From Greylock to Bean Blossom - Posted - 12/02/2015:  17:34:37

Folks,

A noted banjo player (understatement) posted this today regarding the possibility of the Bluegrass Junction being removed from Sirius Radio. I pass it on to you with the request that as many of you who feel like helping will write in support of keeping it on the air:

"I have a subscription to siriusxm radio for the sole purpose of hearing Bluegrass music 24/7 if I so choose. Well, I just learned that they are contemplating discontinuing that service, which saddens me because my whole career has been an uphill battle to get our music played on radio. Bill Monroe, Flatt/Scruggs, all were faced with the problem. Everyone who plays Bluegrass music, and records it, has had the same problem. It was changed, first with XM and then sirius and XM joined and gave us what we have been begging for, and it has worked. Bluegrass Music is in pretty good shape right now and that channel has been very instrumental in bringing that change. But we are in fear of losing it, so maybe you can all help.

THE NAMES ARE;

SCOTT.GREENSTEIN@SIRIUSXM.COM 

STEVE.BLATTER@SIRIUSXM.COM 

Following is the note I sent. Write something like this. we might be able to ward this off if we work together and let them know of it's importance to us, and everyone who loves Bluegrass music.

I shall forever grateful"

I ask the mods to not relegate this to the other thread regarding the Bluegrass Junction as this has to do with permanent and not seasonal removal  of the junction as is the other thread. Also, this is a call for action and placing this post under the heading of the other would mitigate its notice.

Thanks,

Ken

Edited by - From Greylock to Bean Blossom on 12/02/2015 17:41:22

banjoboyone - Posted - 12/02/2015:  18:02:42

I understand the grievance, but with all the other online streaming/radio options - many of them free and offering not only one, but several bluegrass options - I'm actually surprised that Sirius itself is still around.  I'm not terribly knowledgeable about the music business, but it seems to me that it would be a better use of time to get your music played on some of the more relevant services, such as iTunes Radio, Spotify, Pandora, etc...  

slthames - Posted - 12/02/2015:  18:03:43

I will definitely be sending a message to them. I have not had access to Sirius until about 3 months ago when I got a truck with the satellite radio in it. I have been listening to bluegrass junction exclusively with a free 3 month trial and decided today to go ahead and buy a subscription, so I did it and now this news..

Aradobanjo - Posted - 12/02/2015:  18:23:05

Hello,

Just sent an email to both gentlemen.

Aradobanjo - Posted - 12/02/2015:  18:30:10

Hello,

Sorry. Pandora is repetitive. Repetitive commercials. Repetitive songs. Repetitive artists. Web channels are little different as Pandora. Very few people have access to the depth of music artists and live interviews as Bluegrass Junction. 

chuckv97 - Posted - 12/02/2015:  18:32:13

I'll be sending an email for sure.
A few years ago they dropped the folk channel. Now there's only a 3 hour Sunday morning folk program on one of the other channels.

JMalmsteen - Posted - 12/02/2015:  19:07:04

I just sent an email. We have four subscriptions. Bluegrass junction is the station we listen to 90% of the time. Ack!!!

Bill Winterholer - Posted - 12/02/2015:  20:23:28

I live in Connecticut - finding Bluegrass here is pretty tough to begin with, and I was ecstatic to find Bluegrass Junction on it. I commute 2 to 4 hours a day each week - very hard to get internet based service doing that, particularly up CT Rt 9 which has areas of terrible cell coverage (I imagine truckers would have similar complaints). Then there's the data limitations of my cell phone. And there's also the idea of losing Kyle, Joey, Ned and Chris - I love their shows.

dc48 - Posted - 12/02/2015:  23:56:10

E-mail sent

DSmoke - Posted - 12/03/2015:  02:31:16

My wife just talked with Sirius yesterday as they called because the 1 year free subscription will be ending. She informed them that she will not be renewing because she really only listens to 2 stations, the Bluegrass station and Disney (for the kid). She would rather spend the money on a Spotify subscription that will give her access to much more and is portable, unlike the Sirius which is only in our Jeep. We do like the Bluegrass and it is nice to hear information from a live DJ but the platform is not the best for us. Good luck with your efforts!

I will however send the email.

