I am an XM subscriber, and I am very disappointed. Many of my friends and family members have XM Radio in their vehicles, and they are extremely disappointed. After a decision enforced in the past day or two, XM Radio has removed Fox News Talk Radio from their channel line up. This is the cause of our disappointment, and we will likely be canceling their subscriptions.
I wanted to do something about this. I tweeted about XM’s removal of Fox News Talk from their lineup, and it generated nearly 20 re-tweet, including re-tweets by individuals with over 200,000 followers. I asked people to call Sirius XM Radio and tell them that they will cancel if Fox News Talk isn’t put back on the air, and people have fallen through with this communication (Although I do not credit myself with it, people were telling XM long before my tweets).
I called XM and I told them I plan on canceling if they do not bring back Fox News Talk. Fox News posted a Facebook status about this, asking their fans to call Sirius XM and tell them their disappointment. Thousands of people have already canceled their subscriptions, and when I called XM Radio, I had the following conversation:
“Hi, I am very disappointed with XM’s recent decision to cancel Fox News Talk from your lineup, and am considering canceling my subscription. I am requesting that you pass my concern up to management before I decide if I wish to cancel.”
The lady on the other end proceeds to tell me all about the other news channels.
“Also, just out of curiosity, how many of the people you’ve talked to today have called about XM’s removal of Fox News Talk?”
“Well, to tell you the truth, the extreme majority of the people I’ve talked to today had called with a concern similar to yours.”
I called again, and spoke with somebody different. We had a similar conversation, and her answer to the final question was as follows:
“I’ve only talked to five people all day who weren’t calling about Fox News.”
I am asking all of my viewers a question, do you stand with Fox News?
I do.
If you do, please call this number (1-866-528-7474) and tell them what you think.
January 4th, 2013 at 5:37 am
Unbelievable that XM would consider removing Fox News Talk given all the other garbage they air.
January 4th, 2013 at 10:16 am
What reason did they give for drop the Fox News Channel? I would imagine it would be one of their more popular channels.
January 4th, 2013 at 10:52 am
@ Ryan.
Since I have no XM account I need to know first if they ask for account info.
Knowing exactly which news programs Sirius kept in place would give better judgement as to what these guys are up to.
I have no problem calling in light of the bogus attacks always launched against FOX by leftist loons.
Sure, FOX has its share of flaws and personalities whose opinions and positions I disagree with, but they’re still by far one of the more informative and honest outlets.
January 4th, 2013 at 11:27 am
Probably just a contract negotiating ploy. Fox charges them a lot.
January 4th, 2013 at 4:56 pm
Reply to micky – fox news talk is the only channel to be pulled. By my count they have 5 or 6 liberal talk channels and now only 1 conservative channel. They also have 62 (yes, I counted them) music channels. Get serious, Sirius!
January 4th, 2013 at 9:34 pm
Micky: If you call the #, it’ll ask you for a customer account number, or a new customer option. Just use the new customer option.
Patrick: My understanding of the issue was that they weren’t happy with the programming on the channel, but I may be wrong, so don’t take my word for it.
January 5th, 2013 at 12:30 am
Yeah, Patrick, it’s probably a contract situation. Down here for example, I found out today that the local CBS channel is not on cable right now because of a similar contract dispute. I only discovered this because I thought I had DVR’d Elementary and a cable company infomercial was on instead. So, I guess I’ll have to watch the playoffs at a sports bar. That’s a hefty price to pay, but I’m willing to pay it.
January 5th, 2013 at 7:41 am
The right needs to start sinking some money into media.
Seems like the only choices are a couple of newspapers,FOX news&business,and a handful of Christian based outlets. For every one conservative outlet theres probably 6 or 7 liberal outlets that have filled the eyes and ears of the kind of idiots we see Jesse Watters interviewing on “Watters World”.
No doubt Watters editing is selective for entertainment value but that doesnt change the fact that theres no shortage of misinformed or uninformed idiots out there who are victims of a spiteful leftist derelict partisan media.
Watters last batch of geniuses was filmed here in my home state of Hawaii during the presidents vacation here. I’ve lived in the islands most of my life and can say with much confidence it didnt take much work for Watters to round up his last batch of totally clueless liberal Hawaii residents.
