Feb 20, 2007

XM and Sirius Merging?

Isn't this kind of illegal? I mean, there are only two subscription-based satellite radio services in the US, and the fact that they're merging may be a boon for the industry or a sign of media consolidation run amok yet again.

Oh, I know the Time Warner blokes wish that Levin and Case never embraced with a hug on a public stage.

I mean, if XM and Sirius merged, what's next? Will we expect Pepsico and The Coca-Cola Company making a similar stock-swap deal to form the world's biggest soft-drink company and stripping certain brands while keeping others? How about MTV and MuchMusic burying the hatchet and actually getting along creating a global music network?

As the gas and airline companies proved, consolidation in a single industry is never a good thing, and I fear that if XM and Sirius's merger becomes a reality, what will happen?

It doesn't matter to me, I don't really listen to much radio (terrestrial or satellite) these days anyway. Much of the scat that's on the airwaves, whether it's the smug blowhards on those talk radio stations or those stations that play edited, preselected, mandatory music without much heart and soul, warps the mind.

Then again, so does television, but, that's a conversation for another time.

1 comment:

Emperor Fred said...

Funny you should mention MTV and MuchMusic.

CTV/Bell Globemedia, the Canadian media monolith that operates MTV's current Canadian outlet, is actually in the middle of a merger with CHUM Media, the company that created and owns MuchMusic.

So essentially MTV and MuchMusic _will_ be owned by the same company. In this country anyway. It probably won't have a great deal of bearing on Much's international outlets.