Is Sirius-XM prejudiced?

i-l-l

Member
Nov 12, 2008
93
1
8
Sirius has deleted 4 rap channels since I joined. 4!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Why am I never asked about my listening habits? Only rock channel I ever listened to is Faction and that's because SOMETIMES they'll play some underground hip hop which is more than HHN could ever do. All those other stations are garbage to me. As a young male in my 20's with a love for hip hop, Sirius is not an outlet for me anymore to hear anything new or groundbreaking. HHN is just like an FM station i'm paying for.
 

v1ru5

Well-Known Member
Oct 24, 2008
1,690
67
48
Harrisburg PA.
Sirius has deleted 4 rap channels since I joined. 4!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Why am I never asked about my listening habits? Only rock channel I ever listened to is Faction and that's because SOMETIMES they'll play some underground hip hop which is more than HHN could ever do. All those other stations are garbage to me. As a young male in my 20's with a love for hip hop, Sirius is not an outlet for me anymore to hear anything new or groundbreaking. HHN is just like an FM station i'm paying for.
I'm reading through the different posts and I am trying to make myself believe this was a purely business decision in order to increase subs but I keep going back to the fact out of the 19 Rock channels more could have been done in order to save at least 2 of the 4 channels.
 

mch

Member
Nov 11, 2008
49
3
8
Las Vegas
So why is it that every Urban channel that was removed from Sirius replaced with a ROCK channel?

Decades/Pop were the genre most added to in the last update. They only added one Rock station (Loft) and removed two rock stations (Punk, Disorder.) Therefore, SIRIUS has one less rock station than it did before the merge.

You're probably going to have to complain and then wait for one of these artist-only channels to expire like everybody else.
 

v1ru5

Well-Known Member
Oct 24, 2008
1,690
67
48
Harrisburg PA.
Decades/Pop were the genre most added to in the last update. They only added one Rock station (Loft) and removed two rock stations (Punk, Disorder.) Therefore, SIRIUS has one less rock station than it did before the merge.

You're probably going to have to complain and then wait for one of these artist-only channels to expire like everybody else.
About 1 1/2-2yrs ago Sirius removed another station from the R&B channels and replaced it with a Rock channel I wish I could remember the channel.If SBS was working properly I could find the thread.
 

medmondson

New Member
Oct 21, 2008
4
1
3
I can even understand that but why does Sirius need 19 channels to cover rock and it's sub genres?

Likely because people actually listen to those stations? Let's not forget that 5 of the channels in the "Rock" category or artist specific channels. Additionally, you gotta consider that based on the current music scene, any channel that plays current music and typical top 40 stuff (20 on 20, Kiss, Mix also bleeding into the Dance channels) is going to be 90% "urban" sound anyway.
 

v1ru5

Well-Known Member
Oct 24, 2008
1,690
67
48
Harrisburg PA.
Likely because people actually listen to those stations? Let's not forget that 5 of the channels in the "Rock" category or artist specific channels. Additionally, you gotta consider that based on the current music scene, any channel that plays current music and typical top 40 stuff (20 on 20, Kiss, Mix also bleeding into the Dance channels) is going to be 90% "urban" sound anyway.
I hate it when you're right. However I'm not too crazy about the top 40 stuff although I do like some of it. It just "appears" that whenever room has to be made for something it is one of the "urban" channels that has to take the hit. Besides The Groove and Soul Street Rhyme and Chrome were channels I listened to when I felt like jumping into the wayback machine. It's not fair that I have to always bite the bullet.
 

dlynx

Member
Oct 9, 2008
411
8
18
Michigan.
www.btlsfan.com
I don't believe that Sirius is making any type of statement by removing the channels they did. I think they strictly looked at the ratings from when they had arbitron involved in satellite, and a majority of the feedback that they receive from the customers.

I do think that Backspin crowd is smaller then the typical rock station crew, but I'm somewhat odd in the cross section of music I prefer, and backspin was one of my primary channels when not into the talk channels. I believe the rock genre is a little heavy now, and they could of reduced it by 1 to keep more diversity that backspin offered.

What I don't like to see, which I have in the past, is 1 channel play a song, flip the channel to the next one up, and 2 minutes later that same song came on. (I noticed that a lot between the old channel 40 and channel 50).
 

macfanatic010

Member
Nov 8, 2008
176
8
18
What I don't like to see, which I have in the past, is 1 channel play a song, flip the channel to the next one up, and 2 minutes later that same song came on. (I noticed that a lot between the old channel 40 and channel 50).

it happened a lot on XM prior to the merger. now it looks like it's happening on sirius.
 

dualsub2006

Member
Nov 11, 2008
172
5
18
It sure seems like it.

I'm sure that listeners of a particular genre of music that gets trimmed might want to think something like what you suggest, that prejudices come in to play. To state it openly displays ignorance beyond belief.

To offer a pay radio service you must offer the types of music that your paying customers want to listen to. If you don't, then your customers won't pay. See? Given the number of Spanish language and genre specific channels that were cut one is lead to assume that there simply weren't enough paying customers tuning in to those channels. See? It's about money, which is a topic that Mel is V E R Y familiar with. I don't want to actually say it but, well, he is Jewish. The Jewish people are color blind and see everything and everyone in varying shades of green. The darker the green, the more channels you get to listen to. :hah:

Others in this thread talk about racial lawsuits, hip hop channels named after white guys and a lot of other crap. There is an FCC mandate to provide 12 channels for ethnic and minority programming on each system. Minorities being in the minority, how many channels do you think should be dedicated to a small number of current and potential customers?
 

AZJoe

Member
Oct 11, 2008
267
16
18
Phoenix, AZ
About 1 1/2-2yrs ago Sirius removed another station from the R&B channels and replaced it with a Rock channel I wish I could remember the channel.If SBS was working properly I could find the thread.

Slow Jamz on Sirius was the channel, and a few years before that it was The Express, that were ended. The situation is two edged, some say the ratings arent there, yet if you look at minority percentages in the USA, 13% African-American and 14% Hispanic ,you know 27% of the channels are not programmed for those ethnic groups. And if there are not channels with that programming is it little wonder that only 6% of sat radio listeners are of those ethnic groups? They used to say "build it an they will come". Did Sirius/XM build it? That is what is at debate. Also at issue is who decides what an urban station should be programmed? Take Soul Town for example, it is trying to cover 4 decades of soul music on one channel. It can't be done and done well. It would be like playing Elvis and following it up with Coldplay or AC/DC- well they are all white rock acts, throw them onto one channel. Some white people really don't know urban/R&B music well enough to program it. I know personally the PD of Soul Town, a great black, professional guy, who knows his urban music, but given just one channel to cover 40 years of soul just doesn't cut it! His hands are tied by the higher ups who just don't get it.
 

edalen

Member
Oct 14, 2008
41
0
6
www.ericdalen.com
I suspect because Sirius XM is mandated to turn over channels for minority programming, they felt comfortable dropping some of their offerings in light of that. If they were mandated to turn over channels for middle-aged white guy programming, a few of the classic rock stations would have gone. :D