Sirius has been broadcasting
throughout the United States since mid 2002 as well
as making their content available on the
World Wide Web. We're asking satellite
radio enthusiasts listening to Sirius broadcasts
to let us know what they think. Here are
some of their latest comments and questions.
Someone with a little advice for Sirius fans says (posted 16 February 2006):
"A word of warning for those who may be thinking of setting up a Sirius
boombox
at their office.
I already have an XM set up at my office desk which is next to a window.
So for some
time I had planned to have Sirius there too, side by side. ( I like Sirius
jazz better than
XM, and I could listen to Stern also.)
After a great deal of time and turmoil securing the proper equipment for
the set up( Audiovox
not recommended. ) I was able to successfully get a working tuner and box
by JVC.
Then after this two month ordeal I was ready to set up at my office next to
my XM box.
Sadly, I was not able to get a Sirius signal at my office and had to
return the equipment.
The reason I discovered was the Eastern location of my window. I needed
a Western
window. There is a little map in the manual showing where you need to
locate your
antenna depending on where in the US you reside. Whereas XM worked fine
Sirius
did not. Had Sirius provided the map on it's web site I could have
avoided all this
Strum and Drang. XM did not and apparently does not need someone to live
in the correct
part of the US to get a signal anywhere. If you want Sirius check their
map."
RUsirius.com's response:
We've experienced this phenomenon before. All Sirius fans take note and face west.
A Sirius Fox Fan writes (posted 9 January 2006):
"What a surpise..... turn to station 133... to listen to Fox news.. Guess what?
It's not there anymore.. In fact... Sirius has removed it from the line up...
Maybe they should tell people that... they sure tell everyone about Howard Stern... Thinking of switching to XM..."
RUsirius.com's response:
Alas, Fox News has become part of FoXM. Another management decision in the world of satellite radio.
A disgruntled Sirius subscriber tells us (posted 3 January 2006):
"Does anyone on the planet earth have any idea why Sirius is so stupid that they did not even MAKE any S50 home
dock kits? I ordered the HOME KIT, Sirius doesn't have any. No other partner stores have it either - FOR THE LAST 2
MONTHS. So, I'm supposed to throw an antenna out the window and purchase all extra cables to run it out of my
home. (WHAT??? NO WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY - WHICH BY THE WAY, IS WHAT SIRIUS LED US TO BELIEVE) I did buy it to listen
to Howard. Know what? F-Howard!!! Their customer/technical service absolutely SUCKS. The biggest group
of uneducated idiots ever together in one company. Ever wonder why their stock is in the crapper and XM excels?
And while I'm at it, Howard is such a money whore. I know he's an ahole when it comes to technology, but damn,
research the company a little. They SUCK!!!!!"
RUsirius.com's response:
Did this note come from Gilbert Gottfried?
A potential Sirius subscriber who is no fan of Howard Stern says (posted 9 December 2005):
"I was going with Sirius over XM until I noticed Howard Stern is on Sirius....XM
is for me now"
RUsirius.com's response:
Have you noticed that Opie and Anthony are on XM? Despite the wishes of some would-be subscribers to satellite radio
neither XM nor Sirius has a monopoly on bad taste. That's just the way it is because this is radio as it should be, with
a variety of formats, personalities and content. Don't like it? Just keep listening to plain old terrestrial radio.
A disgruntled Sirius subscriber tells us (posted 2 August 2005):
"I have been overbilled about 300 dollars...customer care sucks...I think
Sirius will be the Enron of Satellite Radio sucking up investors dollars until
they flop or are bought by XM."
RUsirius.com's response:
That 300 dollars may be part of the reason the Sirius folks increased their
revenue by 295 percent this quarter.
A satellite radio listener siriusly concerned about a possible merger
between the two satellite broadcasters says (posted 1 February 2005)
:
"Whether true or not, if Sirius and XM radio decide to merge, this means
likely jeopardy, a target toward a monopoly and N.A.B. attack. The Dish
Network deal in buying Voom will happen and Dish will be inclined to buy
Sirius Radio, as one company owned by Echostar. I think Echostar may buy
out Sirius, for a powerful video merge, and no more satellite TV dish, with
video, Sky report said."
RUsirius.com's response:
We appreciate your concerns but we feel that any rumors as to a merger
or a buyout are premature at best.
A second comment from the VW pilot (see below) clarifies the Monsoon
issue (posted 12 November 2004):
"I submitted my original question on 27 April 2004 , trying to find
out from others if the Volkswagen Monsoon stereo system is compatible with
the Sirius system. Well, on September 30th I bought a new 2004 V.W. G.T.I.
with the Monsoon stereo system already installed . The next day I went
to a stereo shop and had another Sirius radio receiver installed too. I
previously had a 1998 V.W. G.T.I. with the same model of Sirius receiver
in it , however I did not want to take it out and put it in my new car
. I wanted to start out with new parts. I found the same face plate I bought
2 years ago is still offered ( a Kenwood ) but the roof antenna has now
been made even smaller . Anyway , to answer my own question, the sound is
just as good as before . The Monsoon stereo was not an issue. I play my
Sirius radio through the Monsoon's FM stereo modulator. It still sounds
great.
"P.S. I think Sirius made a mistake recently by changing it's C.N.N.
channel from Headline News to the regular C.N.N. channel. Now it's harder
to find a U.S. channel that gives news updates every HALF hour. N.P.R. does
it only on the hour, along with the other U.S. channels. The B.B.C. provides
them on the half hour, but it is far more international in it's coverage."
RUsirius.com's response:
Thanks for the clarification. Any information that makes it easier
for our site visitors to enjoy satellite radio is always apreciated.
The following comments are from the same VW pilot but on a different
subject. (posted 12 November 2004):
"Just for your information, here's a link to a news article from the
C.B.C. ( Canadian Broadcasting Corporation ) , dated November 4, 2004 . It
appears the American satellite radio companies are teaming up with Canadian
companies to provide the service to Canadians now . This helps meet Canadian
content rules which are tightly administered by the Canadian Radio and Television
Commission ( the C.R.T.C. - their equivalent to America's F.C.C. ) . Ninety
percent of Canadians live within 200 miles of the U.S. border , so I'm
sure many people in Canada could already be listening to XM or Sirius already
. They could have bought their equipment in the U.S. ,signed up for the
service using a post office box in a U.S. border town , and then been within
range of the satellites overhead while driving around in Canada .
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/satelliteradio/
"
RUsirius.com's response:
Thanks for the input.
The following comments are from an enthusiastic Sirius listener
(posted 28 October 2004):
"XM is garbage compared to Sirius. I have the Audiovox PNP1 and I
love it. I have all three adapters and I listen to it nonstop. Sirius has
less interference and better programming. The NFL endorsement says it all.
If you are considering satellite radio, go with Sirius, you won't regret
it!!!!!!!!!"
RUsirius.com's response:
We appreciate the enthusiasm about Sirius. Nevertheless, XM is
not "garbage." It's just different.
A VW pilot who's sirius about the Monsoon system posts this inquiry
(posted 27 April 2004):
"I have had my FM-modulating Sirius radio for about 2 years now
and I absolutely love listening to Sirius. However ,I am planning to
purchase a new Volkswagen G.T.I. with the Monsoon stereo system . Volkswagen
does not sell Sirius-capable stereo, though, as an option. A friend of
mine told me I could not add an after-market, Sirius-capable stereo as
the car's radio head to this for the following reason :
"The Monsoon system includes a built-in 240 watt amp that rivals
most after-market amps. The entire system was designed and tuned to the
work in the Golf configuration to maximize the sound quality. If you
replace the control console you might as well not get the Monsoon system
because that’s the meat and potatoes of it. If I was you, I would not
buy the optional Monsoon stereo system but just build a custom system from
the ground up. For it to sound comparable to the Monsoon it’s going to
cost a fair bit.
"Please tell me if this is true . I am interested in hearing from
anyone who has an after-market Sirius radio with their Monsoon stereo system,
or has a job installing stereos into cars."
RUsirius.com's response:
We invite responses from all qualified site visitors.
A Sirius listener says (posted 9 January 2004):
"Satellite radio is one of the finest ideas come to fruition
in the last decade. We tune in to the radio to relax, unwind, remember,
forget, and to appreciate all the wondrous talent we have in our world.
Satellite radio celebrates the artist. On AM/FM, you don't even know who
the artist was that you just heard because the millisecond the song is
over, the constant bleating of the commercials begin. I am a Sirius
customer and appreciate this new amazing technology! I have tuned
in to both Sirius and XM, and I think Sirius has better overall sound quality.
