XM Home Plate programming shake up

[Patrick425]

I know some of you subscribe to XM and listen to Home Plate 175. It appears they are shaking up some things there as a result of the merger. I frequently liked to listen to Baseball this AM with Buck Martinez and Mark Patrick. I thought they worked well together. It appears they did not renew Patrick's contract and I believe Martinez was moved to a later morning show. This morning they had Holden Kushner and Jim Duquette as hosts. I don't really like Holden Kushner. He sounds like a typical big market announcer.

 

I also noticed that Ripken Baseball seems to have disapeared along with several other programing changes including the end of rebroadcasting classic games.

 

I'm concerned that this might be the beginning of the end for the Home Plate channel on XM.

[Invader3K]

I noticed they shook up "The Show", and Dibble and Kennedy don't seem to be together anymore...I think that's a shame, since I enjoyed those two together.

[Schlitz001]

I wonder if this has anything to do with Sirius buying out XM? I've been a subscriber to XM for a few years now and it seems like since the buyout happened a lot of my favorite programming has been getting a makeover. It would be a shame to see the team of Kennedy and Dibble break up.

I like Holden Kushner in small doses on the weekend. He certainly has the "radio voice" for the job, but listening to him is more like listening to the Mets fan at the local bar than an experienced baseball personality.

[pitchleague]

I, too, have noticed subtle differences since the merger. There is more talk in between songs on the music stations (at least I've noticed it more).

 

And, yeah, the baseball channel isn't the same without Buck and the Big Chair.

[Invader3K]

I, too, have noticed subtle differences since the merger. There is more talk in between songs on the music stations (at least I've noticed it more).

Yeah...a lot of the music channels became the Sirius versions. I'm kind of annoyed...the station they replaced Fred on 44 with has these really inane disc jockeys that don't add much to the station, other than making it sound like some low rent FM clone. Stuff like that, coupled with the already subpar audio quality, is really making me consider cancelling at the end of this month (I did a 12 month deal). I just don't know what I'd listen to otherwise, as for the most part, I hate the radio stations around here. I would also miss MLB Home Plate a lot, despite the recent changes.

[bucks2281]

FWIW, there are more music channels. I like the new Alt Nation (ch 47) format -- it seems like they're playing newer music. I also like the addition of the NBA package, but there's no way I'd pay $4.95/month for the NFL package for only 6 hours of football per week.

 

I'm keeping my satellite radio as long as I live in Milwaukee. I challenge somebody to find a market as large as Milwaukee with worse FM radio stations.

[nate82]

I'm keeping my satellite radio as long as I live in Milwaukee. I challenge somebody to find a market as large as Milwaukee with worse FM radio stations.

I believe there needs to be more stations like 97.3 in Milwaukee.

[GAME05]

i'm fine with Buck Martinez leaving the morning slot. he's fine, but he's dry and talks pretty slow that he just makes me more tired when i turn him on in the morning.

[DHonks]

I loved Buck and Patrick in the morning. Kennedy and Dibble were great in afternoons. My hope is that after the long baseball season, they are just giving the first months of the offseason to different folks already with the station, just to give the season-long personalities a break.

[Patrick425]

I loved Buck and Patrick in the morning. Kennedy and Dibble were great in afternoons. My hope is that after the long baseball season, they are just giving the first months of the offseason to different folks already with the station, just to give the season-long personalities a break.

Yeah, I was hoping the same thing, but then I read this (3rd article down):

 

http://texball.blogspot.com/

 

Also, a lot of threads about the lineup changes on XM MLB Homeplate here:

 

http://www.xmfan.com/viewforum.php?f=39

[I Heart Brewers]

I was just listening to the NFL on Sirius and apparently for all of the Sirius subscribers who have subscribed to the best of XM they have added 'MLB Homeplate' to that channel lineup. After some research it appears that it is channel 210 on Sirius. I'm currently listening online so I cannot confirm that yet. I am pumped!

[brettac1]

As long as I still have my Ron & Fez, I am fine with it... I don't even listen to anything else anymore. I guess I just was annoyed by the Home Plate channel when I did listen to it way back when. I wish they had more hosts with a statistical bent - like Jeff Erickson with his fantasy show.

[Patrick425]

I was just listening to the NFL on Sirius and apparently for all of the Sirius subscribers who have subscribed to the best of XM they have added 'MLB Homeplate' to that channel lineup. After some research it appears that it is channel 210 on Sirius. I'm currently listening online so I cannot confirm that yet. I am pumped!

Interesting, I wonder if they will add the NFL channel for XM subscribers. Up until now XM subscribers had to pay about $5 extra a month to get what they called "The best of Sirius" which I believe included the NFL channel.

[I Heart Brewers]

Interesting, I wonder if they will add the NFL channel for XM subscribers. Up until now XM subscribers had to pay about $5 extra a month to get what they called "The best of Sirius" which I believe included the NFL channel.

I actually pay the extra money to get the bestof XM which then includes Homeplate. It is not available to regular Sirius subscribers. They are currently running a deal for subscribers to both that gives you 3 months free to try it out.

[rotoherb]

The homeplate programming shakeup was due to Sirius management taking over and XM management getting the boot. Jeff Erickson's fantasy baseball show will not be back this year because the "brains" at Sirius don't want any fantasy sports radio shows. The show actually did well on XM, but the Sirius guys really won't even consider it because it doesn't fit what they want.

[I Heart Brewers]

Actually Sirius runs a Fantasy Football show every Friday from 8pm-11pm. So to say Sirius programmers do not want any fantasy sports radio shows isn't really true. Unless they are planning on cancelling that as well.

[Invader3K]

I was listening to MLB 175 this afternoon, and whoever the guy is (Casey something?) is just plain horrible. Total pro-Yankees dude. Was bashing people for calling in and complaining about the Teixeira signing, basically. What the hell happened to Rob Dibble? It sounded like I was listening to a typical national sports radio call in show, of the type you'd hear on your local Sporting News radio affiliate at 1 AM, or something.

 

If they keep juggling their lineup like this, I'll just have one more reason to justify cancelling.

[GAME05]

i pretty much don't listen to Home Plate anymore because all they talk about is Texiera and i'm pretty tired of it. a couple nights ago they were interviewing a minor-league team owner and they even asked him what they thought about Texiera, as if he would have any real insight into it.

[Invader3K]

Yeah, it's too bad. Just a few weeks ago this station was still really good. Now it sounds like they're trying to be the typical sports radio clone.

 

Yesterday the guy was already asking "Are the Yankees the best team on paper in the AL in 2009?" Well, duh, probably.