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R.I.P. 40's on 4

C

CaliRadioFan

Leading Participant
The Big Band era music on SXM made it's final bow March 26th. "The Billy Joel Channel" will run for at least 3 months, most likely followed by a 4th of July themed Channel. It's a lot of music they just cut from their library. Will the Doo Wop songs from the 50's and early 60's go next on the chopping block?
 
Truly an idiotic decision by SXM. There are hundreds of posts on XM's facebook page, overwelmingly negative about the removal of he 40s on 4 for yet another payola single artist channel. Only reason these channels exist is to make the service money. Why couldn't this Billy Joel channel replace a similar channel like he Bridge or the Coffee House or one of their 20 plus other rock chsnnels? The 40s on 4 was unique. It's the only channel playing this music and it cannot be found anywhere else.

I'm sure SXM thought that only people over 75 listened to the 40s on 4. The majority of posts I read are from much younger people. The channrel is still on line,but who wants to pay extra for the Internet service abd use bandwidth in the car when the channel has always been a part of the basic SXM service.

This has to be one of the dumbest decisions ever made by SiriusXM. The last stupid move was eliminating the DJ's on the 50's on 5. I'm sure there will be more to come.
 
There goes one of my pre-sets. I just don't know where to go with this post after a dumb move like that.
 
It's not just corporate radio greed. It's corporate greed everywhere. The cash is flowing upwards while companies continue to "downsize." Sad.
 
Now that I have had some time to think about this...

What is the 'natural' audience for Sirius/XM:
1. Those who want something other than that available from terrestrial radio (e.g. Stern, 40's, Out-of-market sports, Jazz, Classical)
2. Those who are outside of normal terrestrial radio FM range or (for those tech savvy) outside of 3G/4G coverage.
3. Those who are willing to pay for a duplication of terrestrial radio formats for 'no commercials'.

I am interested is hearing if there are any more categories that I have missed. Or what the proportions of the audience are in each category.

BTW, I am in category 1 and 2 (double whammy there).

So the only thing I can assume is that Liberty Media believes that categories 2 and 3 outnumber category 1 by a large enough margin to make it worthwhile to eliminate specialty channels. Next on the 'hit list' (from the channels I listen to) - merging 5 and 6 into 'oldies', merging Jazz and Smooth Jazz, merging 75 and 76, and eliminating 'good music' and 'Siriusly Sinatra'.
 
So, how many people have complained about the displacement of 40s on 4 on Facebook? (I don't know, am not on Facebook.)

Whatever that number is, here is something to think about: Sirius/XM has 25 million listeners. 10% of that is 2.5 million. 1% of all their listeners is a quarter million. One tenth of one percent of SXM's listeners is 25,000. One one-hundredth of one percent is 2,500 listeners.

So, again: How many people have complained?

And for the record, I count myself as a listener type 1A: SXM offers what I call "one offs." For example: The classic rock FM in the market where I live is stuck in the 70s. I like Classic Rewind on SXM because it focuses on the 80s, the years I was in high school and college. Sure, there is a classic rock FM in my market. But it doesn't sound like Classic Rewind.

I feel for those people who are missing 40s on 4, because I know the day is coming when the music of my youth won't be played very much on any type of "radio" anymore. I do think, even if Billy Joel's record company wanted the channel 4 dial position, SXM could have found a new or temporary place for 40s on 4 available via satellite, not just online. But having said that: They've obviously chosen a channel to displace that has less listenership than many others.Try Googling "most listened to Sirius/XM channels." 60s on 6 has been on the list. 40s on 4 ... never.
 
I was a teenager when Elvis first appeared on TV, so you can guess what my age is. I never listened to '40s on 4. I do like '50s on 5, but I see internet radio as the threat to satellite. There's plenty of '40s and '50s music on internet radio. And the sources for internet access are growing.
 
"most listened to Sirius/XM channels" - Well I 'Googled' it. Latest information was from 2008. Nothing current.
 