Congratulations to Sirius for their spectacular variety of programming
as well. I plan on telling everyone I know about satellite radio, give
it a try, you will be truly amazed at the difference!"
RUsirius.com's response:
Thanks for your enthusiasm about satellite radio.
Here are a few words from a Sirius listener and investor
(posted 7 January 2004):
"I discovered Sirius on the stock market. Watching the
stock hover up and down, gaining upward momentum, had me siriusly curious.
I decided to educate myself on satellite radio. I am quite sure
I am still only modestly informed. Working my way through the internet
sites on Sirius and XM, reading every article I could find on the Web,
I remained still further curious of this new dimension of radio entertainment.
I have since listened to both, bought stock in Sirius and XM, and will
go out and buy a Sirius unit. While both were very impressive to
my ears, I think Sirius allows more clarity. I do like the idea
of minimal or no commercials. I can hardly tolerate AM/FM radio
because of all the constant bombarding 'intellectual pollution.'
I do feel satellite radio has a vast place in the market. I believe
both Sirius and XM will survive. I think there are a lot of believers
out there, millions."
RUsirius.com's response:
While we agree that there is a huge audience we also think
that there will eventually be commercials. The temptation to increase
profits by inserting a few ads here and there is probably going to be
irresistible. The impact, however, should be minimal.
A Sirius investor and listener tells us (posted 23 December
2003) :
"It's the best toy I've bought in a long, long time.
My first experience with Sirius was buying its stock. Then I
figured that I should try the product. I can't tell you how happy
I've been since I got my Kenwood. I, who is technologically ignorant,
had no problem in setting up the docking station in my home and the
one in my vehicle. I initially panicked because the instructions
indicated that I should put my antenna in a west facing window for
best results. I don't have a west facing window! But I
adjusted my antenna and VOILA! I recently drove 4 hours through
New England (and back) and it was a dream to have. No dropouts,
no commercials, just fine music! BTW, after I bought my system,
my best friend just had to get one. We are both major fans now.
I keep telling lots of people about satellite radio, especially Sirius."
RUsirius.com's response:
Thanks for your comments. Our site visitors rely on this
kind of commentary to make informed decisions when purchasing equipment
and subscribing to satellite radio
A Princeton dropout critic says (posted 11 December
2003) :
"I live in the Princeton, NJ area. I am somewhat
disappointed in the loss of signal with my Audiovox Sirius radio.
I have traveled to and from the NJ shore and have lost the signal on
more than one occasion. Today I turned on the radio to find that the
radio was attempting to locate the signal. Upon finding the signal
the radio display is not working. Upon completion of this email I'll
make an attempt to contact both Audiovox and Sirius to see if there is
a problem with their product or the service in this area. I waited 6
months for this Audiovox product. It was due out in June but was
not available until the end of July. They have already changed
the look of their radio."
RUsirius.com's response:
Signal dropout is the single most important technical
difficulty experienced directly by listeners. We hope the
folks in the McGraw-Hill Building take these complaints siriusly.
With regard to a posting on 19 November (posted
10 December 2003) :
"The reason I called AudioVox is because that is the
number that the manual said to call. There was no number
that I could find in the manual for Sirius. The reason my system
stopped working was because of a problem with the installation.
Since that was fixed I haven't had any trouble and I like the service
very much, though it cuts out too much while I am driving, which from
what I read is a common problem. At home when the antenna is
stable I get better reception. I had a party and I used Sirius
as the music for the party and it was great cause I didn't have to
put CDs in an out and everyone really enjoyed the variety. I
just now got my membership package from Sirius, and in there came a number
to call at Sirius for support, so if I have to call support again now
I have the correct number rather than AudioVox."
RUsirius.com's response:
Thanks for the update.
Here are a few remarks about satellite radio from
a sirius commuter (posted 8 December 2003):
"I bought a new Kenwood head unit with the Kenwood
antenna and free Sirius tuner a month ago, and I have to tell
you, it's the best purchase I have ever made. I've listened to more
music in the last month than the last 3 years. I have a 45 minute
one-way commute every day, and this is what makes it bearable.
I do experience a few periods of dropout, where the coverage is spotty
for an hour or so, 3 times a day, but that is a small price to pay for
no commercials. I also have my antenna mounted on my back deck,
so that may be part of the dropout problem. The point is, it is
a new technology, and will have some bugs to work out, ask anyone who
bought in to satellite TV in the first few years.
"If people don't support Sirius, then we'll be stuck
with XM, which seems to be puppeted by Clear Channel Communications.
The Crutchfield rep I spoke with has had XM since June (they got
a special deal) and says she has noticed the commercial load go WAY
up in the last 6 months. Just wait until the last nail is in
Sirius's coffin, then you'll be paying for satellite radio that has
a slightly lower commercial load than broadcast. Clear Channel
is to be avoided at all costs, in my humble opinion.
"Anyway, if you assume both satellite providers have
some dropout issues, and both cost close to the same amount, and
both have about the same sound quality (which is enormously better
than FM), but one has commercials with the music, and the other doesn't,
then the choice is clear. But, Sirius had better remember never
to have commercials in their music programming, because that would
be a betrayal of it's subscriber base. Viva La Sirius!"
RUsirius.com's response:
We agree that commercial-free music is a major selling
point for Sirius. Nevertheless, we feel that eventually both
satellite radio services will features ads as a means of offsetting
costs. Now about that connection between XM and Clear Channel...
A critic who takes customer support siriusly comments
(posted 1 December 2003):
"Why would you call Audiovox for customer support
about your Sirius subscription??? That would be similar to
calling Scientific Atlanta because your cable or satellite TV
wasn't working! I can certainly agree that someone at Audiovox
should have been able to refer you to the proper phone number in
less time. However, you can't contact the manufacturer of the product
when the service is not working properly and expect them to respond
as the provider would. Do you call the manufacturer of your cable/DSL
modem when you have problems with your broadband provider? Do
you contact the maker of your cell phone when you have a service issue?
I hate to criticize, but we really must use common sense. I
bet you wouldn't be nearly as frustrated, and would have been more open
for suggestions to fix your problem had you contacted the appropriate
company first. Sirius has the better service to offer and really
doesn't need negative things such as this clouding the issue. They are
the better provider! Each company (Sirius and XM) has drop out issues!
Just my 2 cents........"
RUsirius.com's response:
While we agree that customers should contact Sirius
directly, the satellite provider should make at least a token
effort to direct complaints to the appropriate personnel. XM
hired SITEL to handle its customer relations. Perhaps Sirius
should follow suit.
A disappointed Sirius customer tells us (posted
19 November 2003) :
"I am very disappointed by the customer service
I got from Sirius!! Both during my initial set up and now
it has stopped working and the customer support is awful.
The number I got for customer support is for AudioVox, which supports
like a hundred other products. After calling the customer support
number, waiting in queue, being told by an attendant who had no clue
what Sirius was, she suggested I call their Electronics Department,
which I did...again long queue waiting for tech support. Finally
after 10 minutes in queue I got a live person; again she didn't know
what Sirius was, she transferred me to the tech support office...again
another queue. After about 5 more minutes I got someone live, who
knew what Sirius was but started rambling about settings and checking this
and that. Finally, because I couldn't follow what he was saying, I figured
I would be better off just taking it back to BestBuy and having someone there
check it out. I have no clue if XMRadio has better tech support, but
customer service is very important and obviously Sirius has put '0' thought
into it."
RUsirius.com's response:
Sirius seems to have put "0" thought into just
about everything except their Pamela Anderson commercials. They
have a more robust technology than XM, which is now in the unenviable
position of having to replace their satellites ahead of schedule.
This may not mean much if they don't have any listeners. We
encourage anyone who's disappointed with customer support siriusly
to consider switching services.
A Sirius stockholder says (posted 12 November
2003) :
"As a stockholder, I need to know how many
subs(criptions) you have to date not how it was last quarter.
How do I get this info? Why is CNBC stock channel
so biased against you? Even if they have to say something
good about you they still have some sly comment."
RUsirius.com's response:
The above note should probably be directed
to Sirius and, as any regular visitor to this site knows, we're
certainly not Sirius. Nevertheless, it's appropriate to
attempt to offer a response. It would be helpful not only
to stockholders but also to would-be subscribers to know exactly
how many listeners there are on a more frequent basis than once per
quarter. Perhaps a subscriber tally on the XM and Sirius
web sites would be in order. It would also be helpful if CNBC
would not be so negative ... on satellite radio and just about everything
else. They make Alan Greenspan look like the country's top economic
cheerleader.
