& 
Now THAT would be a vey interesting merger...
Posted on 04/08/2008 7:11:05 AM PDT by paltz
Senator John Kerry (D-MA) is urging FCC Chairman Kevin Martin not to follow the DOJ's lead and "rubber-stamp" the approval of the proposed Sirius-XM Satellite Radio merger. In a letter to Martin last week, Kerry said that, if approved, the merger must contain conditions to prohibit the partnership of "exercising monopolistic powers" that could result in "diminished service at increased rates."
"While the Department of Justice has found that 'the evidence does not demonstrate that the proposed merger of XM and Sirius is likely to substantially lessen competition,' serious concerns remain as to how this merger will impact consumers if it is permitted to go forward," Kerry wrote.
He also noted that the Commission's 1997 order establishing the Satellite Digital Audio Radio Service (DARS) prohibits a merger of the two satcasters. And to move forward,he wrote, would seem to "directly contradict the intent of the Commission in establishing this service." (04-03-08)
“And who cares if there’s not a place to listen to some obscure song from from Foghat or some eyeliner wearing punk rocker from Seattle that no one’s ever heard of?”
I care that I am able to listen to the Metropolitan Opera any time I want, or cooking classes, or a whole station of kids’ songs which keep my kids singing while I drive, or EWTN and 3 stations of gospel music and I’m willing to pay for it.
Consumers, Former FCC Chairmen, Members of Congress, Public Interest Groups, Diversity Organizations, Retail and Auto Companies, Religious Leaders and More Have All Voiced Support
WASHINGTON, DC and NEW YORK, NY – March 24, 2008 – Following the approval of their merger by the Department of Justice (DOJ), satellite radio companies XM Satellite Radio (NASDAQ: XMSR) and SIRIUS Satellite Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI), today highlighted the many organizations and individuals who have publicly endorsed their merger. They have all championed the lower prices and increased programming choices that the merger will afford consumers and have urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to approve the merger without delay.
Wide Range of Support
In a strong indication of the consumer benefits inherent in this transaction, the companies unveiled an array of new programming options, including two first-of-their-kind à la carte options where consumers can individually select the channels they wish to receive. A public opinion survey found that over 70% of voters thought the two new a la carte packages would be a good deal for consumers.
Since first announcing their intentions to merge, the public reaction to the merger of SIRIUS and XM has been staggering. Representatives from every possible stakeholder group in this debate have weighed-in supporting the merger: thousands unique public comments from consumers have been filed with the FCC; a number of Members of Congress from both political parties have urged approval; two former FCC Chairman and former FCC staff have voiced their support; leading car manufacturers have all indicated the consumer benefits inherent in the merger; the nation’s leading voices for minority audiences, including the NAACP and LULAC, have asked the FCC for approval; religious leaders and family values advocates, including Cardinal Egan and American Values, have also supported the merger.
Minority Interest Organizations:
• NAACP
• Second District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church
• Hispanic Federation
• Independent Women's Forum
• Latinos in Information Sciences and Technology Association (LISTA)
• League of United Latin American Citizens
• National Council of Women's Organizations
• National Latino Farmers and Ranchers
• New York State Federation of Hispanic Chambers of Commerce
• National Black Chamber of Commerce
• The Latino Coalition
• Women Impacting Public Policy
• Women Involved in Farm Economics
Corporations and Manufacturers:
• Chrysler
• Circuit City
• Crutchfield Corporation
• Ford Motor Company
• General Motors Corporation
• Harpo Productions
• Honda
• Hyundai
• Kia Motors America
• Loral Space & Communications
• NASCAR
• Oracle
• Toyota
• RadioShack
Think Tanks and Consumer Groups:
• 60 Plus Association
• American Association of People with Disabilities
• American Trucking Associations
• Americans for Prosperity
• Americans for Tax Reform
• American Values
• Citizens for Community Values (CCV)
• Club for Growth
• Competitive Enterprise Institute
• FamilyNet Radio
• Family Research Council
• Federation of Southern Cooperatives
• Intertribal Agriculture Council
• League of Rural Voters
• National Taxpayers Union
• Rural Coalition
• The Free State Foundation
• The Heritage Foundation
• Tennessee Conservative Union
Current and Former Public Officials, and Federal Regulators:
• Mayor Karl F. Dean of Nashville, TN
• Former Senator Bill Bradley
• Congressman Joe Baca
• Congressman Sanford Bishop
• Congressman Rick Boucher
• Congresswoman Corrine Brown
• Congresswoman Yvette Clarke
• Congressman Danny Davis
• Congressman Eliot Engel
• Congressman Bob Filner
• Congresswoman Virginia Foxx
• Congressman Ralph Hall
• Congressman Alcee Hastings
• Congressman Connie Mack
• Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney
• Congressman Ted Poe
• Congressman Bobby Rush
• Congressman Pete Sessions
• Congressman Ed Towns
• Congressman Anthony Weiner
• Reed Hundt, former FCC Chairman
• Harold Furchtgott-Roth, former FCC Commissioner
• Mark Fowler, former FCC Chairman
• Randolph J. May, former FCC Assistant General Counsel
• Thomas Hazlett, former FCC Chief Economist
What People Are Saying
Here are just a few examples, in their own words, of why they support the merger:
On Diverse Programming…
"We are convinced that the pending Sirius-XM merger will be a positive development for consumers – more diverse, accessible and appealing options at lower prices in satellite radio will help further expand the reach of this medium."
