Life on the Road – Trucking News Blog

After only 493 days, the merger of Sirius and XM, the nations only two satellite radio broadcasting companies, has been approved. Finally. The thing is, during the months that have passed between the merger request and final approval, a lot of things have changed.

The price of fuel has skyrocketed, the economy has slowed, and a lot of drivers, as well as consumers in general, are feeling the need to rid themselves of expenses deemed “non-essential”. Even if the merger is handled properly, and I have no reason to believe that it won’t be, the merged company will still be fighting an uphill battle to reach profitability.

Most of the people I’ve spoken with, that were opposed to the merger, were opposed because they felt a merged company would stop providing “edgy and innovative” programming. I don’t pretend to have any special insight but logic tells me that the opposite will be true. Consumers have a variety of choices and, considering the fact that some of them are free, I don’t really see how a subscription service can survive in the mobile entertainment environment without actively seeking the edge and pursuing innovation.

Time will tell, and I truly believe that consumers will be well served by the merger but I have to admit, there are a lot of questions yet to be answered. While a June 13 letter to the FCC promised “Programming Options” the companies have only offered this proposal as an indication of the actual options to be offered.

Additionally, there are questions regarding radios and related equipment. Within the merger agreement, the companies are required to open the market to manufacturers. This should bring a lot of great products to consumers but, alas, if you want to take advantage of the pick-and-choose programming, you’re old satellite receiver will likely be relegated to the scrap heap.

The merger’s approved; let’s hope that the combined company becomes stable and profitable by providing high quality programming and a wide variety of consumer options.