A Sirius listener in Minnesota tells us
(posted 7 November 2003) :
"I live in a smallish town in northern Minnesota
with the typical smallish town radio selection. I purchased
some Sirius stock several months ago and was curious about their
product. Stopping by BestBuy, I was disappointed by their
knowledge of the differences between Sirius and XM and them directing
me towards XM. They had an open box Kenwood system that I picked
up for $90. I have not been disappointed. I am a huge
public radio fan and there are 3 public radio stations to choose from
with enough selection that I seem to always be able to catch my favorite
shows. The pop and alternative stations are acceptable and best
of all, no commercials! Reception has been fantastic.
Now what they need is more colorful marketing of their Sirius ready
decks and radios at retail vendors. I have a few observations:
1) At BestBuy and other retailers there
should be some large visible signage (signs) that draw shoppers
to Sirius ready decks and units so it does not appear as if XM
is the only brand available.
2) In marketing really emphasize the no
commercials, three satellites, free computer streaming to
subscribers. Employees at places where Sirius is sold having
knowledge of this would really help as well.
3) Possibly work with a vendor to create
a low profile unit such as the roady package available via XM.
4) Place some emphasis on smaller towns
that have the typical small town music selection. There
are some great opportunities in rural America.
5) Focus on public radio listeners (NPR).
The demographics of this listener are phenomenal, generally
speaking the average income is $70k plus and they most likely
understand the value of subscription based service. Perhaps
even focus on this group in rural America? Maybe team with
NPR and offer a special to public radio fans-contributors that
do not live in the range of local NPR stations?"
RUsirius.com's response:
The folks at Sirius have long refused to
address the issue of "mindshare." Suggestions such as
these should be taken siriusly by Joe Clayton et. al. because
as of this time they have three robust satellites, less dependence
on ground stations, and a little over one tenth the number of subscribers
as XM.
Complaints about difficulties with the Sirius
signal continue. This listener says (posted 15 October
2003) :
"As I live in a poor FM reception area
and am on the road commuting over two hours a day, I purchased
the new Audiovox Sirius tuner and paid a year-in-advance subscription.
(I chose Sirius over XM because I won't pay for commercial
radio and I understand sound quality of Sirius is better.) Overall,
I am very pleased with the sound quality and programming (though
I would somewhat agree with the repetition complaints posted by others).
I'm especially impressed with the fact that I can listen to Swing
music exclusively... or folk or '50's etc. That fact alone justifies
the expense of the system. In fact, I have emailed every music lover friend
and encouraged them to check out sat radio. I believe it has the potential
to obliterate commercial radio. HOWEVER, I am disappointed in the amount
of dropouts I experience, the worst being in an area with 180 degree
exposure to open sky. This is at times extremely annoying and I hope
something can be done to eliminate this problem. Otherwise, knowing
many are not as forgiving as I am (and have better listening options
then I do), sat radio will remain a small niche market."
RUsirius.com's response:
We hope that the folks at Sirius will
begin to pay attention to complaints such as this one. Sirius
either needs to correct a satellite hand-off problem or add
more repeaters.
A Sirius critic with complaints about
signal dropout in Western Massachusetts tells us (posted
15 October 2003) :
"Having had Sirius for over a year installed
fixed at my home I can tell you that the signal does drop out
at certain times of the day it can be in the early evening it
can be in the mornings or it can be at 2:00am in the morning ...It
does fade out sometimes for two or three minutes at a time.. The
antenna is located right next to my XM antenna ..The XM does not
fade out but in all fairness I can tell you there are bleeps of no
signal in the XM at times ...And it does not make any difference what
the weather is or what time of the year..Anyone who tells you different
is not being upfront and honest about it... I also Have both installed
in my Motor home and travel the country and they both have there problems
with fading and dropout of the signal....."
RUsirius.com's response:
(See response to previous message)
A Sirius dropout critic says (posted
19 September 2003) :
"I can't believe the subscriber who
wrote on Sept. 12 that his coverage was 'nothing short of
phenomenal' and that 'the dropouts are almost non-existent'
in the Northeast. I live in Rockland County, NY,
20 miles north of NYC, and drive to the Bronx every day.
Some commuter routes (e.g. the Saw Mill River Parkway between
the Thruway and the city line--this is ten miles) are nearly unlistenable,
there are so many dropouts. The same is true of many local
roads in Rockland and Bergen (NJ) counties. Wherever there
are overhanging trees, this problem exists. The programming
is great, but the Sirius people have to address this problem sooner
rather than later, or a lot of people who sign up for their product
will cancel their subscriptions."
RUsirius.com's response:
Despite Sirius' robust satellite signal
they still need to use terrestrial repeaters to fill in
areas that are blocked by various obstructions. Although
they've done a pretty good job at this so far they still have
some work to do. Hello Sirius!! Please don't ignore
comments like this.
After a Sirius year this listener
tells us (posted 12 September 2003) :
"I have now
had Sirius in my car for one whole year. Have traveled the
entire East Coast and Upper Mid-west. The coverage is nothing
short of phenomenal. Except for passing under certain bridges
and tunnels, and some areas where the foliage is thick and overhanging,
the dropouts are almost non-existent. I particularly like the new
easy listening channel 4 they added, but my favorites remain the
Broadway channel (including the great Playbill updates) and the
soul revue on channel 53. Listening to the Fox News Channel television
broadcast is a BIG plus and getting ABC radio's Sean Hannity anywhere
in the country is an added bonus."
RUsirius.com's response:
We're glad to hear such enthusiasm.
Signal dropout is inevitable in some areas but as
both services mature we can expect a little more attention on
ground repeaters, which should alleviate the problem.
Someone who finally decided to get
Sirius says (posted 7 September 2003) :
"Well, after a long intense comparison
of Sirius and XM I finally decided on the Sirius Here2Anywhere
system. I read all the comments on this site as well,
as others. Talked to the experts at Best Buy and Circuit
City and compared prices. I figured I would pass along
my observations and why I made MY decision. I was mostly concerned
with Sirius's business state, and I can report good news from
both Best Buy and Circuit City. According to sales managers
from both, it seems that Sirius purchases are way up and that XM
has 'plateaued' and is now declining. Both subscriptions are
priced close enough to each other, that that wasn't an issue. I
did like the XM boombox, but the reviews of that particular boombox have
been less than favorable when it comes to sound quality. XM is
now offering Playboy as a premium channel. I sincerely hope that
this premium channel offering has a dismal reception, because if one
works watch out for others. I am afraid it will end up like cable.
All the decent channels will wind up costing you, and all of a
sudden the basic service becomes the stepchild and gets neglected
while the premium gets all the attention. I sincerely hope this
doesn't happen, but that one channel offering was a big turn off for
me. I also wanted NPR. This is a listener supported radio
station, so I cannot understand why XM wouldn't carry it. The
final straw to go with Sirius was the simple fact that they are commercial
free. I know everyone says the commercials are few and far between,
but the principle behind it kind of irritated me. Two minutes an
hour are no big deal, nobody complains, so then the bigwigs at XM say,
'Hey, they don't mind two minutes, so lets go to two minutes ten seconds',
and so on..... Give them an inch, they take a mile. I can get commercial
radio for free thank you very much. Anyway, I received my system and have
been very happy with it. Great reception, great sound, nice receiver. You
can't beat Kenwood. I found the car kit on sale at Crutchfield.com, so
I grabbed it, not sure if it is still on sale. Sirius now has another satisfied
customer."
RUsirius.com's response:
Thanks for your comments. We
agree with your thoughts about commercials. Nevertheless,
it is possible that both services will eventually succumb to
the temptation, especially if it means that they can reduce their
subscription costs.
A potential Sirius
listener complains (posted 4 September 2003):
"I'm a NASCAR fan and I've seen
the Sirius car that Jimmy Spencer drives a million times.
I've heard Darryl Waltrip call Jimmy's car 'Mongo' a million
times. I saw the picture of the dog on the car. I've seen
their advertisement 'It's On' ?????? It wasn't
until today when I was searching the 'Net for information about
XM satellite radio that I found out by accident that Sirius is
the same thing!!! Tell the Sirius people to get a clue and
fire their marketing firm. They need to tell people what
Sirius is, trust me, people have no idea. Nobody will be buying
their product if they don't know what it is."
