# XM Layoffs Today



## fielding (Nov 14, 2008)

Anyone know how many jobs they're cutting and in what areas?
I saw that , following the merger, the company eliminated duplicate jobs
totaling 22 percent of the total of Sirius XM's combined
workforce.


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## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

As expected, another round of layoffs ripped through Sirius XM today, only this time it was the Sirius business unit that was affected the most, reports All Access.



> "At least 30" employees were let go, most of whom were New York-based employees (pictured above, South Korean labor protesters outside the Sirius headquarters in NYC).
> 
> From Orbitcast:
> 
> ...


I hate to see anyone lose their job, but in the case I'm estatic to see Shirley Maldonado go. This now will almost guarentee Watercolors does not turn into what Jazz Cafe was, smooth R&B crap. FYI Maldonado, Brian McKnight IS NOT smooth jazz! Good riddence! And hopefully with Andrea Karr gone Classic Rewind will be more Big Tracks then Classic Rewind. Too bad Kayla isn't on that list.


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## Dolly (Jan 30, 2007)

Well it only seems fair if some XM staff had to go some Sirius staff would have to go also. But I think XM took the far bigger hit, but since Sirius runs things now that was to be expected. At least people should have expected it, but somehow I don't think they did. I don't think most people ever really understood what a mess a merger between two Sat. companies with different systems could be  Thank goodness back when merger talks came up between D* and Dish people had the good sense back then to just say NO!


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## Ken S (Feb 13, 2007)

Dolly said:


> Well it only seems fair if some XM staff had to go some Sirius staff would have to go also. But I think XM took the far bigger hit, but since Sirius runs things now that was to be expected. At least people should have expected it, but somehow I don't think they did. I don't think most people ever really understood what a mess a merger between two Sat. companies with different systems could be  Thank goodness back when merger talks came up between D* and Dish people had the good sense back then to just say NO!


The Dish/DirecTV merger was stopped because it would have created a monopoly in some rural areas of the country that don't receive cable or OTA.


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## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

A E*/D* merger wouldn't have created a monopoly, there's tons of competition. There's DVDs, VHS, Beta, Blu Ray, Laser Disc, Video CD, portable video players, online video streaming and if all else fails you can set up a camcorder, put it on your front lawn and watch traffic go by on your own closed circuit TV channel.


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## Ken S (Feb 13, 2007)

Steve Mehs said:


> A E*/D* merger wouldn't have created a monopoly, there's tons of competition. There's DVDs, VHS, Beta, Blu Ray, Laser Disc, Video CD, portable video players, online video streaming and if all else fails you can set up a camcorder, put it on your front lawn and watch traffic go by on your own closed circuit TV channel.


Guess they should have hired you to represent them during their application for the merger.


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## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

Well you know if iPods and cell phones are supposed to be competition to satellite radio, Laser Disc and online streaming are competition to satellite TV.


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## johnjroy (May 25, 2007)

Ken S said:


> The Dish/DirecTV merger was stopped because it would have created a monopoly in some rural areas of the country that don't receive cable or OTA.


I canceled service with Sirius today. Told operator I did not understand why Sirius/XM was allowed to merge now giving us 1 sat radio company which is a monopoly. Was told by Sirius rep that the FCC stated it would not be a monopoly due to a Satellite radio service in Europe whom can come to the US. Alot of good that does the US for now though!

John


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## Dolly (Jan 30, 2007)

Steve Mehs said:


> A E*/D* merger wouldn't have created a monopoly, there's tons of competition. There's DVDs, VHS, Beta, Blu Ray, Laser Disc, Video CD, portable video players, online video streaming and if all else fails you can set up a camcorder, put it on your front lawn and watch traffic go by on your own closed circuit TV channel.


Hey Steve watch out you are beginning to sound as good as Mel  Because you are right that is actually how he got that stupid merger done   In truth if a Sat. TV merger would have been a monopoly (which it would have) then a Sirius XM merger should have been decided on those same grounds. And on top of everything else all Mel has said about more choices, less cost, etc. was all lies. But he got the Dept. of Justice and the FCC both to fall for it. I have to give the man credit for being slick, but I hate him :raspberry


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## Ken S (Feb 13, 2007)

Dolly said:


> Hey Steve watch out you are beginning to sound as good as Mel  Because you are right that is actually how he got that stupid merger done   In truth if a Sat. TV merger would have been a monopoly (which it would have) then a Sirius XM merger should have been decided on those same grounds. And on top of everything else all Mel has said about more choices, less cost, etc. was all lies. But he got the Dept. of Justice and the FCC both to fall for it. I have to give the man credit for being slick, but I hate him :raspberry


Dolly,

You understand one or both companies would have failed if the merger hadn't happened? My guess is XM was about at the end of its credit line and would have gone first but that really doesn't matter. It's not hard to conceive the merged company failing at this point in time unless they can continue to make cost-cutting a priority and get the company to cash flow positive very, very quickly.

