XM Radio

[emmy]

I think this has come up before, but I wasn't paying attention.  Do any of you guys have XM Radio?  Do you recommend it?

[mankie]

You have no idea what you've just started my friend....paige works for them and she really REALLY loves her job.
 
 Actually, I don't have it in my car but a lot of my clients have it installed in theirs. For the most part they say they don't know how they lived without it.
 
 Look into Sirius too before you decide.

[redsock]

I want to work for XM radio.....      
 
 Paige, any openings in that Emerald City of a company of yours?

[Metal Meltdown]

before you all polish up those resumes, Ive had two friends who got laid off there, after being worked 12 hours a day and denied leave first of course...

[Joymonster]

XM Satellite Radio Shares Plunge
 Fri Aug 8, 8:12 AM ET  
 
 
 WASHINGTON - The stock of XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. fell sharply Thursday after the satellite-radio broadcaster posted a wider second-quarter loss, citing asset depreciation.
 
   
 
 The Washington-based company lost $161.9 million, or $1.38 a share, for the quarter, compared with a loss of $117.2 million, or $1.38 a share, a year ago.
 
 
 Though the quarterly loss per share was unchanged from a year ago, the figure is wider than the $1.25-a-share loss predicted by analysts surveyed by Thomson First Call.
 
 
 Revenue rose to $18.3 million from $3.8 million.
 
 
 Shares of XM Satellite fell $2.75, or 21 percent, to close at $10.52 on the Nasdaq Stock Market.
 
 
 XM Satellite said its loss before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization for the quarter widened to $95.8 million, compared with a loss of $78.7 million a year earlier.
 
 
 The second-quarter loss was expected due to a rapidly ramping growth business, XM Satellite said. The company said it expects to reach break-even cash flow in late 2004.
 
 
 The service added 209,178 subscribers during the quarter, for a total of 692,253. Subscribers pay $9.99 a month for access to 100 radio channels.
 
 
 Separately Thursday, General Motors Corp. said it had built 500,000 cars equipped with XM Satellite receivers.
 
 
 A competitor to XM Satellite, Sirius Satellite Radio, Wednesday said it ended the last quarter with 105,000 subscribers, short of the predictions of some analysts. Its shares ended down 18 cents, or 10 percent, at $1.53 on the Nasdaq.

[MissKitty]

Have it, love it.  have the delphi receiver installed in the car, move it to home every night.
 
 the XM-live station is the best -- live concerts from way back when to the present, and all things from the smiths to pat benetar to bob marley.  
 
 the boombox sucks, though.  why don't they put a cd player or, at least, a line-in plug?

[J'Mal]

XM is perhaps the greatest thing since fire, the wheel, the internet... definitely better than penicillin (how often do you need that, really?)
 
 It is *incredible*   Where else can you hear most of the bands that come through the 930 club and black cat?  Most of the posters here would probably dig 29, U-Pop (euro weenie chart hits including all the obscure english soccer music), 43 XMU -- indie/college, 44 Fred -- classic alternative...  there's even an alt-countryish type channel....
 
 More info can be found at www.xmfan.com

[Jaguär]

Originally posted by J'Mal:
  XM is perhaps the greatest thing since fire, the wheel, the internet... definitely better than penicillin (how often do you need that, really?)
 
 It is *incredible*   Where else can you hear most of the bands that come through the 930 club and black cat?  Most of the posters here would probably dig 29, U-Pop (euro weenie chart hits including all the obscure english soccer music), 43 XMU -- indie/college, 44 Fred -- classic alternative...  there's even an alt-countryish type channel....
 
 More info can be found at www.xmfan.com

Do you work on commission J'Mal?

[J'Mal]

No, but I've probably sold about a dozen SkyFi's.  People who play with it for a few minutes get this look on their face, this ....understanding.... that this is a necessary product.
 
 If you don't have a SkyFi, get one.  If there's something wrong with you and you don't like it, return it.  I believe XM also refunds/pro-rates unused service.  But if you're reading this board, you probably like music, and it is doubtful you'd be returning it.
 
 Imagine having at least five or ten really good things to listen to on the radio at any one time.  And all the stuff that is annoying about regular radio is gone.  Not there.
 
 BTW not to start a flame war with sirius users but there's a reason why XM has something like 90% of the market.  Sirius has more talk, less music, and they are very hits-oriented and not nearly as deep.  They also just hired this FM radio consultant who looks like he's gonna tighten up the playlists even more and just make it a carbon copy of the crap on FM radio.  Get the real thing.

[mankie]

Does XM/Sirius have ads on at all...and I mean 'any at all'?

[J'Mal]

Ads:
 
 Both services carry ads on their talk/news channels.  Some of these are syndicated and the talkers need a break once in a while.  Some of the ad space on these channels is taken up by PSAs or by home-grown filler material (this day in history, etc.)
 
 Sirius is completely ad free on their 60 music channels.  XM has a few ads half of their 70 music channels. If you go to their website you can see which ones. By few, I mean, one or two minutes per hour.  Most XM subs will tell you the ads are a non-issue, and the vastly superior XM programming service, which also happens to be less expensive, more than makes up for that.  When you consider the additional music channels, XM actually delivers more music.

[mankie]

Ads = getting none of mankies money.
 
 If I'm going to pay for radio then I expect NO ads. I was going to look into it but you've just helped me make my mind up...thanks.

[paige]

You definitely started something..  
 
 XM is great. really, it is. it has a lot of versatility (car, home, boombox) and all things considered, it isn't that costly.
 
 i love my job pretty much because of the people that work there and the laid back and fun atmosphere.... but, as mentioned, the hours are long for the program directors and others. a friend said it's the most demanding job he's ever had, but also the most rewarding. with 100 channels of music and talk/sports, there really is something for everyone. and the commercials issue shouldn't even be brought up. many are commercial free; the channels that aren't have only 1-2 minutes an hour. (compared with 20 on fm stations)
 
 sirius doesn't measure up just yet to xm..although i don't think it's horrible. fewer channels and the fact that they copied xm (well, not really but xm was first)kind of turns me off.
 
 everyone should look into it, the more listeners the better. also, you could hear me on the air    although i'm sure no one cares about that.
 
 www.xmradio.com (all of the information you need, employment opportunites included)
 www.xmfan.com (message board for feedback and chatting)

[mankie]

Originally posted by paige:
   and the commercials issue shouldn't even be brought up. many are commercial free; the channels that aren't have only 1-2 minutes an hour. (compared with 20 on fm stations)
 
 

until they sell more ads that is!

[paige]

Originally posted by mankie:
  until they sell more ads that is!

go home, mankie!