RUsirius.com's response:
The folks in the Big Apple still
think their product is so popular that the association
between "Sirius" and "satellite radio" should be self evident.
They're wrong. Unless they start taking their
promotional activity "Siriusly" they're likely to find themselves
as permanent under "Dogs" in an XM-rated world.
A Sirius NASCAR fan says
(posted 13 August 2003) :
"let's get SIRIUS
The NASCAR race last weekend
gave a great opportunity to tell us who you are. Your
signs were everywhere but unless you had some prior knowledge
that Sirius means satellite radio there was no real connection.
So why not add a line below the name and logo line that
announces: is satellite radio.
thus:
S I R I U S / LOGO
is satellite radio******
I appreciate all I read,
would hope to hear that current sub sign-ups are going
at a more rapid pace daily (seems to be the case when talking
to installers).
We need some nice steady
uplifting news now."
RUsirius.com's response:
Failing to establish the connection
between Sirius and satellite radio is the hubristic
tactic of an organization that thinks it's become a household
word. Attention Joe Clayton et. al. -- It's
not!! (Why don't you listen to this guy?)
A Siriusly upset listener
from Florida has this to say (posted 29 July 2003)
:
"Recently, I was looking
for a home unit and being a Sirius fan I purchased
the new Kenwood Here2Anwhere unit. Installed it and no signal
could be located from a west facing window (sliding door)
in my bedroom. I contacted Sirius and after following
their suggestion to move the antenna around the room still
could find no signal. I was not about to put the antenna outside
since doing so would have required major surgery on the exterior
wall and equally putting the unit on the roof didn't present a
viable option. Not being one to give up I returned the Kenwood unit
and purchased the new brand new Audiovox Plug and Play unit.
Again, I connected the unit up and this time I had one bar of signal
strength for Satellite and none for terrestrial. Hoping this
would be enough I called Sirius and added the unit to my account.
However, when Sirius allegedly sent their signal I lost mine and none
of the stations could be heard. I again called Sirius and after discussing
the situation with their technical people was given the wonderful suggestion
of putting the antenna outside or on the roof again neither of which was
a viable option. Reluctantly, I gave up and purchased a Delco SkyFi
unit for XM. After getting it home and installing it I was shocked to
see that the signal strength for Satellite was one hundred percent with
all bars being illuminated and an additional one bar for terrestrial
and with great sound from the unit. I am a fan of Sirius but what
gives. I live in Western Broward County (Fort Lauderdale) and would
hope that in such a major metropolitan area reception would not be a problem
but clearly for Sirius it is. Kudos to XM for having clearly the better
signal if not the better lineup."
RUsirius.com's response:
We've long been convinced
that the Sirius satellite configuration should provide
better global coverage than that of XM so this complaint
comes as somewhat of a surprise. We encourage Joe Clayton
and company to get Sirius if they expect to be competitive
with XM.
A Sirius tinny sound
can be heard by this listener (posted 18 July 2003)
:
"I recently purchased
a Kenwood Here 2 Anywhere PnP for my car. After
a month and a half, it is apparent to me that my sound quality
is off. I have questioned both Kenwood & Sirius, but
get very little in the way of good answers from either of them.
My question to you and anyone out there is this: Do you
find that there is a 'tinny' sound on some channels? Especially
when 'stream jockeys' speak, but also on the music as well?
I am finding this is happening somewhat inconsistently. Sometimes
the quality of the music and voice is clear, other times not.
It happens on many channels, but I find it is worse on the 60's channel,
and other stations that play older songs. Sirius says that certain
stations have more bandwidth than other ones. Is this true? I am
thinking that I may have a defective player, but I just read a nationally
published review which the writer claimed he also heard 'tinny' sounding
announcers. Can you, or any other listeners please let me know
about this? I hate to return the player, only to find out that it
was Sirius' signal the whole time."
RUsirius.com's response:
We invite all site visitors
to comment on this issue.
A somewhat dissatisfied
but Sirius listener in Upstate New York says:
(posted 26 June 2003) :
"Due to the lack of
quality FM music in NYC, I added the original Sony
PnP for XM to my car one year and a half ago. I was initially
happy with it, though over the year+ the dropped signals,
the DJ chatter & overused gimmicks, the increase of commercials,
and mainly the repetition of songs made me wonder why I was
paying $10 a month for something not fully satisfying.
I was told by an XM engineer that I needed the new Delphi system
to correct the dropped signals and dead zones I encountered.
My thoughts swayed to the new Kenwood Here2Anywhere however,
and I decided if I were to make any new purchase, it would be towards
Sirius, a company that promised no repetition, no commercials,
and no chatter. I am disappointed, but not surprised
that I am still having dropped signals even with the Sirius player.
I live in a rural area, without any tall buildings to disrupt
sound. I even moved the antenna to the roof as advised by
both Kneed & Sirius, and this did not change a thing. Ironically,
the signal loss spots on the road are somewhat similar in areas to
the dead spots I had with the XM player (which I had removed from my car
to make way for Sirius). I am very happy with the increase
to 24 presets on the Kenwood, from the scarce 5 from the original
and defunct Sony. I am happy with the Sirius commitment to
less Stream jockey talk, and no commercials. However,
their advertising is false on repetition. I have noticed excessive
repetition, even on the decade channels which feature 10 years
of music. How I am hearing songs over and again in the little
time I drive around is incredulous. It is no coincidence I
am catching these 'repeaters' often. It is apparent to me, that
both satellite companies either intend to do this, have less songs
to play than they say, or are just lazy in screening their playlists.
I could play all my 60 or 70's songs from my small collection and not
repeat a song in one week. How come these satellite stations can't
do the same? You could say I have had trouble with 'repeaters'
on the ground for signal, and 'repeaters' on the air for songs with XM
and Sirius. If it were not for the complete inferiority of FM
in my area, I would get rid of both of these satellite companies.
That way it would be like the old days of my car radio playing
music without me paying each month for it (BTW, I am still using
XM in my home for the time being, but I have to put the antenna
in a completely different room than my audio receiver so I can get
uninterrupted sound). The satellite concept, to me,
has a long way to go with signal delivery and programming delivery,
too. I seriously hope they can get their acts together soon."
RUsirius.com's response:
The "repeater" problems
described above are very likely symptomatic of a
business experiencing severe growing pains at this time. The
moguls at Sirius and XM should note, however, that not
everyone is in love with their products.
A satellite fan with
both XM and Sirius says (posted 6 May 2003)
:
"I have had XM for
one year now...and just added Sirius 1 week ago.
the XM is the Sony PNP and Panasonic is for Sirius. I
much enjoy both but will say the audio quality of Sirius
surpasses XM significantly. If you enjoy lots of listening
I would recommend the Sirius, but for versatility the XM is
better since their PNP comes with boombox for use just about
anywhere. "
RUsirius.com's response:
We always appreciate
comments comparing the two services, particularly
with regard to their vendors' equipment. Sound quality
and versatility are the attributes that ultimately be
used to characterize and compare the satellite technology
and the receivers.
A new Sirius listener
tells us (posted 5 May 2003) :
"I just installed
my Jensen Sirius Radio last night. All I can say is
WOW, such great sound and programing. I was reading some
of the other comments about the company having hard times,
I sure hope they make it because I don't want to have to go back
to listening to standard am/fm radio. Keep up the good work Sirius."
RUsirius.com's response:
We're sure the folks
at Sirius will appreciate the kind words. Keep
up the good work.
Here's a Sirius
deal from a Sirius fan (posted 2 May 2003)
:
"I have had
my Sirius unit for two weeks now and I am in LOVE!!!!!
I got the Audiovox unit free with this promotion they
are currently running and I wanted to let you know about it.
It's called 'adopt a dog'. You, or anyone else who would
like more info, can go to
http://www.johnchino.com/adoptadog.htm
"
RUsirius.com's
response:
We're sure Sirius
welcomes your enthusiasm. Let's hope the dog
metaphor applies to their name and not their stock performance.
An enthusiastic
but Sirius listener says (posted 8 April 2003)
:
"Wow!
I'm in love with music again! Sirius is the
best! No commercials, no pausing for language (you hear
the music the way the artists wrote it) and you don't
hear the same song at the same time everyday. They
even play a bunch of live versions of your favorite music.
