AAR just verified via phone that they will no longer be on Sirius.

[madfloridian]

Starting in May was the answer I got. All they say is write to Mr. Goldberg.

That is our 300 down the drain. We turned it off, as we can not bear to keep listening now.

[lenidog]

1. So what is their reasoning behind dropping it?

[madfloridian]

3. AAR dropped Sirius for XM...larger market. Money talks.

Profit talks, we don't count.

[ProfessorPlum]

18. I thought they were on both systems

So now they are going to be in a smaller market. Makes no sense.

[Maat]

2. I feel like I am being pushed towards XM ...

and I don't like being pushed around.

I'm sticking with Sirius. I'm looking forward to how they respond, and they will.

[skypilot]

5. I don't have satellite radio...

...or know much about it but judging from the thread I've seen here people are not happy about AAR's move to XM. What is it that people don't like about XM radio?

[Maat]

6. I bought Sirius and I'm going to continue supporting Sirius.

Just gut instinct.

[tsuki]

10. Republican Corporate America.

[geomon666]

12. They don't like it because...

AAR just went exclusive to XM when currently it's on both companies. By moving exclusively to XM, AAR will be losing 1 million+ customers for what can only be described as 'financial reasons'.

[skypilot]

16. Got it. Thanks.

*

[dogman]

35. XM mixes in Fox radio with Colmes for one.

Another thing they cut Randi Rhodes short for Ed Schultz. They also use a news service in place of AAR news that sounds like a FOX spin. Sirius had AAR and another Left channel with other shows. Also XM is in a new deal with AOL to provide on-line radio. With this move and all the local Clear Channel outlets, I wonder how long AAR will be like CNN. I guess we'll know when Franken and Springer run for the Senate and Limpballs is on AAR.

[tsuki]

7. I'm with Sirius also. Look for their Talk Left to take up the slack.

[Maat]

8. I agree with you.

I expect that to occur.

[tsuki]

33. I don't like being PUSHED to XM. I remember when Showtime

bought exclusive movie deals and everyone said that would be the end of HBO. Hmmmm.

I think the big corporations have too much control of the media, and moving to AOL/Time-Warner is not an option for me.

[Ninga]

4. I called AAR and only got voice mail. The phone operator sounded a bit

put off when I asked to speak to some one about the AAR/Sirius deal.

I did however leave a voice mail message to the effect that I solely went out and purchased a Sirius radio in order to support the AAR programing.

I made it clear that perhaps it was a good deal for AAR, but the small people who invested in Sirius to get AAR helped them with market share all the while costing us big bucks.

[madfloridian]

9. I could not get through until just now.

I tried last night and got nowhere. Very busy or closed for the night. I am very angry.

[Maat]

13. Stay cool. Sirius will build up their progressive talk.

I'm angry with Air America, and I e-mailed their CEO. As far as I'm concerned, he showed me great disrespect - and he didn't care one lick because of the $.

He's free to make a business decision; I'm free to listen to other hosts.

[ProfessorPlum]

11. WTF? I thought XM was controlled by the evil Clear Channel

Is AAR such a hot property that it cannot be on both systems?

I'll have to stick with Sirius until Howard Stern gets there, I guess. Much less reason to pay for it, now, though.

[Maat]

14. Stay steady. Let's see what Sirius is up to.

I'll bet they have good things in store for us.

[geomon666]

15. Clear Channel doesn't have anything to do with XM anymore.

And despite having some hardcore Republicans on their board, they contributed equally to both parties in 2004.

[Zinfandel]

17. Well, this SUCKS! The main reason I bought Sirius equipment (boom-boxes...

cradle for my home stereo, vehicle cradle and two receivers) was to be able to pick up Air America Radio at home and anywhere I travel.

Guess I'll have to buy some XM equipment...Anyone want some used Sirius equipment? I suppose I'll just have to put all the shit up for auction on ebay!

[agates]

19. Same here

I expect eBay to be flooded with Sirius equipment. This REALLY sucks.

[minerva50]

20. Sell yours to a Howard Stern fan.

I'll be keeping mine.

