Satellite radio not the bargain it once was

                 I got a note from my satellite radio provider.  It said, "We appreciate your loyalty to Sirius XM and are dedicated to providing our subscribers with the best programming variety and listening experience available anywhere...... we are writing to notify you that the 'U.S. Music Royalty Fee' you will be charged on your next billing date will be different than the fee displayed in your subscription renewal notice.  The price displayed reflects the fee in effect at the time it was processed."
                What's this all about, I wondered?  It never costs me anything to listen to music on AM or FM.  How come it now costs me more to listen on satellite, the radio I pay for?
                 Ten years ago I told my mass communications class at Chestnut Hill College that, among the things I'd never do, I'd never pay for radio.  I get all kinds of free radio stations, why would I pay for more?  And that seemed like a sound argument until my son, Chris, the king of anything new, bought me a subscription to XM Satellite Radio.  In no time, I was hooked.  I now have it in my home, in my three cars and even pay for a subscription for my granddaughter, Brittany's car as she commutes daily to college.
                 Before XM and Sirius merged I was strickly an XM fan.  I liked their innovation and the many different options they offered.  Originally, like cable TV, there were no ads on the shows ---- so it was non-stop programming.  I totally get why people would pay extra for that.  The commerical radio stations sell ads to exist, I also get that, but the satellite ones sell subscriptions.  Clear enough distinction.
                As a former radio DJ myself (WIFI FM, WIBF, WBUX, WNPV) I used to love that on Fridays, XM disc jockey Terry Young (a longtime Philly jock) created entire shows based on the formats of long-deceased rock 'n roll stations on his "60s on Six" show.  He did one about WIBG (Wibbage) another about WFIL ---- and just about every legendary radio station nationwide.  It took a lot of work on his part ---- he dug up old commercials, air checks and celebrity appearance information ------ as if it were the 50s or 60s.  And then Sirius took over and that bit of innovation stopped.  Young went back to just being a DJ, albeit one of the better ones on satellite radio.
               There are satellite channels devoted to different eras of rock, big bands, old-time radio, show tunes, country music, operas, symphonies, news, talk, sports.  It's a pretty good thing; it's like cable TV without a picture.  The legendary "Cousin' Brucie" (Bruce Morrow) is on three times-a-week, radio vet Norm N. Nite broadcasts on weekends from the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.  Phlash Pehlps does the morning drive on "60s on Six" and he's a treasure trove of knowledge, humor and information.
               All of that is good stuff and, yes, I purchased satellite radio and paid a subscription fee for that service.  But I wonder why is it that I have to now pick up their tab for the music they are already selling to me with my subscription?
              Tune in the talk show hosts on satellite and you get the exact same show (for a fee) that you could get free on over-the-air stations.  Sean Hannity, Michael Savage, most of the rest ---- and you get all the commercials too, Where's the bargain?
             I think that the dumbest thing Sirius radio ever did was hire Howard Stern.  It changed the satellite radio landscape ---- they paid him huge dollars ----- and a lot of his followers simply stopped following him.  Sirius guessed wrong.  Stern was OK for free, no bargain for a fee.  In fact that's when the whole satellite radio thing turned sideways.
            The bad news continued, "The 'U.S. Music Royalty Fee,' which is added to Sirius XM subscriptions that include music channels, will increase to 12.5 percent for eligible plans that are purchased or renewed after February.  Subscribers to our popular Select package will see an increase of less than two-cents-per-day."
           OK, so that doesn't sound like much, but if it's so little why charge me at all?  Did it ever occur to them that, perhaps,  2-cents-per-day times the five subscriptions, I have might be enough to chuck the "pay to listen" idea and just go back to free radio?
           Now I understand that the artists need to be paid, but why is the listener (me) paying them?   I am not using their works to generate income for my corporation as is Sirius XM.  I am enjoying their effortson the radio, for free, as they intended.  If I want more I could always buy a CD.
           So I said, OK, I'll pay it this time.  But the jury is out and I suspect they'll lose a substantial number of subscribers with this heavy-handed money grab.  I don't mind paying for value, but I'm not a big fan of being gouged.
            One final radio note, I'll be returning the FM airwaves later this spring.  Can't wait.  I'll tell you more when it happens.