Posted by Bob Harrison on November 06, 2009 at 11:09:52:
In Reply to: Re: Sirius XM Merger Starting to Pay Off posted by SKlein on November 06, 2009 at 08:36:50:
"How is their programming holding up during this period particularly the music?"
Sirius/XM recently made a number of adjustments on some of their primary music channels. Specifically:
1. The 60's channel now offers more "deep cuts"; that is, tunes that peaked in the 15-30 range in the Top 40 weekly charts back in the 60s. Not "off the wall" silly stuff, but records that remain "listenable" and mix in well with the more familiar material.
2. The "Roadhouse" channel has added country oldies from the 50s and late 40s to its mix of 60s thru 80s country hits. These selections are limited to about one per hour, and they are given a nice, pre-recorded intro (mentioning the year of the hit) to set them off from the "regular" core content. A big plus for the hardcore fans of the "honky-tonk" subgenre. These tunes had been lost when "Willie's Place" changed its content after the merger.
3. "Soul Town" has realigned its emphasis away from the 70s and more towards the 60s. It's a bit less "funkier" now, but it has recovered at least some of the deeper 60s cuts that were lost when "Soul Street" disappeared.
All in all, it has been clear to me that Sirius/XM has made a number of adjustments to address the complaints that arose in the wake of the merger.