Sunday, January 18, 2009

XM Radio--Addition by Subtraction


The new Metro Traffic on Sirius XM doesn't have the temperature/forecast on the readout like the old XM Traffic and Weather. It's the death of 1000 cuts, the lobster in the boiling water, value subtracted every month.

The new XM73 (swapping High Standards for Siriusly Sinatra) started running a new Saturday show (not from WNYC) with Jonathan Schwartz. He taped song intros but he may not even know what they're doing with the rest of the program. I don't think he or producer Buddy Ladd (did he survive the recent cuts?) have much to do with this show. For example, they've played Steve & Eydie (no intro); but JS is a long-time Steve & Eydie knocker, although he likes them individually. Part of his deal with Nancy must be to put his name on a show that plays songs he doesn't like, like terrestrial radio.

My wife liked the new XM27 (The Bridge, mellow rock), but then complained that they play the same songs every day.

I also miss the canceled XM2, which replayed exclusive content from other channels. I could never remember when Dylan or Marty Stuart were on their regular channels.

I'm letting my 2-year subscription lapse in March. If the marketers are counting on me being brand-loyal, they made the brand a lot less valuable for me. Side note: I read that DirecTV did not replace XM73 High Standards with XM73 Siriusly Sinatra.

related board links:
Clear Channel Using Some HD Signals For Traffic Data
Metro Traffic to Take Over XM Traffic+ Weather

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