Sirius XM Raises Subscription Prices…

Wednesday, January, 21, 2009 by Mel Phillips.

The rumors that were swirling all week about new subscription rates for Sirius XM have been confirmed.  This is a risky move as we encounter our worst recession in recent memory and in light of the blood bath that took over 1800 jobs at Clear Channel.  Mel Karmazin, Sirius CEO, never has been a stickler for conformity.  If he were running for political office, the handle ‘maverick’ would fit better than it did for John McCain.  Sirius XM customer service reps apparently have informed users that as of March 11th, there will be an increase of $2 for additional subscriptions, while the online Internet radio service will now cost $2.99.  For that $2.99 all Internet radio users will have access to the 128k stream, which previously was the “premium” feed…

Subscriptions for the Base, Best of, and A la Carte packages remain unchanged - an attempt to pacify the FCC.  The last thing Sirius XM wants is to violate their merger conditions with the agency.  Proving that they have a heart, Sirius XM is offering a lock-in in order to avoid this or any other price increase by subscribing for a full three years.  Of course by doing that you may be listening to dead air should Sirius XM fold but there are risks in everything, right???

Curiously Sirius XM has not pursued other revenue streams like wireless providers and handset devices such as Sprint, iPhone or BlackBerry.  The explanation for not linking up is that Sirius XM considers these distribution methods as trials rather than working partnerships and not worth promoting.  This is pure Mel Karmazin who fought for years to prohibit CBS Radio stations from streaming online before finally relenting.  Sometimes it’s better to act than think about acting and never do it…  

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1946] Debuted on this date: “The Fat Man” debuts on ABC Radio and will run for 4 years. Although it will be made into a film, the detective series never makes it on TV…1957] Patsy Cline appears on ‘Arthur Godfrey’s’ nighttime TV show singing “Walking After Midnight“.  Here’s the clip…
2. 1954] The Cooz: Celtic’s great Bob Cousy steals the show in one of the most exciting NBA All-Star games in history, scoring 10 of the East team’s 14 points in OT and then icing the game with his signature dribbling in a 98-93 win.  This is a terrific tribute to #14…
3. 1959] Gunned down: Carl Switzer a.k.a. Alfalfa from ‘Our Gang’ is fatally shot in Northern California over a $50 debt he was owed. The murder is ruled ‘justifiable homicide’. Alfalfa was just 31…
4. 1966] Wedding Bells: George Harrison and Patty Boyd a.k.a. ‘Layla’ rock down the aisle and here’s a clip of it. The couple will divorce in 1977 when Patty takes Eric Clapton as her next husband…
5. 1977] I beg your pardon: Jimmy Carter pardons almost all Vietnam War draft evaders…
6. 1979] Super Bowl Sunday: Terry Bradshaw’s 4 touchdown passes leads Pittsburgh to its third Super Bowl win, a 35-31 victory over Dallas in SB XIII.  Bradshaw will win 4 Super Bowls for the Steelers…
7. 1984] ‘Happy Trails’: Jackie Wilson dies at 49 after being in a coma for 8 years, suffering a heart attack on stage, September 25, 1975 while singing this song…1998] Jack Lord of “Hawaii Five-O” dies from congestive heart failure in Honolulu at 77…
8. 1991] Captured in the desert: CBS correspondent Bob Simon is captured by Iraqis in the Persian Gulf. He’s imprisoned for 40 days before being released…
9. 1993] Observed: The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday is observed in all 50 states for the first time…
10. 1994] First cut is the deepest: A jury in Manassas (VA) acquits Lorena Bobbitt by reason of insanity for her ’slice and dice’ of husband John’s private parts.  This clip shows John testifying.  This is not for the feint of heart…

Music Memories:

• 1987] Going to Hall: Aretha Franklin gets voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Here she is on VH-1’s “Divas Live 2001″…
• 1990] Unplugged: The Squeeze become the first MTV act to star on ‘MTV Unplugged.  In this clip they were plugged and just tempted to be unplugged…

“Happy Birthday…happy birthday“:

Geena Davis (53), Robbie Benson (53), Billy Ocean (59), Jill Eikenberry (62), Mac Davis (67), Placido Domingo (68), Richie Havens (68), Jack Nicklaus (69) and Paul Scofield (87)…

Timeline Countdown: 11 days until the Super Bowl , 24 days until Valentine’s Day and pitchers & catchers report voluntarily and 26 days until President’s Day…

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