What an unpleasant day I had.  Couldn’t wait to turn off the AM radio and listen to some music on XM.  I shouldn’t have bothered.  What I heard today wasn’t the XM Radio I subscribed to!

Switching over to XM, I tuned in XM83, Chrome, the classic dance music channel.  Somehow, some terrible music came out…my radio kept jumping to another channel.  I was used to my presets getting messed up, since I often have to stash the radio when I’m not in the car.  (This is the Delphi MyFi portable XM receiver.)  Trying manually, I noticed that I got the “Off Air” notice before the radio retuned to channel 1, which is XM’s service preview channel.

Damn.

So, I tune in XM5, the 50s channel that lots its radio talent last month.  (See my recent article about Matt The Cat.)  Who, or what, is a Cousin Brucie, and why is it on my 50s channel?  I don’t need a goofy three hour radio program that’s as funny (and annoying) as a root canal.  Flipping through the 60s and 70s channels, which I’m not as familiar with, I notice different DJ voices.   I did not listen long enough to notice if they watered down the playlists.  If they are using the type of watered-down, mass-market programming Sirius used on their oldies channels, then us XM subscribers are going to be sorely disappointed.

I saw it coming.  This was no merger–this was Sirius buying up the competition in order to create a monopoly, and cherry pick the best of XM’s programming to enhance its bottom line.

Fortunately, XM46 (60s-70s classic rock) and XM49 (70s-80s classic rock) are still around, albeit under new names.  The Pop Standards channel is now a Sinatra & Co. channel…same idea but with more doo-be-doo-be-doo.  They have the limited XM Led channel (all Led Zeppelin) on until the end of the year, which I missed, so that’s not all so bad.

I just fear for the rest of XM’s programming.  Given how those Decades channels were destroyed, I can only imagine what’s ahead.  There’s less reason for me to remain an XM subscriber now.  I’m taking a wait and see attitude.  If things get worse, then I’m bailing out.