Texasbanjo - Posted - 12/03/2015:  07:06:10

My subscription is also up and I'll let them know I won't renew until  I'm sure that Bluegrass Junction will stay on the air.  

miket - Posted - 12/03/2015:  08:26:30

I also just emailed and assured them that both of my subscriptions (my wife's car and mine) will be cancelled if they discontinue Bluegrass Junction.

From Greylock to Bean Blossom - Posted - 12/03/2015:  09:34:56

The above letter I posted was from Sonny Osborne. I put the letter up without his permission and so did not originally use his name but he just gave me permission to use it. Knowing Sonny's career and love of bluegrass,  and knowing how he knows how Monroe and the 1st generation of bluegrass payed such a great price to bring the music to the people thru one night stands, 2 lane roads, cheap hotels,  smoky roadhouses and low pay, it makes it very understandable when he is talking about the trials of getting bluegrass played on air and what he knows will be lost if it is taken off.

ken

 

chrisb5string - Posted - 12/03/2015:  10:03:32

I have never sent in a email to a corporation like this befroe, but losing Bluegrass Junction would be a big blow to my everyday life.   Hard to believe how much I listen to the music in the car at the office, at homw........We have been 2 unit subscribers for 11 years, and still have 2 years prepaid on our current subscription, but without Channel 61, the service would not longer hold any value for us.  One  email isn't much, but it can't hurt to let them know that people all over are   listening. 

gospelman97 - Posted - 12/03/2015:  10:28:38

There is a petition being sent around social media that was started by Donna Hughes.  Many other notable bluegrass artists like Sonny Osborne and Rhonda Vincent have signed.  You will find a link in today's Bluegrass Today's article if you want to sign:

bluegrasstoday.com/feedback-from-siriusxm/

Texasbanjo - Posted - 12/03/2015:  11:15:34

Folks, keep those e-mails going to Sirius.  When RFD-TV took Cumberland Highlanders off Saturday night, there were enough people who e-mailed, wrote and called that they quickly changed their minds and the Highlanders were only off for a month and now they're back on.  Writing, e-mailing, phoning CAN and DOES work.  If they don't hear from people, they won't know how much that program is listened to and how much we want it to continue.

kmwaters - Posted - 12/03/2015:  11:25:40

Just sent. I listen to it from the TV since it is a DISH channel. Listen for hours during the day when I'm home.

Doconc - Posted - 12/03/2015:  13:48:52

Uh, I thought they were just preempting for 8 days for  a Hanukah channel.  At least that's what  Rhonda Vincent's email said.  I understand the threat but I didn't think they were talking about cancelation.  

Texasbanjo - Posted - 12/03/2015:  15:12:04

Here's the answer to my e-mail that I sent this morning:

Bluegrass Junction will return to channel 61 on December 15. As with our other holiday channels, Radio Hanukkah is a temporary channel for the holiday season that takes the place of an existing channel for a short time (for instance, Holly took over Velvet last month). In the meantime, Bluegrass Junction remains available on smartphones and other connected devices as well as online at siriusxm.com. Thank you as always for your feedback and for being a loyal listener.



Sincerely,

Susan Boutilier

SiriusXM

​So..... it looks like it was just a terrible rumor about them taking Bluegrass Junction off permanently.  

Dan Mountjoy - Posted - 12/03/2015:  16:53:11

I think we are doing a "preemptive strike."

RB100 - Posted - 12/03/2015:  20:02:39

Folks, please get the full story on this before going into a frenzy. Thanks, Sherry for giving the up to date info. HOWEVER, all this being said, I think it is a very positive thing that the powers that be know just what an issue they would have to deal with IF they were to reduce bluegrass programming. I have certainly let my feelings be known to SiriusXM through messaging and email. I also received the same response as Sherry.

Bill Winterholer - Posted - 12/03/2015:  21:07:57

I think there's a misunderstanding here.

From the start, Sirius XM has stated that this was going to be a temporary change, with Bluegrass Junction returning on the 15th of December.  But then there was this conjecture from John Lawless on Bluegrass Today which may have confused the issue.

MY concern is that I have nothing to fall back on for the two weeks they will be hosting Chanukah music.  If online listening was a satisfying fix for hearing Bluegrass, I would never had bothered with Sirius as there are plenty of other sites that can fulfill that.  But they don't provide for me when I'm traveling for work.

But I can't help but wonder if perhaps they're doing this to see how many people cry out about the loss.  I don't know what the the total listenership is for the company, but just a small percentage of people upset may not be enough to prevent them from just taking BJ off the air and delegating it to online listening.

