Whats up with all the advertising on XM ?!

[Trip]

I've only been gone for about a month but I don't recall so much advertising on XM. While I was driving around today listening to about 10 minutes of commercials, I assumed I was listening to a local radio station. I was surprised I was listening to XM. They seem to time it so the commercials are at the same time. The 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s decades channels had ads on at the same time.

I thought one of the perks of satellite radio was commercial free tunes. A marketing spot here and there, sure - but going on and on about acne and other consumer goods and services -

Had I paid the full $150 I'd most definitely be P.O.d.

This is just part of the bigger picture that ticks me off. You can't even go to the movies without being subjected to 15 minutes of ads before the previews (which is why we go late now ). And even on TV - the logos in the corner were bad enough but now they actually advertising OTHER TV shows while you're watching a program!?! No wonder I don't watch TV that much.

Blargh

[robpaul2]

I was thinking the same thing. Just got my 06 and activated the XM and...what the heck is with the cokmercials. I pay you NOT to have that crap. If I want that, I can listen to regular AM!

[HD650]

Is it possible to get a refund or cancel your service?

[VTECaddict]

ive said it before and i'll say it again...FM radio gives me way better sound quality than XM (except for static). XM sounds VERRRYYYY compressed. even internet radio sounds better!

[ericrwalker]

yeah, I have been thinking the same thing. I still like XM just fine, and I am looking for a good deal to activate my other XM radio. I guess it's just $7 a month but I don't want to pay an activation fee,and I am willing to pay a year up front.

Back to the ads, they need to split up the ads a little more. It seems like they don't have a lot of commercials but when they do put them on there, they go on forever.

[gatrhumpy]

Clear Channel, which owns all the AM/FM radio stations, owns four XM radio stations, hence why we have commercials. To compensate for the commercials, XM added four new channels without commercials. Basically they were compressing the files even more. I think I may start listening to FM to see how bad the commercials are.

[GlennD]

XM originally had commercials. They upped the fee to match Sirius and removed the commercials from the music channels.

Clear Channel was an early investor and provided a number of channels such as Kiss, Highway 16, The Mix. etc.

Clear Channel's business plan is all about commercials. XM lost a lawsuit and it was ruled that Clear Channel could have commercials on thier channels.

XM moved the Clear Channel channels from the main listing and provides equivalent channels without commercials.

[Matt]

I was wondering the same thing, too. You'd think it'd be false advertising since they say commercial free radio, or used to. This is how it starts though, one commercial here and there, and before you know it it'll be like FM radio and playing 10 commercials between songs. Stupid.

[ericrwalker]

It's hard to turn down the big money that a company will pay for 30 seconds on the radio.

[stevencrosbie]

Well, just wait it out. There are many threads on Acurazine that prove that XM is waiting for ClearChannel's contract to expire. Then, the commercials will be gone.

[andysinnh]

I've had XM for several years now, and the amount of commercials depends on what stations you listen do. On the lower "decades" section, as well as things like Disney (my son listens to that one) the commercials are much more frequent than you'd want. But I tend to listen to channels in the 40-49 range - Deep Tracks, Big Tracks, Top Tracks - stuff like that. And there are zero commercials up there, even today. Of course, I also listen to Nascar 144 and there are certainly commercials up there.

For me, it's the programming on my primary channels and the sound quality that matters, and I keep it. I started with an in-dash XM on my Pontiac Aztek, and when I traded that I got a RoadyXT ($20 after rebate). For a while I did the FM modulator route and hated the sound. But then did the Cassette adapter (after I upgraded to an EX head unit on the Pilot) and it sounds as good as my Aztek did - and I'm happy.

andy

[psycho-]

My understanding was that the display will say "cm" at the end of the name to mark the stations that have commercials on them. I haven't heard commercials on the lower stations (7,8,9), but I have heard it on some of the top 40 stations (20, 21, etc), but those had the desgination of "cm" on them.

[Invero]

Thanks for the explanations on the commercials. My year subscription is about to expire, and I didn't want to renew. When I called them I was on hold forever, and when I finally got someone, and asked about the commercials, they were so rude to me. It took five transfers before they transferred me to the cancellation department.

On a side note, I learned that they have three call centers... one in British Columbia (the only nice person I spoke with). The others are in Milan and Panama.

[Anzial]

I remember someone advertising his harness to hook up sirius to XM receiver on EX-l accords... I guess that could be a viable option

[OwAce]

so i tried the cancelation game hoping they would lower my fee..
but they didnt..

so umm i donno how to play this chicken game.