XM Satellite Radio
XM satellite radio and Sirius radio merged in July 2008 giving America the most comprehensive radio system able to cover news, traffic and weather, sports, music, politics, entertainment and lots of talk shows and other programs, in unique packages of around two hundred channels. The merger was meant to lessen competition and to prevent an increase of the radio subscription fees that would have reduced the popularity of the broadcasters and the number of listeners. The final stages of this business transaction could only be finalized when the management of XM satellite radio had the approval of the Federal Communications Commission. Nevertheless, users were directly concerned about the changes in the playlist operation and other channel specificities and not so much in merger decisions.
The consequences of the merger are yet to appear given the fact that XM satellite radio has been broadcasting in the same formula with Sirius for just a month now. Whichever be the case, the need for communication and the necessity to have access to different kinds of information, will ensure radios in general a solid background to operate on. The quality of the services is undoubtedly important, but it is often compensated by diversity. This means that from a package that includes 73 music channels it is nearly impossible not to find one to match your personal taste; therefore, one way or the other the audience gets satisfaction.
XM satellite radio is broadcast to Canada too since 2005 as the company made the launch in November that year. The transformations in the broadcasting sector brought about by the necessity to pay a fee for performance according to the Copyright Royalty Board did not pass unnoticed even if XM satellite radio offers a fee-based kind of service. Therefore the online reception of the channel required a subscription too either included in the overall package or purchased independently.
Most Americans will listen to XM satellite radio on their way to work or when they have to travel larger distances. The shows help one stay connected, and the traffic and weather info is absolutely priceless. Yet, competition does exist from the many ground radio stations that operate in parallel and most often for free. Their only inconvenience is the fact that they depend on advertising to cover their expenses and a listener is more likely to change to an XM satellite radio channel than get bugged by commercials every few minutes.