- Hillary O. Shelton, Director, NAACP
On Competition…
"I think that if XM and Sirius combined, it will be pro-competitive in all likelihood. It seems to me that there's no indication of any anticompetitive outcome if they do combine, so let's give them a chance to have a sharper point on the arrow and see if they can do better in terms of penetrating the listener audience.”
- Reed Hundt, former Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
On Greater Choices and Lower Prices…
"[SIRIUS and XM] have promised to offer consumers more choice at lower prices after the merger. Service offerings that let subscribers pay less would permit even more Americans to experience satellite radio.”
- Edward Cardinal Egan, Archbishop of New York
On Innovation…
"More broadly, this merger proposes to combine two small players in the audio entertainment market. As a result, the merger will bring greater vitality and financial resources to this upstart technology. Allowing this to happen will, in turn, spark a new generation of services and products with more advanced and user-friendly features. Consumers, of course, will be better off as a result."
- Julian C. Day, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, RadioShack
On Benefits to Consumers…
“General Motors believes the proposed merger is and will be in the public interest because the merged company will be able to offer consumers expanded programming choices and a broad range of service packages, including packages at lower prices.”
- Richard M. Lee, Executive Director of Satellite Radio Services, General Motors
On the Audio Entertainment Marketplace…
“The relevant market for competition purposes is the entire marketplace for audio entertainment, including terrestrial radio, Internet radio and Internet-protocol enabled applications. The relevant market clearly includes all of terrestrial radio, as evidenced by repeated statements by leading broadcast companies that they are in competition with satellite radio.”
- Congressman Rick Boucher (D-VA)
For more information on the SIRIUS-XM merger, please visit www.SIRIUSmerger.com or www.XMmerger.com .
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About SIRIUS
SIRIUS, “The Best Radio on Radio,” delivers more than 130 channels of the best programming in all of radio. SIRIUS is the original and only home of 100% commercial free music channels in satellite radio, offering 69 music channels. SIRIUS also delivers 65 channels of sports, news, talk, entertainment, traffic, weather and data. SIRIUS is the Official Satellite Radio Partner of the NFL, NASCAR and NBA, and broadcasts live play-by-play games of the NFL and NBA, as well as live NASCAR races. All SIRIUS programming is available for a monthly subscription fee of only $12.95.
SIRIUS Internet Radio (SIR) is an Internet-only version of the SIRIUS radio service, without the use of a radio, for the monthly subscription fee of $12.95. SIR delivers more than 80 channels of talk, entertainment, sports, and 100% commercial free music.
SIRIUS Backseat TV™ is the first ever live in-vehicle rear seat entertainment featuring three channels of children’s TV programming, including Nickelodeon, Disney Channel and Cartoon Network, for the subscription fee of $6.99 plus applicable audio subscription fee.
SIRIUS products for the car, truck, home, RV and boat are available in more than 20,000 retail locations, including Best Buy, Circuit City, Crutchfield, Costco, Target, Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, RadioShack and at shop.sirius.com.
SIRIUS radios are offered in vehicles from Audi, Bentley, BMW, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, Infiniti, Jaguar, Jeep®, Land Rover, Lexus, Lincoln, Mercury, Maybach, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, MINI, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Rolls Royce, Scion, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo. Hertz also offers SIRIUS in its rental cars at major locations around the country.
The Met channel is killer, isn’t it?
“The Met channel is killer, isn’t it?”
The BEST!!
Where is the anti-competitive behavior on the part of XM or Sirius?
I don’t think XM is going to put a laser on top of their headquarters to shoot a new rival’s birds out of the sky.
Just because it’s impractical to start a competing business doesn’t make it a monopoly.
SpaceBar, Do you work in the radio business? nab, radio,etc?
Considering all the major conservative think tank scholars disagree with your analysis, I,m willing to bet their logic on this matter more than yours.
Well, I don’t belong to a major conservative think tank, nor do I profess to be an expert on the subject. I merely have my lay opinion on this subject, and expected to enter a discussion with adults, be they in agreement or not. But if you feel the need to appeal to authority with a condescending tone, and it makes you feel better, so be it.
This is an issue of facts and research...none of which you have supplied in your “lay opinion”
& Now THAT would be a vey interesting merger...
Isn’t Hughes with XM? XM comes with Directv.
Sirius is with Dish, but that’s probably a side agreement of some sort.
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