A La Satellite

If you follow S&V with any regularity, you know that I'm a HUGE fan of satellite radio. So I was quite pleased to see yesterday's reports of the possibility of a la carte pricing plans for Sirius and XM in hopes of pushing the proposed merger through. $14.99 a month would get you "premium services" (i.e., football, baseball, and basketball programming) and 100 channels, and $6.99 would let you choose 50 nonpremium channels between the two services, with each additional channel costing 25 cents. Looks like you'll need (of course) a new radio to do all that, however. And if you're happy with what you've got now, you can stick with it at the current $12.95 rate.

Xm I like the idea. I'd love to pick and choose my favorite channels and receive them on one device. (Let's see, I'll take XM's Deep Tracks, and Sirius' Underground Garage, and...) But as a current subscriber to both services - actually, I have three subs to Sirius and three subs to XM (home, office, car for each) - I'd have to buy a new radio for sure.

I'm not too happy about that, so I'd have to see what incentives they'd offer me to do so. I may just want the whole enchilada and have all 200+ channels at my disposal - kinda like I have it now here in my office (my two office units are pictured above) and at home, albeit on two different devices. Listening in the car proposes a different problem - one of 'em has Sirius, one has XM. What's the option for that?

Can't wait to see how this one plays out. Don't get me started on how the government allows other mega-mergers with nary the blink of an eye yet can't seem to wrap its head around letting this one happen. Viva la satellite revolution! -Mike Mettler

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