Do you own a satellite radio? I was lucky enough to receive one for my last birthday, and so the past few weeks have passed in a happy blur of all the music I can't find on terrestrial radio, from the National to Buck Owens, Martha Reeves to Social Distortion. And, since long before I got hooked up, rumors have been flying that XM and Sirius soon will become one. It's more than just rumors -- Sirius CEO Mel Karmazin has been trying to convince FCC Chairman Kevin Martin that the merger wouldn't create a monopoly on satellite radio, that in fact consumers would end up with more choices, and that satellite has other natural competitors like the iPod and traditional radio. It just might be working... and this week's interesting and seemingly unrelated approval of Whole Foods' takeover of the Wild Oats chain is an encouraging development to those vying for an XM/Sirius combo. The natural grocers' buyout isn't a done deal -- the FTC is appealing -- but what do you think? Is the conditional approval of this deal in the organic groceries market a signal that antitrust concerns are on the wane? Or are these deals just apples and oranges?
categories: Cutting Room Floor
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