[rawtribe]

22. Dump AAR

Sirius has lots of good programing and I think they will fill the void. AAR as no interest in you as a listener. Why go to all the trouble changing satellite providers only to get dumped on again sometime in the future? AAR is not worth it.

[Zinfandel]

27. On the other hand...This is a business-If this creates more profit for AAR

and it's an exclusive and makes the only national liberal progressive radio network better and more powerful...I'm ALL for it!

Even with my small monetary loss of owning Sirius equipment.

To me, having a liberal radio network able to compete with the "vast right-wing conspiracy" and all their huge amounts of corporate money, is very, very important.

So, I'll make the change to XM.

(But where the fuck is Chicago?)

And Sirius does have the magnificent Thom Hartmann,(on "Sirius Left") there is absolutely no one better...I used to think only my man, Malloy was tops, no one came close...BUT, Thom Hartmann is truly great unbelievably excellent, and right up there with Mike!!!!

[nadinbrzezinski]

28. Somebody sees this for what it is... truly a bidness decision

On the short term they will PO people, but I am sure they have noticed that they will grow furhter

There is soemthing else going on, which I doubt AAR will speak off. There is this nasty rumor that XM will try to acquire sirius... if that is the case... AAR wants to be ON taht network. Oh did I mention that XM will also provide service to AOL now?

[Zinfandel]

32. Actually, I read it was the other way around. The "smaller" Sirius network

is wanting to buy the "larger" XM network...(I guess Sirius feels pretty confident about what Howard Stern will bring to Sirius).

So if either case occurs and one buys out the other...more than likely, both Sirius & XM equipment will work!

[Lex]

23. Yes this DOES SUCK.

I'm not buying new crap just for Air America on XM. I only bought Sirius so I could get Air America at work.

I mean, XM could screw me out of $300 bucks just like Sirius just did if it up and changed its programming of Air America in a few months.

As Dumbass Dubya says, "Fool me once, huh huh--er . . . um, won't be fooled again."

And I'm DEFINITELY NOT re-upping my subscription with Sirius--no freakin' way. They just sold me up the river, as far as I'm concerned.

[Gelliebeans]

25. me too and I bought

a 6 month subscription to add insult to injury.

[Suziq]

21. I Am Sticking With Sirius

Fuck Air America! I really like Radio Left which carries Alex Bennett, Stephanie Miller (one of my new favorites), Thom Hartmann, The Young Turks, etc.

I also invested about $300 in Sirius equipment about 6 months ago. I refuse to get XM with their allegiance to Clear Channel.





:hippie:

[Cooley Hurd]

24. I've decided I'm keeping Sirius, as well...

Fuck AAR and Danny Goldberg - I hope Peter Grant rises from the dead and kicks his ass again...:grr:

[SouthernDem2004]

26. Dumb move by AAR. The went from...

being on both systems to just being on one. Actually though I do not listen to it that much. I work midnights and the only thing on is Malloy twice and the Majority report. Not exactly the two best shows. I stick to talk left.

[Jeebo]

29. Maybe Sirius will carry all 3 hours of Thom Hartmann now...

...and add some other programs too, such as Guy James. I just LOVE Guy James and can only listen to him now by downloading White Rose archives. I'm going to stay with Sirius at least until I see how this affects their programming. I've been a subscriber for two years. As for XM, I might subscribe to them too and just have both satellite radio services. It depends on HOW MUCH Air America programming they will carry. A few months ago, for example, the last time I investigated XM, they weren't carrying two of my three favorites at all. My three favs are Thom Hartmann, Mike Malloy and Randi Rhodes. They didn't carry Hartmann at all, they didn't carry Malloy at all (ALAN COLMES, boo hiss, instead), and they carried only the last hour of Randi Rhodes' daily four hours, after the three hours of Ed Schultz was over. So even though they did carry some AAR programming, it was the weakest AAR programming, from my point of view, and there was little reason for me to subscribe to their service. It's a lot like them offering to sell me a watermelon, but then what I actually get from them is the seeds and the rind. So I'm going to stay with Sirius until things settle down and I see what's really going on with Sirius and XM. And until then, I can listen to AAR on the Internet, if I have to.

