Siriusly Sinatra officially unveiled
Sirius has officially taken the wrapping off of its new Standards channel, Siriusly Sinatra. They have issued a press release stating that the station will be similar to Standard Time, but play more of Frank Sinatra’s music as well as music from around the standards and big band genre. New specialty shows will include Nancy Sinatra with a weekly show and, I kid you not, “Frank to Host His Own Show, The Chairman’s Hour”, based on archival footage.
The station will likely launch on February 14th based on rumors we posted earlier.
But I'll give it a chance/listen. by syphix924
by WolfViper
- Jon by jon01
They dropped Swing Street and said they'd be playing more swing on Standard Time to make up for it. But they hardly play any swing on Standard time.
I do listen to Standard time and I don't mind Sinatra, but now it's going to be "the Sinatra channel" with a lot more Sinatra content. They say they still will be playing other artists but I guess the head music director at Sirius is convinced that listeners want channels based on single artists.
This isn't great news to me
Standard Time is easily in my top 3 stations on Sirius. I simply love it. I love the mix of musicians and songs that I hear, from older to newer (Buble, etc). However, with the shift to Sinatra, I just don't know. I mean, I love Frank as much of the next guy, but how much are we going to hear him on this station? I just liked the way it was. I know this isn't an exclusive artist channel, but its about as close to it as we can get...
Not that my input will make any difference, but I was (am) pissed when I read this. Damn you Sirius! by jnorth51
i don't mind the change for that reason but yeah if it's all sinatra i won't tune in as much. and now that i DO have him as an artist in my memory i'm gonna have to fix that. by dkain1976
Siruis cant replace standard time with a 100% Sinatra channel. Even I would get sick of that! by tgajr
I like the variety of standard time. And this only squeezes the Swing people out a little bit more.
I am not sure how I feel about this. Perhaps it will be just like the standard time, but with some sinatra shows. That would be good.
This must be some kind of marketing idea also. XM just lost their rights with the Sinatra name, now Sirius has it. The name may help get more subscribers. by tgajr
Seems like it will be Standard Time with a Sinatra emphasis.
I will give it a try. by tgajr
I like the variety of standard time. And this only squeezes the Swing people out a little bit more.
I am not sure how I feel about this. Perhaps it will be just like the standard time, but with some sinatra shows. That would be good.
This must be some kind of marketing idea also. XM just lost their rights with the Sinatra name, now Sirius has it. The name may help get more subscribers.
I think they should of left Standard Time like it was, and added a couple of extra shows or something like that. I wouldn't mind if they left it like it was, and just tossed in a couple of Sinatra shows/concerts, etc. Then I could stomach it.
However, no offense to all of the Radio Margaritaville fans out there, but if its like that station (where it seems like out of 5 songs, one of them is a Jimmy Buffett song), I won't be tuning in anymore (not that it will make a difference to Sirius or their bottom line).
But you KNOW with a name like Siriusly Sinatra, is HAS to be heavily skewed towards more Sinatra songs.... by jnorth51
I'd have to reccomend the competition to my folks, who love swing and standards, since they offer more with their 40's channel and standards. It's not as big of an issue for me, as there's plenty of other music to listen to, but it's a major part of their lives. We all know that terrestrial radio doesn't play swing at all anymore, but "beautiful music" may still have the odd Sinatra or Rosemary Clooney tune.
If anything should be highlighted on Sundays, why not "Swing Sundays" to at least give us a little of what we lost with the continued channel tweaking. by eggwards
Saturdays 8 pm - 11 pm ET
The joint is jumpin' with three solid hours of the greatest big bands and singers of the swing era featuring Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Glenn Miller, Fats Waller and Tommy Dorsey.
Is that something new?
- Jon by jon01
...
Is that something new?
- Jon
Just my guess... this channel will be similar to Radio Margaritaville, meaning not a single artist channel, but one built around a single artist.
All things considered, I'd rather this channel stay Standard Time. by 7Aaron
I guess now it's just a waiting game to see not if, but when and how they'll be fucking up the new '90s channel.
What is a payola channel? by tgajr
Doesnt Xm have a Sinatra channel??Franks place-
Proves they dont listen to their subscribers!
Dam you !
Bring back swing street you bastards!
No Im not 79. by gumbyandpokie999
In this case it would be Frank's people paying Sirius to call the channel Siriusly Sinatra and make the programming more oriented around him.
If I understand the "payola" charge, it's that Sirius sells a chanel, in exchange for promotional consideration from the touring band. In this case, they are buying the name for a channel they already have. Seems different to me. by RoadRunner
(post number 666, creepy!)
-jhdk by JHDKoopman
Just my guess... this channel will be similar to Radio Margaritaville, meaning not a single artist channel, but one built around a single artist.
All things considered, I'd rather this channel stay Standard Time.
