Seriously, has it been that long? All I want is for the two to finally kiss, make up, merge and make everyone happy, especially the million upon millions of users of satellite radio in the home or on the road. Last night, something went down that caused Matt Drudge, of the infamous Drudge Report, to sound the sirens and compose the following headline:
APPROVED OR DENIED? DRAMA BUILDS AROUND SIRIUS-XM MERGER... DEVELOPING...
There was no link or any further details, just that headline. I'm actively waiting for something to go down today, but like most of my Friday nights in high school, I think I will be left alone, with nothing to soothe me. Keep clicking to see how this merger has stacked up with some of the other mergers of the recent past.
Why has Sirius/XM merger moved at such a slow pace? It's obvious. It seems every Dick, Sam and Joe on Capitol Hill needs to approve the deal before anything can progress. As of yesterday, it was on day 342 of the merger progression. See the above chart to get an idea of how this timeframce stacks up with some of the other big name mergers, courtesy of Orbitcast. Chevron and Texaco are merely puny little oil companies compared to the joined might of Sirius and XM. no surprise they didn't have to jump through as many hoops to receive approval for a merge.
The manufacturers are ready and Sirius and XM have filled out all of the required paperwork numerous times—it's really on the FCC at this point. With this merger, the FCC has set a record for the longest application-to-approval time lag to date. Bravo! Now come on Drudge, don't let me down! [Orbitcast again]