Since all of their radios are coded, is there anyway each channel could be used for personal choices if wanted. For example, could channel six be used for something besides 60's on 6 if desired. Then all the people who want one of the Sirius XM online only channels could have it on satellite in their car where Internet connection is bad. This would give Sirius XM a big leg up on Internet and greatly increase the number of choices.
 
There are hundreds and hundreds of posts on XM's fan page and even on Billy Joel's own FB page..overwhelmingly negative. Many people under 75 listen to the 40's channel. SiriusXM has a major revolt on their hands. This is a truly stupid decision. I'm surprised at this point XM hasn't admitted it's a huge blunder and re instated the 40's..not on 4(obviously XM is getting big bucks for this payola channel)but somewhere else. How about Channels 2 or 3..both play similar hit music that can be found everywhere.

There are a lot of fans of the 40s on 4..more than SXM knew. Didn't they have any idea the negative backlash this would cause? This is not regular radio. There is no advertising and demographics don't matter. If you subscribe it doesn't matter if you are 6 or 86.
 
benale said:
There are hundreds and hundreds of posts on XM's fan page and even on Billy Joel's own FB page..overwhelmingly negative. Many people under 75 listen to the 40's channel.
Click to expand...

"Hundreds" out of 25 million means "none".

XM/Sirius surveys a random selection of subscribers to find out how they listen and what they listen to. Obviously, the interest in the 40's channel was insignificant. It´s been nearly a decade and a half since the "decades channels! were launched, and the listeners that were 60 then are 75 now, and few are driving a lot and subscribing to satellite.

Very, very few people under 70 do listen to standards and Sinatra. And the number is declining.

SiriusXM has a major revolt on their hands. This is a truly stupid decision.
Click to expand...

If the channel was not moving subscriptions, and few if any subscribers used it, there is no major anything.

...obviously XM is getting big bucks for this payola channel
Click to expand...

Why is payola the logical answer for the channel? Only Billy Joel fans will listen to the channel, and if they listen, they likely have most of his music already. XM/Sirius has featured artist channels all the time, and they are used as a temporary and topical feature and can be fun for a little while.

There are a lot of fans of the 40s on 4..more than SXM knew.
Click to expand...

They know exactly how many fans they have. XM/Sirius has the advantage that they have the personal data on every subscriber, so they can survey them very precisely and easily.

This is not regular radio. There is no advertising and demographics don't matter. If you subscribe it doesn't matter if you are 6 or 86.
Click to expand...

But if a channel does not drive subscriptions and interest is declining, it does matter. They channel can be used to do something that is more appealing to the subscriber base.
 
Most people will not take the time or the effort to post on a fan board. When they do, it's for something like this. So maybe a thousand people posting their dislike of the 40's on 4 pre emption is significant. I've never seen this kind of outrage on a SiriusXM board since they have been in existence.

David, I respect your tenure in this business and you are one of the most insightful posters on any board, but the fact they pre empted one of the more unique channels on SXM for a single artist channel seems a little strange. Many of the posts I've read are from younger people who obviously enjoyed the 40's on 4. There are still a lot of people who enjoy music from this era. Of course it doesn't belong on terrestrial radio, but surely there is a fan base on SiriusXM. For everybody who subscribes to get commercial free counterparts of their music , there are countless others who enjoy the offerings that can't be found on AM and FM, and that includes channels focusing on Broadway show tunes, smooth jazz, traditional jazz, Standards, beautiful music, the 50's on 5 and The Roadhouse.
 
If the only entertainment most people want is Miley Cyrus playing with her putrid privates, the country is in deep trouble. The person you're responding to couldn't be opposed to child prostitution because there is money in it. No wonder Corporate Capitalism is a dirty word.
 
benale said:
David, I respect your tenure in this business and you are one of the most insightful posters on any board, but the fact they pre empted one of the more unique channels on SXM for a single artist channel seems a little strange. Many of the posts I've read are from younger people who obviously enjoyed the 40's on 4. There are still a lot of people who enjoy music from this era. Of course it doesn't belong on terrestrial radio, but surely there is a fan base on SiriusXM. For everybody who subscribes to get commercial free counterparts of their music , there are countless others who enjoy the offerings that can't be found on AM and FM, and that includes channels focusing on Broadway show tunes, smooth jazz, traditional jazz, Standards, beautiful music, the 50's on 5 and The Roadhouse.
Click to expand...

