On Nov. 12, I mourned the deaths of Fred, Lucy and Ethel. These are not the characters of the I Love Lucy sitcom, nor are they actual people. They are the alternative-rock stations on XM Radio that no longer exist as a result of the merger between XM and Sirius satellite radio.
Not only are the alternative stations slimming down, but the newly merged stations are cutting back in general, leaving many to ponder the future of satellite radio.
Now called Sirius XM Radio Inc, (an inventive title) the satellite stations have gone back on their promises of a new and improved giant satellite radio station and into a ghost of its former glory.
When discussion of this merger arose, it was thought that listeners would receive more options than they had before, in utopia, the best of both satellite radio stations would unite forming the ultimate destination for hardcore music fans and talk show lovers.
The funneling of my three beloved XM channels into one station, called AltNation (Sirius' sparse version of the alternative rock genre channel) is representative of the entire station.
The actual results of this merger are far less desirable. Not only were there trade-offs in which XM channels were replaced with Sirius channels and vice versa, but there appear to be less options than before, completely defeating the purpose of satellite radio.
Fortunately, according to Rolling Stone, many of the premium channels (the Grateful Dead channel) and talent (Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio Hour and Howard Stern) remain intact. However, this alone will not save Sirius XM.
This merger marks the coming of an even larger death of satellite radio.
Satellite radio is one of few media frontiers left free from censorship and constraints because subscribers pay for the service. If satellite dies, Howard Stern may have to leave radio for good.
There are no FM radio stations today that provide the quality and variety of music that satellite does and even if they did, listeners are still frequently assaulted with commercials to improve their sex life.
Satellite has been my refuge in a FM sea of mediocrity. Where else would you have a channel solely devoted to Led Zeppelin, be able to listen to Vampire Weekend and ponder the musings of Tom Petty?
While iPods can make a large source of music available at the listener's request, satellite can open his or her ears to new bands through listening to genre stations of choice.
The suffering of satellite may be attributed to the availability of iPod adaptors for cars. Satellite is normally listened to by drivers (although it is also available online as well).
While the iPod has its place, would it not be better to challenge and better yourself through the discovery of new music on satellite?
During my drive to and from Penn State for Thanksgiving break, I may be sent into a road rage, while listening to Sirius XM, wondering what could have been.
Alexa Santoro is a junior majoring in journalism and is a Daily Collegian film reporter. Her e-mail address is ajs5336@psu.edu.