Then to top that all off, it sounds 10 times better than standard
AM/FM radio. The best thing about Sirius is the fact that
when I'm at work, sitting by my computer, I can log onto their
website (sirius.com) and listen to the same music streams that
play in the car so you definately get your money's worth. Oh,
did I mention it's all commercial free!!!! This is one of the
best buys I've ever made! I hope they can stay in business!!!!"
RUsirius.com's
response:
We all
hope they can stay in business.
Sirius listeners
everywhere seem to be sending us comments like this (posted 31
March 2003) :
"I've installed
Sirius in my car last Saturday and since then I
can't get enough of Sirius! Concern is out there,
that the company may not be viable and could file a
bankruptcy sometime next year. I suggest to change an
advertising campaign for Sirius with the pure message: SIRIUS
IS THE NEXT BEST MAN'S FRIEND"
RUsirius.com's
response:
Reinforcing
the association between Sirius and "The Dog" may
not be the smartest approach given their financial performance.
But it still has to work better then "It's_ON."
A satellite
listener in Miami tells us (posted 31 March 2003)
:
"Just installed
the system at Circuit City in Miami, Salesman didn't
know the difference between Sirius and XM Radio but one
look at the sales brochure and it became obvious that if
one wanted to live without the constant annoyance of commercials
there was only one choice. Clearly, Sirius offers radio
without distractions. The installation was incredible and the Kenwood
tuner looks almost like a factory install. The set up was smooth
and service was provided within five minutes. I can only sing the
praises of this company and hope that it gets the word out on
its incredible product."
RUsirius.com's
response:
We continue
to get mail favorable toward Sirius. It's unfortunate
that they are in such a sorry financial state at this
time. With the continued support of loyal listeners
they, with a little luck, should be able to get back on their
feet.
A Sirius
Floridian says (posted 28 March 2003)
:
"I've
been a Sirius subscriber since December, 2002, and
I am more than satisfied. I have no problem with the
higher subscription fee, since it means all of the music channels
are totally commercial free. The variety is excellent,
the sound quality is way better than FM, and since having it
installed, I haven't listened to regular radio at all! XM is
also a great product, but I did my homework before committing
to which system to go with. I got Sirius, I recommend it highly."
RUsirius.com's
response:
Thanks
for your comments. If enough people begin to
have these kinds of perceptions about Sirius, "The Dog"
may finally have its day.
A Sirius
listener tired of station flipping asks (posted
17 March 2003) :
"I
am a Sirius subscriber, and I love the entertainment
streams such as A&E, E!, and Discovery.
But why isn't there a programming schedule available
for any of the entertainment streams? I have to
keep jumping back and forth while in the car to make sure
I'm not missing anything. It would be nice to know what is
on, and when. "
RUsirius.com's
response:
Maybe
Sirius should change its ad campaign from "It's_ON"
to "What's _ON." We encourage the staff at
"The Dog" to take this request Siriusly.
A Sirius fan with
an opinion about how to fix their apparent lack of market support
says (posted 20 January 2003):
"The
debate over which service is better is not entirely
relevant unless both weaknesses are managed and
strengths are managed in creative ways. In marketing
it is a simple fact that something which is not KNOWN,
cannot be sold. I did not say acquainted with, heard of,
sort of familiar with. Being KNOWN is the most important
focus in the early days of any venture. Penetration
of market means marketing constantly and creatively.
Many marketing characters from clowns to geckos have helped
KNOWINGNESS of a product soar by fixing the product in the
mind of the public. Sirius with better programming,
fewer dead spots, and more creative on air personalities has
only to get itself known to win, or its replacement."
RUsirius.com's
response:
The
word is "mindshare." Sirius may have the better
product but XM has mindshare. This means that
Sirius has a significant uphill battle that it may not
win. If it gets to the point at which XM becomes
synonymous with satellite radio the battle will have been lost
for Sirius. Fortunately, even if Sirius doesn't survive,
their satellite constellation and the supporting systems
will probably be picked up by an organization with a little
more savvy -- possibly even XM.
A Sirius listener who disagrees with their "rap"
on R&B tells us (posted 14 January 2003)
:
"Bad move on the part of Sirius to delete
The Express 44- R&B urban adult oldies
format from the lineup. This appeals
to a group of 30-50 year old African American
listeners, affluent educated and upscale- amongst others.
The classic soul/fun/old school music of the late
70s through the early 90s is what is featured
in this format. Where will artists such as
Earth Wind & Fire, Commodores, Gap Band, Cameo, Parliament,
Michael Jackson, and others be heard now? Soul Revue
45 plays the older 50s 60s and early 70s soul
hits associated with Motown/Stax/Phlly/Atlantic sound.
To include all all soul from the 50s to 90s
on one channel would be a mistake. Just as
50-60s rock oldies a rent included in 80s/90s formats.
Has Sirius really thought this out carefully? At
the expense of losing the Express we get 2 more rap channels.
Does Sirius believe all people of color and in the age
group so noted are into rap? I think not!!
I have heard many say that if this genre of music leaves
Sirius so will they. Sirius' loss will most likely be XM's
gain. The Dog can ill afford to lose subscribers for any
reason. This action if it comes to be will not make
a certain demographic group pleased at all. If you see this
scenario and you also like the format of urban oldies,
please email Sirius with your opinion- everyone counts!!"
RUsirius.com's response:
We agree. The trend away from traditional musical
genres and toward more contemporary entertainment
alienates a significant number of listeners. Sirius
is clearly trying to cultivate a younger audience in
the hope that a "youth movement" will help them better to
compete with XM. If "The Dog" is to have its day it
had better be more responsive to its customers who actually
have the financial resources to buy the receivers and shell out
the monthly subscription charges.
A Sirius investor with a comment about the future
of the business says (posted 23 December
2002) :
"I am a SIRIUS investor. I believe in the future
of SDARS and both SIRI and XMSR. Unfortunately,
the current 'sales market' does not support SIRIUS.
I visited two Best Buy stores in the last week. Last night,
the latest visit was to a new Best Buy in Las Vegas, NV. I
asked the sales person in the radio department about the two
Radio Companies. His response was the XMSR was selling lot
hot cakes. I asked about SIRIUS and he said he thought they
were going out of business, but they still were selling the
radios. I asked about sales volume and he said they sold maybe
9 radios the first month they were open (XM) and this month the
sales were really shooting up. I asked him how much and he
replied 'we have already sold 19 XM units today!' It would appear
that SIRIUS is getting the same kind of bad press that Senator Lott
got and we know what happened to him."
RUsirius.com's response:
Due to their unfortunate chipset problems Sirius
lost their ability to launch the first satellite
radio service. This enabled XM to achieve the
ineffable "mindshare" that is so important. Their
problems were exacerbated by an ineffective advertising
campaign, a bad economy, and the aftermath of the September 11th
attack. They can still survive but it's going to take
some creative approaches to developing business and increasing
revenue.
A really Sirius listener opines
(posted 13 December
2002) :
"Everyone who listens to it wants one, they have
to be the first on the block, it is the future of
radio. In the early 70's, FM started and you had to buy
a converter, car makers added in to the new models. Then
there was 4 track, then 8 tracks, both added in the new car
models, cassettes came along and then added in to new models.
The computer age started in the 80's, CD's came out in the
90's, now they are in every car, satellite is the 21st century.
The whole delay is in the rollout, in my opinion it was done to make
sure the auto companies get big money out of this. Sirius has
as partners Ford and DCX, former top management of Ford and DCX sit
on the board of directors, and both companies have invested millions
in Sirius, and supposedly have millions coming in stock options
when this moves. It also has about 2 billion of Oppenheimer's
dollars at stake. The big money won't come from selling subscriptions,
the big money is in selling cars and locking the owners into a long
term contracts, like your car payment.
"There are two problems with satellite for a car
maker, first the antenna, you can't bury it in the
glass, it doesn't work with the straightened out coat hanger
sticking out of your fender. The second is cost, the automakers
make money on options, for a good radio in your car you
can expect to pay twice the cost of an aftermarket radio,
would you mind paying $600 hundred for Sirius? The automakers
have been changing over the sheet metal, to remove the old
coat hanger and the chips in the radio have gotten a lot cheaper.
The coat hanger gets replaced by a GPS and Satellite radio
combo antenna. Every upscale radio installed in a Ford or DCX car
today I've checked has a new mode button. When clicked it shows
the call letters of the station playing, today its WOMC-FM, After
the first of the year, it will be The Vault-Sirius. Do you really
care to see the call letters of your radio stations? The official
kick off for DCX is in the Pacifica, it only comes loaded with
DVD, GPS, and Satellite, check it out on the web. The new models
start in January, they usually start in July, and Celine Dion has
been signed to a multi-million dollar contract to sing its praises.