Billie

From Greylock to Bean Blossom - Posted - 12/04/2015:  00:52:13

This is from Bluegrass Today & author John Lawless. Where there is smoke there is often fire. As the article points out, why was bluegrass chosen out of 400 channels to be replaced? This is another step down of several already taken to diminish the Bluegrass channel. PLEASE keep up the emails to them. It is reasonable to assume that if they ever do decide to eliminate the bluegrass channel, it is gone for good. Following is the article stating the threat to the Bluegrass Channel.

"It was announced this morning that SiriusXM will be changing the musical format of channel 61, Bluegrass Junction, for 9 days. Instead of the 24/7 bluegrass signal so many listeners have come to love, they will broadcast Hanukkah Radio, in honor of the Jewish celebration of lights.

The network chooses from among its nearly 400 channels (80+ music channels via satellite) to pre-empt for seasonal programming each year. Why they chose one so prominent as bluegrass is an open question, and repeated attempts to reach someone this morning in their programming department have been unsuccessful.

The change will occur at midnight on Sunday, December 6, and Bluegrass Junction programming is set to resume on the 15th. During the interim, subscribers will only be able to access the bluegrass channel online.

This is another sign of the diminished value the company sees in its bluegrass product since Sirius and XM merged in 2008. The two satellite radio players had both experienced difficulty penetrating the market sufficiently to become profitable, and it is widely believed that the merger saved them both.

Prior to the merger, when Joe Clayton was CEO of Sirius, the bluegrass channel was a Golden Child within the company. Clayton had regularly remarked that it was his favorite channel, and often used live bluegrass in his press conferences. His promotion of bluegrass was universally recognized in our industry, and he was given a Distinguished Achievement Award by the IBMA in 2005 for his efforts.

But following the merger, and Clayton’s departure, bluegrass’s lustre began to fade. New CEO Mel Karmizan brought in a number of supervisors whose opinion of bluegrass was notably less elevated, and it became just another minor format among the network’s offerings. Bluegrass Today readers will recall when staff cuts were announced for Bluegrass Junction in February 2014 that took popular hosts Chris Jones and Ned Luberecki down to one day a week each.

Other niche market music formats have also been affected, with some being moved to online only.

If you are a regular listener to Bluegrass Junction, and fear that bluegrass could eventually be on the SiriusXM chopping block, you may not be completely paranoid. Letting the company know of your displeasure about the channel being preempted like this is a fine idea, but regular complaint channels rarely reach the actual decision makers.

In this case, the most likely executive responsible is Steve Blatter, Senior Vice President of Music Programming in New York.

It would be helpful to inform Mr. Blatter if Bluegrass Junction is the primary, or sole reason why you subscribe to SiriusXM, and how important a resource it is for our entire community. Bluegrass Junction reports to our Bluegrass Today Weekly Airplay Chart, and is a major asset for artists trying to break new music – including the many bluegrass Christmas albums released this Fall, and the many others of recent vintage.

There are worse outcomes imaginable than SiriusXM brass being afraid of getting the bluegrass world in a tizzy by mucking around with Bluegrass Junction. Let them know how you feel, and tell a friend."

Edited by - From Greylock to Bean Blossom on 12/04/2015 00:52:57

Texasbanjo - Posted - 12/04/2015:  05:03:46

There's another topic that's been started with a petition to sign.  Please go here:  banjohangout.org/topic/312040

I have locked the topic but I think you can still click on the red underlined "click here" and go and sign the petition.  If not, let me know and I'll unlock the topic. 

Seth Boyd - Posted - 12/04/2015:  12:22:29

As long as the remaining bluegrass portion of that channel is Chris Jones' show, they can play all the goofy holiday music they want. True Grass and Gospel Express are the only things worth listening to on that channel. I keep switching to it on my commute hoping they will play something decent, but 90% of the time I end up switching to Howard Stern or putting J.D. Crowe or Ralph Stanley on the ol' iPod haha. I'll keep my yearly subscription if they put on more Chris Jones. That's the petition I want to get started! More bluegrass on the bluegrass channel! It may seem like I'm trolling, but they've been playing Patty Lovelace and Robert Earl Keen on Bluegrass junction every other dang song for months, or that shotgun holler band with the parking lot song. Enough is enough!

