Rolling Stone reports that the long-anticipated union of XM and Sirius’ roster of music channels took place today, resulting in the elimination of some stations. The move had been expected since the companies’ merger went through back in July, but it still took some listeners by surprise. Flagship stations like Sirius’ Howard Stern channel and the Eminem-led “Shade 45” as well as XM’s Bob Dylan and Tom Petty stations will remain, unsurprisingly, but say goodbye to Sirius’ “Left of Center” (whose college rock playlist is now supposed to be covered by XM’s “XMU”) and XM’s “Fred,” “Ethel” and “Lucy,” whose variations on the alt-rock theme are all kaput.
After the jump: hear a station die!
Turns out it’s not just listeners who are grumbling. My old radio compadre (and current KFOG host) Big Rick Stuart forwarded me this link to a clip of Lucy’s final moments, in which host Bill Hutton sarcastically expresses his gratitude to XM management and the person who gave him the “stock tip” for satellite radio. Ouch. Also gone is Sirius’ electronic channel “Boombox” (long a supporter of kooky mashups, including my own), humiliatingly replaced with “Pop2K,” which features “2000s Pop Hits” like Kelly Clarkson and Pink. Consolidation: it’s always good for content.