Oh, she is also going to sing about the Crossfire, the first
ever hybrid Mercedes/Chrysler, I wonder if this is going to have Sirius,
at 40k plus? Now that they have pushed the consumer to the limit
with zero percent financing, they need a new gimmick to make
you first on the block to have one, and they're betting you'll pay
any price to get it.
"Come the first of the year, you'll hear more
than Celine singing, you'll hear Dieter Z. and Billy
Ford sing the praises of the new 21st Century, technology,
Sirius Satellite Radio, in car DVD, and GPS. Between
Oppenheimer, Ford, and DCX they have a lot more at stake than
the $200 you have to lay out for the new converter, these guys
have deep pockets, they have only thrown $2.5 billion at this
from their spare change, they'll throw in more if needed,
anyway, I'm sure they already have their $2.5 billion back
from the swing in the stock price. Remember when the thought
of paying to watch TV seemed ridiculous and they got you by
saying that it was commercial free. The majority of America now
shells out $40 a month to watch commercials when they get home
after being stuck in their car in traffic for hours listening to
Clear Station taped drivel from the few remaining stations they
can pull in with their coat hanger and AM/FM. Or they fumble with
the CD collection in their back seats that they have heard a thousand
times. All of this research is available on the internet, another
media that started out commercial free that everyone is happy
to pay for so that they can watch pop up and banner ads. In fact
they can't watch the ads fast enough and are switching over to
broadband by the droves to keep up with the media blitz.
"For investors, read between the lines, follow
the money. You have Joe running the company, a guy
who will do anything for a big buck, just like Global
Crossing. He is reporting to his bosses DCX and Ford, who
more than likely are using Oppenheimer's skill in manipulating
the market to make this risk free to them. They have used
your money to fund the company since they have already made
their money back, hyping the stock up, and then shorting
it back down, using computer programs to work the spread.
Coming in the near future is a two billion dollar dilution
to the investors, but the company comes back, debt free for
the time being. Debt free, just in time for the launch of
the launch of the 21st century song of technology brought to you
by Dieter and Billy, words and music by Celine and her hubby. Oops,
the stock fell below NASDAQ requirements, they got to do a ten or
fifteen to one reverse split, get the price over ten bucks and they
attract the other investment houses, where they dump the rest
of their remaining shares. And then there is Apollo Investment
Group, good luck finding out who's behind this. But if you check
on the web, Apollo's most important Oracle was Delphi, hey doesn't
Oracle make databases, I wonder where Sirius keeps their billion
songs, Isn't Delphi a spinoff of GM? Isn't GM their largest share
holder? Don't they make XM radio's, what ever happened to the Sirius
SKY FY. Just in case your wondering about Oppenheimer investment,
somebody is managing the billions the big three have in their pension
plans, no wonder they can afford to offer early retirement to their
highest paid employees and not sweat about the pension liability, the
market drops like a rock and they are still funded while not selling cars
at a profit. I bet Clear Station's got a serious piece of this too
"If your interested in buying a radio, go ahead
in a ten year you won't have a choice, if you're
an investor, the big dogs have worked it down to
$.73 from a high of $66, do you really think they are done
playing with this a few weeks before launch? If not, stick
around, they might throw you a bone or maybe Clear Station
will stick you with one."
RUsirius.com's response:
Wow!! We thought we had it all figured out
until now.
A disgruntled Sirius investor comments
(posted 15 November 2002) :
"Sirius Satellite is an investors scam as well
as poor management. Actual income for last quarter
of 2002 was $17000 with a cash burn rate in the 10's
of millions!!! Will they be around for the length of your
service contract? Probably not!!! They may give the appearance
of doing well but check their financials, they burned all their
shareholders with poor management. Their stock is $.66
a share and they blame it on the economy. Announcement yesterday:
preparing a bankruptcy package!"
RUsirius.com's response:
In our most recent reports is a story about
the financial status of both Sirius and XM. Neither
service appears to be in particularly good shape.
Wall Street advisors, however, feel that satellite
radio will survive even if neither XM nor Sirius do.
Since the satellites are there someone will continue to use
them. This means that satellite radio subscribers will
likely be able to continue listening to broadcasts although
probably not the current programming. (We have one word
of advice to the future satellite czars -- commercials!) In
other words, the music will continue beyond the length of the
current service contracts. As far as investors are concerned,
however, the party might very well be over. But what can one
expect from executives formerly associated with the likes of Global
Crossing, such as Sirius' Joe Clayton?
A Sirius listener with a Kenwood receiver
says (posted 9 October 2002) :
"I recently purchased the Kenwood KCA-R70FM
modulator and had it installed at Circuit
City. The installation did take some time, about
3 hours, but the job was flawless. I had debated for a
long time between XM and Sirius and decided to go with Sirius
after listening to both. The reason, the Sirius seems to have
a warmer sound to it than XM, no commercials on Sirius and
better mixing of the songs, especially the dance channels.
I also discovered that the Kenwood unit with wireless remote
is much more full featured than the FM modulators offered
by XM. The Price of the top of the line Kenwood with all necessary
hardware including antenna and installation was $360.00.
I received a rebate form for $30.00 on the antenna and a
$75.00 rebate on the Kenwood KCA-R70 modulator. I paid after
rebate $255.00. XM costs for the top of the line Alpine FM modulator
with basic feature remote (no random channel access) was $600.00
installed minus a $30.00 rebate for the antenna. Listen to
both for awhile like I did and then decide, but I am very satisfied
with Sirius. If you logon to Sirius radio the music you hear is
the actual broadcast as opposed to XM that gives you a taped loop."
RUsirius.com's response:
Thanks for your comments. We continue
to be skeptical about how long Sirius will remain
commercial free but they appear to have the better
technology -- and those XM tape loops have just got
to go.
Someone who wishes Alberta were more Sirius
(posted 28 September 2002) asks:
"What is the status of satellite radio in
Canada? Will XM or Sirius go for the Canadian
license? If not, which brand does a Canadian
go for? (I hear Sirius will give better coverage in
Canada)"
We at RUsirius.com think that Sirius would
be the better choice by far for listeners in
Canada. They use three satellites in elliptical
orbits instead of only two geosynchronous ones. This
allows their signal to be received more readily without
the need for ground repeaters. Check out some of
the technical information posted on other parts of
this site for the complete picture.
A potential Sirius listener has this complaint
(posted 15 September 2002)
about their advertising or the distinct lack of
it:
"I see and hear advertising for XM on TV
and radio every day. Where is the Sirius
advertising? I seemed to have missed it.
If they need a much larger subscriber base then
I would have expected to see promos for their
service all over the place, but I haven't. Have
I been traveling in the wrong circles?"
RUsirius.com's response:
We think there are two reasons why Sirius
isn't doing very much advertising. First
of all, they are in the process of changing their
advertising agency (See RUsirius.com news story dated
18 August 2002). Secondly, it appears that Sirius
is in a financial bind. If they don't get a quick infusion
of cash they may be out of business some time next year. (See
RUsirius.com news story dated 25 August 2002) Money spent
on advertising is money no longer available for basic expenses.
They clearly need to choose wisely before embarking
on a major publicity campaign.
A Sirius business traveler says
(posted 14 September 2002) :
"In 1999, I bought some stock in a company
then known as CD radio, which is now Sirius
Radio. Because I travel a LOT on business, the basic
idea appealed to me and, I thought then, to anyone who traveled
a lot. I was wrong in that assessment. After having enjoyed
the service for the past three weeks, and I can state that
ANYONE who spends any amount of time in their car will want
satellite radio. After you hear, the non-static, seamless
coverage and sound quality you will never want to listen to
regular AM or FM, unless you have to. In fact, I do not think
it too far fetched to say that in less then five years, every
new car will be equipped with satellite ready radios as standard
equipement. And may I add, that after you listen to the 60
NON COMMERCIAL channels on music on SIRIUS, you will understand
why they will be number one in this field. It makes even sitting
in Chicago traffic jams a pleasure !
"I got my system at a Circuit City,
who honestly told me that they had only installed
two other SIRIUS systems. It did take a bit longer
to install then they quoted, but so far the operation
is perfect. I got the Audiovox system to plug into
my existing radio. I drove from the Eastern Shore of
MD into Baltimore City--SEAMLESS COVERAGE. Then from
the Eastern Shore of MD through PA into NY State and across
and into Chicago, and that drive was 99.9999 % seamless coverage
with only a very few dropouts for a brief second or two.
