
Washington, D.C.-based XM has finally merged with Sirius into a satellite radio conglomerate of sorts.
The joining of the two companies was in limbo for months, mired in anti-trust litigation. But, in July the new merged company got the go-ahead.
The first major sign of the merger? Howard Stern (Sirius star and self-proclaimed King of All Media) moved over to XM.
See the latest star to get a new contract on cable television here.
Today, however, came the big changes. The two stations' channels merged. If you subscribe to either XM or Sirius, you may not be able to find your favorite channel. The changes can also be felt on DirecTV which carries XM channels as part of its satellite television menu.
Have no fear! We've got your new channel guide right here, courtesy of OrbitCast.com. If you turned on your car radio this morning and were confused, check the list out before you head home this evening.
Read about upcoming changes in one of broadcast television's oldest institutions here.
The first major announcement of the channel merger came in a three-page ad in USA Today late last week. Today it's official.
The merger has not been all easy for the two satellite radio companies. New company Sirius XM took a $4.8 billion write-down and posted major losses for the quarter. The company points to auto industry woes and the merger as two of the reasons for the write-down. When the companies announced their merger in February of 2007, Sirius stock was trading at $3.79 a share. This week, the same stock closed at $.27 a share on Monday.
This news comes on the heels of layoffs at the D.C.-based half of the company last month. Reports are anywhere from 50 - 80 people lost their jobs locally at XM in October.
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But, back to the channels and happy news. Your decades radio channels are still there and my favorite -- the comedy channels. Now, if you're on XM you can get domestic diva Martha Stewart too. It's not all bad...