There's also a huge difference between satellite TV and satellite radio. Satellite TV carries local TV coverage to areas that otherwise wouldn't get it. That is the crux of the reason that the Echostar/DirecTV merger was denied.

Satellite radio carries no local news and is almost entirely considered an entertainment source....where it realistically competes with AM, FM, HD, and devices like MP3 players and internet radio.

Now, in a few years if IPTV takes off then a valid argument for a Dish/DirecTV merger might be made...but some here will tell you that is never going to happen.

As for Justice and the FCC falling for anything...they fell for the concerted lobbying effort of the NAB and strung out the decision to a record length of time. Why do you suppose the NAB was so dead set against the merger? Not because they considered satellite radio a competitor...nahh...that couldn't be it. I'm sure they were worried that radio listeners wouldn't have enough choices and that the price would go up.


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## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

So what are tomorrow’s lottery numbers? You sure have a habit of trying to predict the future there Miss Cleo. While XM and Sirius have been in business since the early-mid 90s, their services we're still relatively new. I think it's impossible to write the companies off after just six years. I'm sure there have been company’s worse off that have survived. I do not believe for one iota of a second XM and Sirius would have gone out of business if this sham of a merger didn't take place. But we will never know, unfortunately. 

And unless you can say with a 100% straight face with no hesitation, DirecTV competes with a DVD player, then no way in hell does satellite radio compete with an iPod. Prerecorded v Live Streaming, two totally different things. Interindustry competition is needed in the SDARS world, Sirius XM is a monopoly and the merger should have been allowed on that principle alone.


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## mtraininjax (Nov 16, 2008)

Sorry to see Lucy, Fred and Ethyl go away. XM was the better company, then they replaced Hugh Panero with a spinless weasel. I may dump it all and just use my Ipod and Itunes.


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## Ken S (Feb 13, 2007)

Steve Mehs said:


> So what are tomorrow's lottery numbers? You sure have a habit of trying to predict the future there Miss Cleo. While XM and Sirius have been in business since the early-mid 90s, their services we're still relatively new. I think it's impossible to write the companies off after just six years. I'm sure there have been company's worse off that have survived. I do not believe for one iota of a second XM and Sirius would have gone out of business if this sham of a merger didn't take place. But we will never know, unfortunately.
> 
> And unless you can say with a 100% straight face with no hesitation, DirecTV competes with a DVD player, then no way in hell does satellite radio compete with an iPod. Prerecorded v Live Streaming, two totally different things. Interindustry competition is needed in the SDARS world, Sirius XM is a monopoly and the merger should have been allowed on that principle alone.


Does AM and FM compete with satellite radio? If you don't get cable or OTA can you get live television? You don't like the merger...we all understand that. Unfortunately for you in both cases the satellite tv merger and the satellite radio merger your view was that of the minority. It's funny you keep saying MP3 players aren't competition and the posts in this forum keep saying "I may cancel and just use my iPod". You also ignored internet radio...and that doesn't compete with satellite radio because?

You believe both companies would have survived...I don't. Maybe one would have made it...it's tough to say. I really have my doubts, especially in the current economic conditions. There's not a whole lot of cars being sold lately...and one of their large retail partners just went chapter 11.

Both companies engaged in stupid spending and a marketing war that crippled them. Actually, if XM hadn't had Clear Channel as an investor and had signed Stern...Sirius probably wouldn't be here today.

No matter...right now they're staring at having to pay back a billion in debt in 2009 - they don't have the money and they don't have anyone lining up to invest. They have one choice cut costs to the minimum and get cash flow positive and hope they can hang on.


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## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

> Can the same be said for terrestrial/satellite radio in any area of the US?


Uh, yep. I've been in many areas just here in NY state, specifically the southern tier where when driving if you press seek on the FM dial you just go from 88.1 to 107.9 and back again, and maybe you get a static filled religious station or two on AM. There's a little town about 50 miles away from the PA border that I visit with a population of less than 1,000 that gets 0 FM stations and 3 AM stations that come in when they want to (religion, NPR, country). Heading down there, once you lose the Rochester stations you get pretty much nothing for the next 100 miles, except for a small patch where 107.7 comes in.


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