A question about Satellite radio (XM in particular)

Obviously they have some way to know that they are broadcasting to an
individual receiver, else (a) they couldn't sell and send signal to
specific devices who pay and not to others and (b) they can deliver
specific programming (Playboy channel, Opie and Anthony) to specifc
receivers.

But - suppose I listen to 'non-premium' channels - for instance, I
listen to 15 (folk music) on weekends and 7 (70s music) during the
week, and 132 (C-Span) during rush hour. Can XM track that
information to a per-subscriber level? Do they have a way to know,
for instance, that any moment there might be 400,000 people listening
to NASCAR and 1000 to America Left? What's their capability for usage
analysis?

(The reason I ask - I like 15-Folk and I hope that enough people
listen to it to keep it on the air.)

Ted

--
Ted Koppel

"Ted Koppel" wrote in message
...
A question about Satellite radio (XM in particular)

Obviously they have some way to know that they are broadcasting to an
individual receiver, else (a) they couldn't sell and send signal to
specific devices who pay and not to others and (b) they can deliver
specific programming (Playboy channel, Opie and Anthony) to specifc
receivers.

But - suppose I listen to 'non-premium' channels - for instance, I
listen to 15 (folk music) on weekends and 7 (70s music) during the
week, and 132 (C-Span) during rush hour. Can XM track that
information to a per-subscriber level? Do they have a way to know,
for instance, that any moment there might be 400,000 people listening
to NASCAR and 1000 to America Left? What's their capability for usage
analysis?

(The reason I ask - I like 15-Folk and I hope that enough people
listen to it to keep it on the air.)

Ted

--
Ted Koppel


Either this is a joke or you have NO IDEA how a radio receiver works.....

Obviously they have some way to know that they are broadcasting to an
individual receiver, else (a) they couldn't sell and send signal to specific
devices who pay and not to others and (b) they can deliver specific programming
(Playboy channel, Opie and Anthony) to specifc receivers.

No, they don't. The system works the same way as an addressable cable box.
Digital data streams are sent to the receiver to unlock certain channels. The
only way they could know what station the radio is actually receiving at any
given moment would be for every receiver to also be a transmitter...and thus,
in the case of satellite radio, every receiver would also need a dish which
would automatically lock in on the nearest satellite.

But - suppose I listen to 'non-premium' channels - for instance, I listen to
15 (folk music) on weekends and 7 (70s music) during the week, and 132 (C-Span)
during rush hour. Can XM track that information to a per-subscriber level?

No. Their business model doesn't require that sort of information, and as
explained above it's impossible to obtain anyhow.

(The reason I ask - I like 15-Folk and I hope that enough people listen to it
to keep it on the air.)

You have to let them know that by other means...most likely either request
lines, e-mail or snail-mail.

Ted Koppel wrote in message
...
A question about Satellite radio (XM in particular)

Obviously they have some way to know that they are broadcasting to an
individual receiver, else (a) they couldn't sell and send signal to
specific devices who pay and not to others and (b) they can deliver
specific programming (Playboy channel, Opie and Anthony) to specifc
receivers.

But - suppose I listen to 'non-premium' channels - for instance, I
listen to 15 (folk music) on weekends and 7 (70s music) during the
week, and 132 (C-Span) during rush hour. Can XM track that
information to a per-subscriber level? Do they have a way to know,
for instance, that any moment there might be 400,000 people listening
to NASCAR and 1000 to America Left? What's their capability for usage
analysis?

(The reason I ask - I like 15-Folk and I hope that enough people
listen to it to keep it on the air.)


No signal is transmitted back to XM from the receivers, so there's no way XM
knows what you're listening to. Randomly e-mailed surveys, I believe, are
what XM bases its listenership estimates on.

I listen to channel 15, too, and would love to tell XM so, but have never
been surveyed in my two years as a subscriber.

Howard

"Ted Koppel" wrote in message
...
A question about Satellite radio (XM in particular)

Obviously they have some way to know that they are broadcasting to an
individual receiver, else (a) they couldn't sell and send signal to
specific devices who pay and not to others and (b) they can deliver
specific programming (Playboy channel, Opie and Anthony) to specifc
receivers.

But - suppose I listen to 'non-premium' channels - for instance, I
listen to 15 (folk music) on weekends and 7 (70s music) during the
week, and 132 (C-Span) during rush hour. Can XM track that
information to a per-subscriber level? Do they have a way to know,
for instance, that any moment there might be 400,000 people listening
to NASCAR and 1000 to America Left? What's their capability for usage
analysis?

(The reason I ask - I like 15-Folk and I hope that enough people
listen to it to keep it on the air.)

In a word, no. Without an uplink (XM and Sirius receivers are no different than a
conventional radio in that regard) there's no way for XM to know if anyone's
listening. This is, perhaps, one of the reasons why they're now duplicating
(although they're charging for it) Sirius' music streams on the web, so as to measure
who (or, more specifically, how many people) listen to one stream over another.
--
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If there's nothing that offends you in your community, then you know you're not
living in a free society.
Kim Campbell - ex-Prime Minister of Canada - 2004
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For direct replies, take out the contents between the hyphens. -Really!-

"Ted Koppel" wrote in message
...
A question about Satellite radio (XM in particular)

Obviously they have some way to know that they are broadcasting to an
individual receiver, else (a) they couldn't sell and send signal to
specific devices who pay and not to others and (b) they can deliver
specific programming (Playboy channel, Opie and Anthony) to specifc
receivers.

But - suppose I listen to 'non-premium' channels - for instance, I
listen to 15 (folk music) on weekends and 7 (70s music) during the
week, and 132 (C-Span) during rush hour. Can XM track that
information to a per-subscriber level?
Not directly from an XM receiver, because there are no data transmitting
circuits.

Do they have a way to know,
for instance, that any moment there might be 400,000 people listening
to NASCAR and 1000 to America Left? What's their capability for usage
analysis?

(The reason I ask - I like 15-Folk and I hope that enough people
listen to it to keep it on the air.)

Ted

--
Ted Koppel

"Ted Koppel" wrote in message
...
A question about Satellite radio (XM in particular)

Obviously they have some way to know that they are broadcasting to an
individual receiver, else (a) they couldn't sell and send signal to
specific devices who pay and not to others and (b) they can deliver
specific programming (Playboy channel, Opie and Anthony) to specifc
receivers.

I don't see how XM can know what channel you are listening to, unless you
tell them. Receivers do not transmit data anywhere, and they are not
connected to a phone line.

XM would know if you are interested in a premium channel because you are
subscribed to it.

On the Internet, nobody knows you're paranoid.