Edited by - Seth Boyd on 12/04/2015 12:23:09

gottasmilealot - Posted - 12/04/2015:  13:18:32

What ticks me off is that on December 1st, I called them to cancel the service because it just started costing too much for the few channels I listen to, and Bluegrass Junction is probably 95% of my listening.  I would not have gotten the service at all without Bluegrass Junction.  Anyone that tries to cancel their service knows the routine where they keep passing you between people before they'll cancel the service after it takes getting indignant with the people.  After I would not agree to subscribing to a lesser service at a lesser-but-too-expensive-cost, they offered to cancel the subscription, but restart another subscription at a promotional deal which basically gave me a year of service for what they were trying to charge me for 6 months previously.  That was agreeable to me, as I do like the service, I'm just not willing to pay what they were initially trying to charge me.  I feel that just Nedski's Sunday afternoon banjo lessons are worth the subscription fee. 

So, then the next day they announce taking the bluegrass channel off.  That's deceptive business practices, because they have record of my listening habits and could have made me aware of that during our lengthly discussion, but they didn't.  They flat out misled me.  I understand that the channel is only off for a short period of time, but if they are willing to do that, the writing is on the wall.   I hope that with the number of people here, they can be flooded with emails and complaints.  It might not change anything, but maybe they'll think about taking off a channel where the programming is duplicated on other channels, not a channel that broadcasts a type of music singularly.

They can go pound sand. 

Texasbanjo - Posted - 12/04/2015:  15:37:39

I agree, Keith, about how difficult it is to renew your subscription at an affordable price.  I go through that every time I renew and have to tell them to "just cancel my subscription now" to get them to give me to one of their guys who can actually give me a decent price.  Looks like they'd learn who they can charge full price and who they can't.  They have records.  I have never paid full price and never will and..... if they take Bluegrass Junction off permanently, I'll definitely cancel my subscription.

pro16bass - Posted - 12/04/2015:  19:43:57

The only reason I subscribe is for the bluegrass, the thing that ticks me off is I really enjoy this time of year when they play bluegrass Christmas old and new with recent releases of some new albums. But now they are taking it off for a short period right when I really enjoy it. (Please take the time sign the petition and see if we can make a difference)
Also I go thru the hoops to get a good price on my subscription (not paying full rice for crap) not sure how low everyone else gets but I get 6months for 25$ plus taxes and fees and pay by check to keep them from having my card number for the automatic renewal. Right now if you call and complain some are getting a 10$ credit also I got access to Sirius on cell for a month for free.
Will cancel for good if they want to jerk my bluegrass around, there are other ways to get it without paying them.

steve davis - Posted - 12/05/2015:  05:36:24

I want free music.

obxpix - Posted - 12/05/2015:  13:31:26

Just requested my refund for that 9 day period, with the understanding that the next time it is preempted my subscription of over 10 years will be cancelled.....My message to them was to put the Jewish Christmas music on the Jewish Channel  and let the Bluegrass channel play the Bluegrass Christmas music that I have enjoyed for over 10 years....but wait, there isn't a Jewish channel, which means there are not enough people wanting to listen to a Jewish channel to justify it....Point made.

robbif - Posted - 12/05/2015:  19:42:20

Everyone is welcome to listen to my 2000+ MP3s and watch lots of videos, all for free...



frobbi.org/picking.html

From Greylock to Bean Blossom - Posted - 12/05/2015:  21:09:02

quote:

---

Originally posted by robbif

 

Everyone is welcome to listen to my 2000+ MP3s and watch lots of videos, all for free...



frobbi.org/picking.html

---

That would more than make up for it, but I can't get them in the car while driving.

ken

loukiii - Posted - 12/06/2015:  06:03:27

The thing that kind of rubs me the wrong way about the temporary substitution is that all the other channels being temporarily replaced are at least holiday versions of the same genre. But then we can't forget those bold Jewish bluegrass pioneers The Sinai Mountain Boys. Maybe they will get some airtime.

Baltimonkey - Posted - 12/06/2015:  16:56:00

Emails sent... petition signed.

DSmoke - Posted - 12/06/2015:  17:02:19

Well, I knew it was happening and guess what, yep we headed out in the Jeep today, hit button #3 and went.......what is this, oh yeah, so back to FM and listened to some Christmas music. Bye bye sirius this is why we have bluetooth in our vehicles.

