Sirius, XM have met to talk merger

[Random Citizen]

Report: Sirius, XM have met to talk merger
 
 NEW YORK (Reuters) �?? Executives of satellite radio rivals Sirius Satellite Radio (SIRI) and XM Satellite Radio Holdings (XMSR) have been meeting lately to discuss the possibility of a merger, the New York Post reported Wednesday, citing several sources close to the matter.
 The newspaper said the talks have not advanced far and executives have not yet discussed price, but they have been weighing any potential antitrust concerns that would arise from a deal.
 
 The two companies have talked in the past about merging, according to the article, but the discussions never got to an advanced stage.
 
 The newspaper said a deal could be at least a year away.
 
 Sirius spokesman Jim Collins said the company does not comment on rumors. Officials at XM Satellite were not immediately available to comment.
 
 Sirius executives have in the past said that they believe the Federal Communications Commission would take issue with such a deal. The two companies now operate under separate FCC licenses.
 
 Rest of the article

[sonickteam2]

wow, a satellite radio mega-conglomerate!  that didnt take long at all!

ORBITING YOUR LIVING ROOM,
 CASHING IN THE BILL OF RIGHTS
 

[bellenseb]

A better idea would be a tuner that could recieve both services. You would then have even more competition, as people wouldn't have to invest in double the hardware to choose another service.  Imagine if you had to buy one TV for football and another TV for baseball.
 
 This would turn all the content wars (Stern, sports, etc.) into more of a cable TV model, where you would choose one or both at whim.

[sonickteam2]

Originally posted by bellenseb:
  A better idea would be a tuner that could recieve both services. You would then have even more competition,  

YEAH!!! then you could chose between Clear Channel, Infinity or the XM/Sirius company (which will be bought by Clear Channel sometime in the next 5 years)
 
   man the choices.
 
  I have a CD player that plays any genre i want.

[walkonby]

I have a CD player that plays any genre i want.
 
 yes, but is that cd player the next "big" thing, that everybody will being tricked into owning, so they can be just like everyone else? . . . oh wait a minute, that already happened when tapes lost their merit.  sorry.

[helicon1]

You shouldn't be surprised that XM and Sirius are in discussions for a merger. I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner. Right now, each respective company is busy swallowing EXPENSIVE terrestrial programming whether it's Howard Stern, NFL or NPR. Something's got to give because one of the two will put the other out of business within 5 years. Instead of taking the fall, executives are quickly looking to cash out.
 
 I've only had experience with Sirius, but I can't imagine XM offering anything outraegously different. My MP3 players plays exactly what I want, when I want.

[HoyaSaxa03]

Mel Quashes Sirius-XM Merger Rumor
 Jan. 26, 2005
 By Tony Sanders and Paul Heine
 
 
 Mel Karmazin characterized a New York Post report of a potential XM-Sirius merger as the �??third rumor�?� he has had to deal with in his first eight weeks as Sirius CEO. �??I have not met with the [XM] chair or the CEO, so I have no idea where this has come from,�?� he said during his firm�??s Wednesday morning (1/26) earnings conference call.
 
 Commenting later in the call on a question about potential antitrust restrictions for such a merger, Karmazin said he would never try to predict what the government would or wouldn�??t approve, adding that he thought such a merger would be a �??difficult deal to get through.�?�
 
 According to Post writer Tim Arango, the two satellite competitors have been meeting lately to talk about the possibility of a merger but the discussions have not advanced. Among the topics reportedly discussed is how to maneuver antitrust concerns that would arise from what would amount to a monopoly in the fledgling satellite radio business.
 
 To alleviate those concerns, the Post suggests the two rivals�?? strategy would be to convince regulators that satellite radio is part of the exploding mobil music market.
 
 Combining XM and Sirius would ease a price war for content, reduce marketing costs and provide other cost efficiencies.

[Frank Gallagher]

Ah yes....XM. I thought I wouldn't be able to survive without it. To be honest though, the fm stations here are really quite good. Especially in the evenings. One of them is very much like HFS in the old days.