Case and point, the right needs to put some money into some form of more popular media that exposes these very dangerous voters but doesnt carry far right bot lemmings like Hannity, The 700 Club or shock jocks like Rush.
Its said that the right dominates talk radio, I just dont see it.(hear it)
Wise up GOP, stop this asinine search founded on desperation to re-brand the right and its message and instead buy yourselves some more exposure that educates a far wider spectrum of folks on basic traditional tried and true conservative policies and values without sounding like Pat Buchanan.
Another suggestion aimed specifically at FOX would be for O`Reilly to stop pitting himself against John Stewart, it only cheapens the brand. Lets have Hannity get laid,stoned and stop starching his underwear or dump his ass. And please stop falsely portraying pot users and bringing in anti pot advocates that dont know wtf they’re talking about. Most folks dont give a sht anymore if you light up.
I’m rambling, I could go on and on, but until conservatives get more exposure that shows them being less socially rigid and more in touch, losing Sirius will be the least of their problems.
A good chunk of us conservatives are no longer the “stiff missionary position only conservatives” of the 60s and it would serve the party well if they invested in media that reaches out to a younger demographic.
If not, they will once again be beat down by a very large and disproportionate propaganda machine consisting of almost every college, newspaper, magazine,website and cable outlet there is.
January 5th, 2013 at 1:55 pm
There are very few liberal radio shows despite many efforts. Why? Because it does not garner ratings.
Calling for more conservative networks? If there was an audience there would be more of them.
There is exactly enough audience for one preeminent right wing network and that would seem to be it. If their ratings were considerably higher there would already be more right wing networks.
If you can’t find conservative talk on the radio, it is either a geographic anomaly or you need a better radio. Rush and Hannity have millions listening to them so I don’t think availability is the problem
We have WJR, which is based in Michigan and has 70,000 watts. I can get into the car and drive from dawn to dusk and still get WJR. You can hear it in Canada and as far south as Tennessee and every state that surrounds those areas.
Their “balanced” line-up includes Rush, Hannitty and even that guy that sounds like Don Knotts and generally hates everyone, what’s his name.. umm… oh yeah, Mark Levin.
Do I think WJR is conservative? Of course not. They can buy these syndicated shows cheap and they garner respectable ratings, therefore they make money.
Networks worship at the altar of ratings. I doubt that Rupert Murdoch, who is not even American, really cares about our political system. He merely saw a ratings opportunity and exploited it to a great return. Good for him.
As far as having right wing radio or television without people that are bombastic, such as Hannity, that will never happen. Bombast sells.
From the other perspective, MSNBC is not looking for “reasonable” because it will not garner ratings.
You want reasonable? Turn on CNN so you can double their ratings.
It kills me that conservatives think they are losing ground because people are not “hearing” their message. I am pretty sure the general public is well aware of the voices of the right. They simply have rejected those views. Repeating the message isn’t likely to change that result.
January 5th, 2013 at 4:00 pm
“There are very few liberal radio shows despite many efforts. Why? Because it does not garner ratings”
Thats bullsht.
Talk radio is one thing, still most shows that offer music and entertainment lean left just in their daily programming and commentary.
January 5th, 2013 at 4:20 pm
Ah, jeez, liberal “talk” shows.
When there is music on the radio who is paying attention to their “politics”?
Are you looking for a right wing music show? What would that be like?
January 5th, 2013 at 4:32 pm
Buzz, you cant listen to a rock, jazz or hip hop station without the jock being as liberal as the entertainment they play.
The only right wing music I ever hear is Country.
And it pi$$es me off, as I posted above.
January 5th, 2013 at 4:34 pm
That fact could subject to which state you’re in.
Here in the islands leftist radio is standard.
January 5th, 2013 at 4:45 pm
We got one guy here, “Tiny Tadani”.
He plays a combo Hip Hop, Emo,Funk,Rap and hosts/interviews certain personalities.
One day he had this Palestinian in his studio talkin a bunch of crap about Israel . The whole call in audience was buying his sht til I called in. Once the dj realized I was not towing the same line they cut me off.
Nice.