"Let's face it, at the moment because
of the expense and the TIME it takes to install,
you have to really want the service. If the companies
can solve their financial difficulties until the day
when you buy a new car and the dealer simply asks
you which service you want to sign up for, they will be
a tremendous success."
RUsirius.com's response:
Thanks for your comments on satellite
radio. We agree completely that
satellite radio should become indispensable for anyone
who spends a considerable amount of time driving.
We are also hoping that Sirius and XM will
become an alternative to standard broadcast radio for
listeners wishing to hear musical formats that are no
longer available in most markets. While being
able to drive from coast to coast without ever having to re-tune
the radio is a significant advantage, it is also important
to be able to listen to jazz, blues, traditional
country, and other musical genres that have been vanquished
to the ranks of "listener supported" radio.
The time and expense required to install satellite
radio in a vehicle is, no doubt, discouraging to most
drivers. A good market may exist, however, among music
lovers who are tired of listening to fund-raising drives,
membership appeals, and NPR. There may just be a nice
little niche for quality home and portable systems.
A Sirius radio listener who's also
XM-rated tells us (posted 8 September
2002) :
"When I heard about satellite radio
coming out last fall 2001. I was excited
and couldn't wait to get one. After checking
out xm radio i waited for sirius to come out in the
spring of 2002 and decided to get Sirius because of
better talk programming and 100% commercial free music.
I installed the Jensen SSR2000 unit and Terk window mount
antenna. I've had a lot of annoying singnal
lose because of that antenna and the output volume on the
Jensen is very low and sometimes have to have the stereo volume
full blast. I travel back and forth between Denver
and Phoenix and enjoy the programing. I would like
to hear Howard Stern, 'Love Line', and channels devoted to
harder techno and industrial music. One month after installing
Sirius I went ahead and installed an XM unit as well because
they offer better comedy, Art Bell, and Phil Henrie.
I find more interesting programming on Sirius than I do on XM.
I look forward to greater programming in the future."
RUsirius.com's response
We like your strategy of subscribing
to both satellite broadcasting services.
Each has something unique to offer and
at this stage in the industry's development it's
impossible even to know which service, if either,
will survive. We also appreciate your commentary
on the equipment.
(We suspect someone sent a similar
note to our XM mail file.)
In a rebuttal to the comment below
about the Sirius stock price, a somewhat
calmer Sirius fan says (posted 16 August 2002)
:
"I have just read the comment from
'an irate sirius stockholder' and I feel
he is WAY off base. This guy doesn't seem to
understand how these type of stocks work.
Does he expect his dollar stock to pull in millions???
Does he expect the stock to jump way up there within
months??? These things take years...usually
decades with new companies. The Stock market
is all speculation..and as we have all seen in the news
recently, is meaningless. Enron stock was a hundred
dollar stock, which did not reflect the true value of the
company. I for one am glad that Sirius is being honest
with all and not witholding information just so they can
inflate their stock. In the end, that will help them
out the most. It's not how fast you get there, it's how
long you stay there. Again, this 'irate stockholder'
seems to know very little about the market. BMW is one hell
of a partner to have in the auto industry. This is a very
positive announcement."
RUsirius.com's response:
We concur. Many stockholders
have expected stock prices to skyrocket
the way they did during the 1990's. Unfortunately,
this just isn't going to happen. It's
been said that the stock market "discounts" the
future. If so, both Sirius and XM could be bargains.
An irate Sirius stockholder has
these words for Sirius CEO Joe Clayton
(posted 15 August 2002) :
"Hello Mr. smart CEO of sirius....
How horrible you have killed this stock
in two days...FIRING...is to good for you...you
are are clumsy unimaginative...untalented...
unprofessional leader of a possible great company...I
have owned siri stock for a year and a half
and sweated and believed and wanted to believed
it was the best of the two...You have hurt needlessly
us all very badly...instead of releasing your chip
news on cc day to help offset ugly news you threw it away early
in week...then painted your money problems as brutally
as possible with the B word leading us down the path to
doom. CONGRATULATIONS...well done...were you brought
in to save us?...poor choice...Did you have any advisor's
on that mouth of yours saying what you said the way you
said it?...YOU SHOULD HAVE..How is Ford wanting to be involved
in this shaky stock? You tell us now how were going up...duhhhhh....We
waited and waited for something to happen concerning
this stock...any voice from within...and look what it did
when it did speak... it broke our back... muchless are dreams
and hopes...I thought CEO's were suppose to be brilliant against
the rest of us nerds...ANY SELLING WILL BE THREE TIMES HARDER...GET
TO IT"
RUsirius.com's response:
It's understandable that many investors
in both Sirius and XM are dissatisfied,
to say the least, about their stock's performance.
Nevertheless, both Sirius and XM chose a particularly
bad time to come on line. We happen to think
that satellite broadcasting has a bright future if
it can get through this period of weak economic
conditions and general malaise.
In a retraction of a previous
criticism, a happier Sirius customer tells
us (posted 8 August 2002) :
"I previously sent an e-mail
in which I complained about the 'dead-zones'
in around Washington, DC. To be fair,
I must now report back that Sirius has solved
the problem and I now very rarely lose the signal.
In fact, it has been over a month since I have
listened to 'regular' radio and cannot imagine going
back to commercials. The only thing I occasionally
miss is a local traffic report, but, with Sirius,
getting stuck in traffic isn't nearly as bad as it use
to be."
RUsirius.com's response:
Thanks for the information.
Now if only Sirius could do something
about that Beltway traffic...
A happy Sirius subscriber says
(posted 4 August 2002) :
" I just installed Sirius
Radio in my vehicle. I was very surprised
how good the customer service was. I
deal with a lot of different companies over the phone
and felt that Sirius Radio did a very good job with
Tech support and activation of service. The customer
service staff was pleasant and helpful. As for the
performance of the Sirius Radio system itself, I couldn't
be more pleased. CD quality sound!!!
No commercials!!! I mostly listen to the alternative
music channels and find them very refreshing over
commercial radio. The future of radio is here.
If you are truly a music fan you have to get one of
these systems."
RUsirius.com's response:
We're glad to hear from someone
who's so enthusiastic about satellite
radio. We believe that as the industry matures,
we'll be hearing more positive comments from
both Sirius and XM subscribers. The future
of radio, indeed, is here.
A disgruntled
Sirius listener tells us (posted 31 July 2002):
" I have service from both
XM and Sirius. I am in my car 6 to 8 hours
a day so I listen to lots of radio. The
ads on both services are equally annoying, especially
the PSAs. The music programming and sound quality
are comparable between the two services. The
real difference is in the talk programming. Sirius has
more talk channels but much of the programming is
repeated all day long and often repeated day after day.
XM had issues with this when the service first started but
stopped the repeats within a few weeks. So far Sirius customer
service seems uninterested in making changes. XM
crushes Sirius in comedy programming plus Sirius does not have
programming to match the Extreme channel, one of my favorites.
Sirius does win out in its news programming.
PRI, NPS and WRN are far better than XM's lineup. I like XM's
live and e-mail customer service better than Sirius.
I have typically received personalized responses from
XM corporate officers to my comments, the Sirius replies have
typically been form letters or discussions with disinterested
customer service staff.
"I plan on giving Sirius a
couple of more weeks of listening before I
switch my primary car back to XM. My wife
only listens to the music and won't know the
difference when I switch receivers with her.
If things stay as they are now I will likely have two
XM subscriptions when my Sirius commitment expires."
RUsirius.com's response:
We're not surprised that
XM has better talk programming. When
both services were just getting started we advised
our site visitors that we thought this would
be the case based on preliminary announcements and
expectations. Potential satellite radio subscribers
who are primarily interested in talk programming
should probably be Siriusly considering XM as their
provider of choice.
A Sirius listener from
Washington D.C. who's upset with their
signal quality says (posted 15 July 2002)
:
"I waited months for Sirius
because I was attracted by its ad-free
music. However, I have been sorely disappointed
by the dead-zones in and around the Washington,
DC area. During parts of my commute, I go 3-4 minutes
with no reception; this includes things such
as the bridges over the Potomac and I-395 south out of
the city. I am completely perplexed since there
are absolutely no obstructions in some of these areas
such as the 14th street bridge over the Potomac.
I have communicated with Sirius customer service which does
e-mail me back quickly but, to date, to no avail. Last
Sunday's Washington Post reviewed Sirius and similarly
would not recommend it due to Sirius's maddening dead-zones.