I'm simply saying that Sirius / XM does quite a bit of research among its subscribers to determine channel usage, preferences, likes and dislikes. Because they have a list of all their users, they can easily draw a near perfect sample and survey them. I've been contacted with a written survey and it had not only a "channels you like" but a part about channels that I would use if the music were better or a bit different. After filling it in, I got a follow up specifically about one of the channels I used the most. So they do pay attention.

Let's face it though... 99% of standards listeners lived when the songs were currents. And that means nearly all are over 70. Since satellite is predominantly an in-car service, we look at how many seniors drive enough to justify a satellite radio subscription. I had a talk with a manager at my Lexus dealer and he mentioned that a couple of models had almost a 0% satellite renewal rate... and he believed it was because those models tended to be extreme senior cars. On the other hand, the buyers of the little CL200 hybrid hatchback all renew... different demo and lifestyle.

They are not going to do anything that costs them subscribers in meaningful numbers. Since they do research, I would assume that they found zero downside in swatting the standards.
 
Atwater Kent said:
If the only entertainment most people want is Miley Cyrus playing with her putrid privates, the country is in deep trouble. The person you're responding to couldn't be opposed to child prostitution because there is money in it. No wonder Corporate Capitalism is a dirty word.
Click to expand...

Here we have a problem... because you dislike certain music or artists, nobody else should like it or you engage in name calling. The ad hominem... and it is a disgusting one for sure... is inappropriate.

I like some of the Miley songs. I ignore her show antics, just as I ignored Madonna's over the line stuff. But I also liked lots of Madonna songs. Chris Brown has a less than exemplary lifestyle, but he is an amazing singer, and his duo with Pitbull is one of my favorites of all time. The guys in Imagine Dragon don't look like the clean-cut kids in Happy Days, but they do wonderful songs with incredible skill and intensity. Or Macklemore's Thrift Shop... sure, it uses the F Word repeated times, but it's actually a fun and innocent song that addresses the times very well.

Oh, yeah. That dude from the Doors offed himself with drugs. And then there was Hendrix and Janis. Oh, and Elvis, too.

And some of those crooners from the 40's and 40's could tie one on! Hedda Hopper could not get enough of their antics.

So there are some entertainers with strange behaviour. How unusual. They still made and make great music decade after decade.

Why get upset? There will always be art that some don't like that others do, made by artists that are more or less likable. Live and let live.
 
Atwater Kent said:
Since all of their radios are coded, is there anyway each channel could be used for personal choices if wanted. For example, could channel six be used for something besides 60's on 6 if desired. Then all the people who want one of the Sirius XM online only channels could have it on satellite in their car where Internet connection is bad. This would give Sirius XM a big leg up on Internet and greatly increase the number of choices.
Click to expand...

The limitation is bandwidth. The satellites have the ability to carry a finite number of discreet channels, irrespective of their number. If they add more, it takes bandwidth, and thus fidelity, from other channels. So they can not add custom channels for individual users or make available the online channels because they lack the capacity to do it.
 
Not suprised. Sirius XM is one of the worst run companies I have ever seen. I am a subscriber. BEFORE I get my quarterly bill I will get a call from them asking me where my payment is. Their customer service people are all "off shore" and can barely speak or understand English. Plus they are arrogant and nasty in their ignorance of the English language. Would go to another provider if there was one. I am surprised that Comcast hasn't taken them over and added them to the MEGA communications network. Will miss the "4" . Just old enough to remember hearing many of those songs on my parents phonograph and car radios. Fun to listen to and a nice change from today's atonal music.
 
Aren't we getting a little ahead of ourselves? Is there anything official that 40s on 4 won't be back after the three-month Billy Joel channel expires? SiriusXM has done themed channels for a limited time before and returned the original channel when time was up.
 
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