure that it has a working SXM radio.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk now Free

 

[Kryptonite]

Look at all of the rental cars that have SXM. They certainly count but shouldn't as they aren't activated once the trial runs out. I will say that I'm addicted to SXM. When I rent a car I ensure that it has a working SXM radio.

And you would think that those rental car radios would stay active...at least on the PG-rated channels. I can certainly understand if they wanted to block out O&A and the Howard channels and maybe Faction or Liquid Metal and the rap channels, but at least keep a "preview" package that the companies could use to sell more cars and SXM could use to sell more subscriptions.

 

[HecticArt]

Rental cars don't all keep the subscription active. Last year I was renting a different car each week for a few months while I was working out of town. Most of them didn't have the Sat active.

As for guessing the number of subscribers! take a look at the look at the profits in the stock reports and divide by the monthly sub cost.

 

[Grüpsaar]

I liked sirius when it was cd radio! you had to go to the international space station to get a signal and listen to the best rock station ever!!!11

 

[Grüpsaar]

on another serious note, SXM is a good service, it would have been dead shortly after the merger or before then if people (and corperations) didnt buy into it. Saying SXM sub numbers are not as big because of trials, unsold cars etc is moot, because if that was true, they would have hit a wall years ago. there is turnover sure, but the majority pay for this product and the percentage that is not 'active' subs is like saying frito lay, coke, or any other big name brand are not as big because there are product that are given away or expire on shelves. its all on the market and hasnt dried up because its being bought and enjoyed. Sirius has a healthy service and adapted with its internet serivces and car integration, its come a long way. I love the online aspect of it and I think the mysxm customizations and ondemand features are one of a kind as far as original programming online and music services go.

Despite other ways to get music, talk, entertainment and news, SXM prevails because theres no other way to get this content in one package in your car, phone, and computer. integration and expansion with this content across other platforms like smart tvs, game consoles and more is thebfututre. if sirius can get this content tied to those things, and provide video services of its exclusive content on smart tvs, tablet and smartphone apps, and also get its music channels seemlessly pht into entertainment hubs in peoples homes (play your fav sxm channel as a soundtrack in your fav ps4 or xbox one game) WITHOUT even thinking about it, grtting deals with these services that allow people to pay a fee for a third party service like xbox live or whatever and have this content available, I believe this is the eventual future for services like SXM.

 

[TSS Taylor]

Good points all around.

The pessimist in me wonders if the 26 million also include the new cars sitting on lots as well as the trial subscriptions that come with a new car purchase. Obviously, not everyone who buys a new car will convert their trial subscription to an active subscription when they can get their podcasts and music from any one of a number of free apps.

With that said, it would be interesting to know how many active subscriptions there are. Yes, I realize that information will probably never be released as "26 million" looks much better on paper, but still...the nay-sayer in me realizes that "26 million" is only part of the story.


ORRRR is it 26 million active? I remember when Sirius and XM were going back and forth with their subscribers, Sirius counted a "subscription" as a car sitting on a lot, whereas XM didn't count that "subscription" until the car was sold.

As far as I know Sirius hasn't changed the way they count subscriptions. So regardless the number of subscribers has gone up substantially. But the real success is that the company is making money. Something that was very difficult to achieve considering how much the whole endeavor of Satellite Radio cost to startup.

Stern and O&A Fans might view 2004-2006 as the best years. But financially at those times Sirius and XM were bleeding cash. And now they are making it.

That's not to say that segment of fans don't matter. But just keep in mind there are a ton more fans of other content coming in.

 

[Bark]

For clarity, my opinion of this service dying eventually is not based on subscriptions or content quality, it's based on the executives. I see nothing innovative coming from them to enhance the service. I see them resting and not being creative. I also see them as tacking on fees however they can. That may be profitable, but it's not particularly endearing.

This is all my opinion, mind you. I could be wrong. However, I see the internet as constantly evolving, more content available all of the time. I also see the cell companies scrambling to give us more streaming bandwidth, and devices rushing to give us more improved specs on everything.

Even the transexual inventor of satellite radio said it's outdated technology; the FCC killed its true potential in the 1990s with too many restrictions, according to...:scatch:...her(?).

I would like to see something come from the company that is technologically amazing, as amazing as satellite signals giving me radio was ten years ago. Instead, they throw concerts "for fans" in small venues on one date only that have tons of celebrities too. That generates nice buzz in our celebrity-and-twitter driven culture, but it's nothing that leaves a lasting impression with me.

 

[HecticArt]

Opinions are fair to have and share for sure. Keep in mind where price is concerned, that cell phone companies, cable providers, and just about everyone else under the sun are raising rates and tacking on extra fees. SXM isn't unique from that perspective.

SXM's first steps into on-line services (expanded) and on demand are a clear sign that they have seen the writing on the wall and are exploring other markets and ways of growing the brand. I sure wouldn't count them out of the game yet.

 

[Super Dave]

You guys do realize that the company is almost at 26 Million subscribers right?

I mean a lot of times the people that are saying they are bored with the service said the service was the best when maybe the combined subscribers for Sirius and XM were at less than 10 million, or even 5 million.

People go through phases. It's hard to keep the interest of someone for 4 hours a day for years at a time without them getting bored. I'd worry if someone DIDN'T get bored or move on with that kinda time.

But the fact is the company continues to grow and more people are introduced to the service and are pleased enough with it to stay subscribed.

And in my experience in the past couple years at TSS it's probably the Stern fans that are most disenfranchised with the service. But you gotta figure the energy level that Stern and O&A had when they moved to Satellite was incredible. And a lot of early adopters were very excited to ride that wave. But then later on you end up losing some of those people once something becomes more of a success. Kinda like the people who end up hating their favorite band once they get into the mainstream.

I have to agree with you, as an old Stern fan I got the service when he announced he was moving to it. In the beginning I really enjoyed it and Howard's show too. Now, after 7 years I got rid of it, Howard turned me off by never being on or topical, plus his show isn't a comedy show anymore, more like a cranky old man venting. We were late to the smartphone party, and now that we have them all of our music is run through them, I use Slacker mostly, but also Songza and RDio, XIAA and Tune In. I use Stitcher for the podcasts I enjoy and their new service (free) will load the show on my phone so it is available offline, when I am on the subway. I get all of these services for free and they have plans with a very low monthly fee, unlike what Sirius wants to charge. I realize Sirius' catalog is larger, but for me I make due and enjoy what I use.

Stern's show is available for free out there, and I don't bother, which is funny I would download and listen to it a few days behind when I was paying for the service, and now that I am not I don't. There are too many options and not enough time to use then all, let alone pay $15/mo. for it. I was always getting a discounted rate for Sirius, because everytime I cancelled I said it was too expensive so they cut it in half, but I got so tired of the dance. If they would have auto billed at the rate I was paying I would never have cancelled, but I hated making that call every year, even though they got better with and stopped the intentional dropped calls and long hold times.

Will I return, I don't know, maybe they will charge less and have better sound, but I have been Sat free for 2 years now and don't miss it.