I am sorely disappointed."
RUsirius.com's response:
And we all thought that
the dead zone was something invented by
Stephen King. Let's hope Sirius cleans
up its act (i.e. puts in some terrestrial repeaters
in these areas) before it loses the few listeners that
it has.
A visitor to Alaska who's
Sirius about satellite radio says:
"I am from Arizona, have
Sirius in my Durango. You can receive
Sirius in Anchorage, Alaska and surrounding
area, parts of the day. From chatting
with other Sirius subs, we think that when Sirius Bird
#3 is in position over Alaska, it either doesn't focus
on Alaska (footprint doesn't cover it) or its power
is lower than the other birds. Certain hour
blocks of the day, Sirius drops out, but when id does
come in it BOOMS. It was quite exciting to have
satellite radio in a location that isn't supposed to receive
it. If Sirius would invest in a repeater here, they
would own the south central Alaska market (population approximately
400,000), as XM's angle is so low it can only be picked up
while not moving or having a clear shot of the Southern horizon.
Alaska has a population high in income and ready to spend
on the trendy offers that the lower 48 states get exclusively.
Even while driving near large mountains (on the north side),
Sirius can be picked up while driving!! If anyone wants
to know more about my Sirius and XM reception experience up
in Alaska while I am still here, let me know."
RUsirius.com's response:
Thanks for your comments.
Additional input about the Sirius
and XM signals in Alaska would be appreciated.
We're not surprised about the robustness
of the Sirius signal in extreme parts of North America.
Because they use three satellites in elliptical
orbits their signal can generally be heard everywhere
with very little assistance from ground repeaters.
By contrast, XM uses geostationary satellites
so their satellite footprints don't change. Consequently,
they must rely more on ground repeaters. As
to your comment about a possible Sirius repeater
in Alaska, you're probably right. One or two repeaters
in the Anchorage area should provide the kind of
coverage that would allow them essentially to capture the
entire market. We encourage the folks at Sirius to
consider your suggestion.
A Sirius listener in
upstate New York tells us:
"On 6/1/02 I believe
I became the first subscriber in upstate
NY. I had already had the equipment
installed on Friday at my local Circuit City
store. I must say the sound quality blew me
away!! It is everything they said it was and more.
I did catch a couple of glitches I didn't anticipate
though. Number 1 was the frequent dropouts caused
by multi-lane overpasses and trees overhanging the road
completely. Part of the reason I got satellite radio
was for rural areas out of broadcast radio reach --
i.e. forested mountain areas. Not unlistenable mind
you, but just an occasional 1-2 second dropout. Number
2 is almost trivial, but not to me! I came on board
Sirius (instead of XM) because of Sirius' sponsorship
of
Casey
Atwood
and his #7 Winston Cup
car. How shocked was I to find
out NASCAR isn't on Sirius Radio!!! I've
followed Casey's career since he ran the
Busch series and was looking forward to listening
to the races while on the road. Why would Sirius
spend millions of dollars promoting a NASCAR
team, and not showcase it on air?? Again minor
irritations overall, but seems to me someone dropped
the ball on the NASCAR thing."
RUsirius.com's response:
Given that Sirius recently
sponsored the "Sirius Satellite Radio
400" at the Michigan International Speedway,
one would think that they would be providing
coverage of motor sports events on one of their
channels. We hope that this is just an oversight
and that such coverage is in the offing. Frankly,
we're happy to hear that perhaps the first Sirius
subscriber in upstate New York took the time to get
in touch with us.
Someone siriusly
in love with satellite radio says:
"I just got here in Florida.
I have the Kenwood unit hooked
up to my eXcelon head unit. It is BETTER
than I imagined! Sound quality is very
good (near CD), reception is perfect, and the programming
is amazing. My early favorites are The Vault
and Planet Jazz. Being able to listen to ESPN
without the annoyance of AM reception difficulty
is great too. I am hooked after 2 days."
RUsirius.com's response:
Thanks for your comments.
A Sirius Texan writes:
"I have had Sirius for
a day - 80 miles of driving around Houston,
and I am so far very positive. Very good
sound quality. Only a momentary break
(fraction of a second) seems like maybe every 20-30
minutes which would be barely noticeable among
the static and multipath on regular broadcast. Good
stereo separation. I am using the Kenwood tuner
and Kenwood 419 radio.
"My impression of the
sampling of programming I have had both
on the air and on the Internet has also been
positive. Classical stations (my #1
interest) have had a pleasing mix of the familiar
and things that are less so. Commentary is
short, pleasant, and helps to smooth the transition
between pieces rather than getting in the way. One
small suggestion I have is to show the composer on the
selection information for classical pieces. (The
display) currently symphony number, key, orchestra,
conductor but the identity of the composer is missing.
Can't have it all, I guess, but I would trade
performer identification for composer. My short
samples from 2-3 other musical genres with which I
have some familiarity confirmed that the selections being
played were very appropriate form my expectations. I'll
reserve judgment about talk channels until I have more
experience, which I will get on a driving trip from Texas
to Maine and back in a few weeks.
"In summary, I like
it a lot!"
RUsirius.com's response:
Thanks for your enthusiastic
comments on Sirius. We're sure
that the failure to include the name of the composer
on the classical channel is an oversight.
We encourage Sirius to correct this problem
as soon as possible. It's possible that the breaks
you have been encountering are due either to periodic
hand-offs from satellite to satellite or to
your passage from one ground transponder to another.
We invite comments on this issue.
Another Sirius Texan
writes:
"I just got Sirius Radio
service on yesterday. I am in Austin,
Texas. Needless to say, the service
has been more than anticipated. No commercials.
The service is actually what it is
hyped to be. I have the Kenwood Sirius
Add-on for the Kenwood eXcelon series stereo. I
ordered this from Crutchfield who is giving you the
antennae until June 9th. I hope this helps
someone."
RUsirius.com's response:
We're glad to hear that
you're enjoying Sirius. One would
think that the Kenwood eXcelon series would
offer only an XM add-on. Perhaps someone
in their marketing department should re-think
this.
A Sirius listener from
Louisiana tells us:
"I'm in Louisiana and
have the Jensen SSR2000 ad-on unit. Had
it activated on the morning of May 1st. Picked
it up at Circuit City for $200 including
antenna! One gripe is the output audio
level is only 400 mv which is below the average 'standard'
of Aux inputs, and certainly too low for the Blaupunkt
Digiceiver. I have to keep it at full volume.
Sadly, the easiest solution to this problem would
be to buy Jensen's FM modulator. (Think they
designed it that way on purpose?)
"As far as the programming
goes I'm thrilled as I expected. Reading
articles early on in the development
stage I realized Sirius would be my choice.
Sirius' programming has so much more depth
and variety than XM. I've been a hard core radio
listener since childhood, and have been in the radio
biz for 22 years. I have to say I'm disappointed
in the audio quality. I hope the current status is a work
in progress and will be improved. There is a flanging
sound in the voice region and up through the high frequencies
of the audio. It seems the digital bit rate varies
from channel to channel, some sound good, others are irritating.
For comparison it sounds like a moderate rate
internet stream. Actually, there are internet streams
that sound better. It really sounds bad on the channels
they are receiving (I assume) the program audio from a compressed
digital satellite link from other program providers, such
as NPR & PRI. Either it's the cascading compression
algorithms, or Sirius is using a lower bit rate on these and
other primarily talk channels.
"I realize they're
working with limited bandwidth and have
to make the best use of that bandwidth. I'd
be curious to learn from the inside of Sirius,
is the music on the computers there compressed
or uncompressed? And if my assumption is
correct, are decisions made as to which channels
receive a better bit rate than others, and what
are the criteria? Is the system from transmitter
through receiver designed in such a way that upgrades
to the compression schemes can be made?
"I say all this without
really having had a good listen to XM.
I have a friend who has it and will try to
get some time to listen this week. I read
the other day that XM is upgrading their compression
algorithm to improve the audio quality. I
hope Sirius can improve theirs, one way or another.
I really like the service and really want it
to thrive. Also I feel the slightly higher
cost is worth it, not for the lack of commercials, but
the depth, variety, and quality of music AND talk programs
they offer."
RUsirius.com's response:
Because they use digitally
compressed signals, both Sirius and
XM can be expected to have audio qualities
that are not quite up to the expectations of all
listeners. We hope that as these services mature,
adjustments will be made to improve the fidelity.