Ron

[Zinfandel]

30. As I just wrote above... Thom Hartmann is as good as anyone and that

includes the great Mike Malloy, whom I've been a loyal listener to (and I still am) since the beginning of "i.e.america".

Hartmann's show is truly amazing...He handles the right-wing assholes with such grace and poise, like Randi & Mike could only hope to, (though I love them both), this is just fact...Hartmann is also so articulate and knowledgeable and dedicatedly compassionate with absolute informative passion.

I will miss Thom when I switch from Sirius to XM!

[in_cog_ni_to]

31. Shit. I feel completely betrayed.

The only reason I invested in Sirius was to hear AAR. Now I have a lifetime subscription that I will never use. 2 receivers and 2 boomboxes. What a waste of my money. :( Anyone wanna buy 2 Sirius receivers and boomboxes? In 90 days they will be for sale. Crap. :grr:

I guess this is a HUGE lesson learned. DO NOT SUBSCRIBE TO RADIO for a lifetime. STUPID! STUPID! STUPID! :spank:

[Jeebo]

36. Hang on to it, no telling what will happen...

I think you're over-reacting. There's no telling what will happen. Look what has happened just in the past year or two.

Maybe Sirius will keep running AAR after all -- or get it back after a few months or a year or two.

Or maybe their "Sirius Left" channel will improve because of the loss of their AAR channel. (I'm hoping they will start running all three hours of Thom Hartmann instead of just the first hour; XM doesn't carry Hartmann at all. And I'm hoping they will pick up somebody else who isn't on AAR, maybe Guy James.)

Or maybe you'll notice that there is a lot of other programming on Sirius. I like their classical music channels, their 60s oldies channel, and their old-time radio show channel.

Or maybe this, or maybe that, or maybe a million other things.

Hang on to your Sirius receivers and boomboxes and lifetime subscription. You have been happy to have them for the past year or so and maybe you will be happy to have them again.

Ron

[Zinfandel]

34. Sirius says... NO "changes of any pending cancelation of AAR"

From an email I recived this afternoon from Sirius.

Thank you for contacting SIRIUS regarding Air America Radio. At this time, we have not been informed of any pending cancelation of Air America. Any changes to our channel lineup will be made available on our website. You can find out more about Air America Radio, including the programs and hosts that you will hear by checking us at:

www.sirius.com/whatsonsirius

At SIRIUS, listening to our customer's suggestions is top priority. We
are dedicated to bringing you the best in music, sports, news and
entertainment and won't stop short of providing you with the ultimate
selection! We are constantly updating our programming to satisfy our
listeners - no matter who or where you are. We hope you are enjoying
SIRIUS and the full depth of the commercial free music and entertainment
programming we offer. We are committed to providing you with the best
in customer service.

For your convenience, Customer Care is available 24 hours a day, 7 days
a week at:

1-888-539-SIRIUS (7474)

As well as by e-mail at:[email protected] feedback
regarding our programming is extremely important to us. We are
dedicated to providing the most variety and best listening experience
available anywhere.

We are dedicated to providing quality service and customer satisfaction.
We encourage comments on how we can improve our service.

Sincerely,

Toni
SIRIUS Customer Care Agent

Visit us on the web at www.sirius.com

[madfloridian]

37. Just unplugged our Sirius radio set up.

We were never radio listeners anyway until AAR. We trusted, and we got screwed. I will write the letter to Goldberg, but it will make no difference.

Hubby put the whole system in the closet. $300 down the drain.

[dhinojosa]

39. Ill buy it from you....

Jeez

[dhinojosa]

40. Oh is it home system?

hehehe

[dhinojosa]

38. You know what? I don't care.....here's why

1. More radio personalities can come into a new Sirius "Freedom" (I just made that up) channel


2. Those personalities can cuss up a storm if necessary


3. More of those new radio personalities can be given a chance to become big stars.

It's too bad AAR is not going be on Sirius, but hey we'll see what happens. Maybe more Young Turks' quality shows. :)