Advertisers who were once attracted to satellite because of the unique programming will now see the impact of less listeners on one of the channels that draws the most ad revenue. Bubba Live Reads are gone, and a pre-recorded ad does not have the same impact.
8. The “BEST OF” Sirius just lost value. Subscribers who just ponied up dollars for adding a year of “BEST OF” will be all over the net expressing yet another frustration with satellite radio. This is not a good piece of marketing, and I have a feeling this will become a major issue in the coming days, as the word continues to spread.
Now, to be fair, I do not know the terms Bubba was looking for. In my opinion, it could have perhaps rivaled Chris Mad Dog Russo money, but that is about the peak of what I think the show would have been seeking. Are things so bad at Sirius XM that a deal with Bubba could not make financial sense? Aren’t massive merger synergies happening that would allow original programming such as Bubba’s show to be retained? A move like this evokes a lot of questions at a time when the company needs to be instilling confidence. Set aside the consumer for a moment, and look at this from a lenders, or better yet, an investors perspective. This does not appear to be a confident move by the company. Particularly in the manner in which this news came out.
This piece would not be complete unless it was fair to Bubba and his crew as well. Yes, they signed the deal, but what choice did they really have? No one wants to work for less than they feel they are worth, or in tough economic times, slightly less. Bubba and the crew have a terrestrial radio deal that was growing, and a satellite deal that was apparently shrinking. Their loyalties are perhaps where they should have been. With the company that is giving the best deal (Cox). I can’t blame Bubba for this fiasco. It started a couple of years ago, and has snowballed ever since. Bubba, more than anything, wanted to do a satellite radio show. The deal offered by Cox was indeed lucrative, and he was placed in a position of having to do terrestrial. Now, once again, terrestrial radio is home for Bubba. His gig at Sirius XM has been demoted to part time. Like it or not, the Bubba Army just became the Bubba Florida National Guard by executive decision.
In the end, fans can not blame Bubba for this. Bubba has to run a business and support not only his family, but the families of his employees. This decision, in my opinion, rests on Sirius XM Radio. Someone somewhere in New York thought this was a good move. Time will tell, but I am betting that they will have second thoughts soon.
Position - Long Sirius XM