LNEU - Posted - 12/06/2015:  19:17:06

You may have read my thread and certainly do not want to hijack this one. Just so you know, for what it is worth, I went ahead and cancelled my subscription to Sirius XM. They offered me $20.00 for the month which I declined. There are too many other choices that I can make and that THEY should have made. It was just one more thing in life....this time I chose to stand up.

Jim Pankey - Posted - 12/06/2015:  19:19:09

Letter from IBMA

​"Having Bluegrass Junction listeners cancel their subscriptions will only hurt efforts to maintain and increase the economic importance of this channel.  We need more listeners rather than less."

Edited by - Jim Pankey on 12/06/2015 19:22:25

Explorer - Posted - 12/07/2015:  12:06:14

Given the initial reaction before getting the facts, how likely is it that the IBMA's letter will matter to those subject to such reactions?

Aradobanjo - Posted - 12/07/2015:  13:12:00

Hello Jim,

Thank you for sharing the note from the IBMA. I did not cancel my subscription. I listened to another channel.

Jim Pankey - Posted - 12/07/2015:  21:36:13

quote:

---

Originally posted by Explorer

 

Given the initial reaction before getting the facts, how likely is it that the IBMA's letter will matter to those subject to such reactions?

---

When it was first announced the information that the preemption was temporary was there.  It didn't take too long before someone with a short attention span decided not to read the information that was given and went all chicken little.. A good solid round of the telephone game and a bunch of bad info gets spread around like the BGJ is gonna be gone forever.  You're right, that letter from the IBMA was too well thought out...

Explorer - Posted - 12/08/2015:  13:47:25

I like the parallel BHO topic wherein people have been proudly declaring having cancelled their subscriptions.

The IBMA clearly had too much faith in the reasonableness of bluegrass fans.

oldwoodchuckb - Posted - 12/08/2015:  14:03:00

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quote

:

---

Originally posted by obxpix

...but wait, there isn't a Jewish channel, which means there are not enough people wanting to listen to a Jewish channel to justify it....Point made.

---

I doubt that is what it means at all. In fact there are very few Jews in the world who would be enthusiastic about an All Jewish, All the Time radio channel. Furthermore, most of those who might have an interest (Jewish Fundamentalists) probably don't listen to radio at all. 

kmwaters - Posted - 12/08/2015:  14:47:47

The new big shot is Mel somebody. More of a Hannukah guy than a bluegrass guy.

Gymbal31 - Posted - 12/08/2015:  16:10:16

They should have just combined both stations.

lrbsammyswannabe - Posted - 12/11/2015:  06:44:38

Aside from "Truegrass" twice per week and the weekly banjo lesson , I think Bluegrass Junction is not worth listening to . It is no surprise to me that they are considering discontinuation of this so-called bluegrass station. This past summer , I attended a bluegrass festival and attended a banjo workshop put on by a very well-known player who was a personal friend of Earl's . He was asked to give his opinion on the state of bluegrass . I can't remember his exact response , but it was not a positive one. He gave examples of current bands that keep the sound of traditional bluegrass in their songs and those who don't. He called it "that newgrass stuff" , that I do remember . He was not a fan , and I could not have agreed more .

From Greylock to Bean Blossom - Posted - 12/11/2015:  07:24:09

quote:

---

Originally posted by lrbsammyswannabe

 

Aside from "Truegrass" twice per week and the weekly banjo lesson , I think Bluegrass Junction is not worth listening to . It is no surprise to me that they are considering discontinuation of this so-called bluegrass station. This past summer , I attended a bluegrass festival and attended a banjo workshop put on by a very well-known player who was a personal friend of Earl's . He was asked to give his opinion on the state of bluegrass . I can't remember his exact response , but it was not a positive one. He gave examples of current bands that keep the sound of traditional bluegrass in their songs and those who don't. He called it "that newgrass stuff" , that I do remember . He was not a fan , and I could not have agreed more .

---

You are exactly right. Much of the new stuff has no drive and people don't even tap their feet to it. And the melody and song selection -

The old Monroe era stuff - you would wake up the next morning tapping your feet in bed.

ken

steve davis - Posted - 12/11/2015:  07:47:40

It used to be on my Directv,but I woke up one morning and it was moved to Sirius.That's when I lost interest.