I am afraid this will be like Radio Margaritaville, but now, out of every 5 "standards" they play, 1 will be from Frank. by jnorth51
- Jon by jon01
Saturdays 8 pm - 11 pm ET
The joint is jumpin' with three solid hours of the greatest big bands and singers of the swing era featuring Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Glenn Miller, Fats Waller and Tommy Dorsey.
Is that something new?
- Jon
Second, I picked up one of the newer models with 30 song and artist alert selections and then made it a point to listen to that 3 hour window on Saturday evening. (One of the *worst* day and time choices they could have made. It is easier to catch the late night Twilight Zone broadcasts on the Radio Classics channel than to regularly set aside 3 hours on a busy Saturday evening when listening to radio often gets pre-empted by other needs.) Even after making a full 1/3 of the 30 choices swing and big band artists from that Saturday evening window, those choices *never* come up during the, roughly, 30 hours per week I listen to SIRIUS.
Finally, I *love* a wide variety of music. (Check out my suggestions for a possible new SIRIUS channel in the Backstage contest from a year or so ago if you are interested.) Although I very much continue to enjoy SIRIUS (2 subscriptions, one Sportster and one Starmate Replay), I am also someone who decided to join only after they added their "new " channels 4-5 years ago; Elvis Radio and The Vacation Channel. Since then, 2 of my favorite channels haved been dropped, Swing Street and The Vacation Channel; and their purported replacements don't come close to providing the alternative SIRIUS said they would.
The standards channel fell and continues to fall woefully short of meeting the swing music alternative SIRIUS stated it would at the time they made that change. Likewise, Margaritaville and the Reggae Channel fall well short of the fun and diverse offerings of the Vacation Channel. (I can't recall hearing the original version of "Pass the Dutchie" since the Vacation Channel went off the air.)
Every year a decsion must be made about renewing my SIRIUS subscriptions. The more of the uniqueness and my favorites they lose or drop, the less likely it is that I will be a subscriber indefinitely. If SIRIUS becomes little more than a Super Shuffle of a deep contemporary music collection, there is less and less reason to stay with them. On the other hand, if they offer truly fun and unique choices - like Swing Street, The Vacation Channel, and a true World Music channel, there is more and more reason to stay with them and promote their service.
No need for some of the long-time backstagers to rip me for being a whiner about lost channels. A lot of you got your needs addressed when they brought back a spa and new age music channel. This is the 21st century and satellite radio we are talking about. There should be enough room for all of us.
End of rant. Now returning you to your regular programming. by Erosman
- Jon
Branding 75 with Sinatra's name is a good business move. It'll bring in subscribers with another "exclusive" channel. I really like the idea of rare concerts and archive recordings. However I am a bit skeptical that this channel will live up to what it's promising. Is this going to be more like Elvis Radio or just the current channel 75 with a new moniker and a few extra songs per hour?
Time will tell I suppose. I'm giving Sirius the benefit of the doubt here as a big Sinatra fan. I hope they do this right. by dpmccann
"I want his legacy to continue through this century and into the next," Sinatra said at the launch of the channel, which will use family archives and dedicate more than half its playlist to her father. by firsttimer
"I want his legacy to continue through this century and into the next," Sinatra said at the launch of the channel, which will use family archives and dedicate more than half its playlist to her father.
- Jon by jon01
"I want his legacy to continue through this century and into the next," Sinatra said at the launch of the channel, which will use family archives and dedicate more than half its playlist to her father.
Sweet god....
HALF of the playlist dedicated to Frank??
Oh come on.
If you get tired of Frank and the Rat Pack, change the channel to 13 and catch some Elvis or catch a little Super Shuffle or Sirius Blues or Metropolitian Opera or Heart and Soul or Hip Hop Nation or New Country or Jam_On or The Coffee House etc, etc, etc and etc.........and more etc...... by Sirius_Rich
This is a post that I totally agree with!
Personally, I think its a shame that the only channel on sirus that plays pre 1955 music will get half of its playlist devoted to one artist. Even if its an icon like Frank...
Come on Sirius!! by jnorth51
This is a post that I totally agree with!
Personally, I think its a shame that the only channel on sirus that plays pre 1955 music will get half of its playlist devoted to one artist. Even if its an icon like Frank...
Come on Sirius!!
Band with deep playlists. Sirius's Standard Time and Saturday night Swing Time are extremely limited with no depth. They seem to play the same songs constantly. I've heard repeats on Standard Time from morning to evening. I've never heard such repetition on XM. Has anyone else noticed how limited the Sirius playlists are? I like Frank Sinatra, but will this further limit the standards and Big Band playlists? I say keep Standard Time, bring back Swing Time, and give Sinatra his own Siriusly Sinatra! ...And I am age 49. by jackdaws567
My favorite Frank Sinatra quote:
"You're not drunk if you can lay on the floor without hanging on." by 24karat
I am never around on that time on a Saturday night to catch the swing show! by jnorth51
I completely agree. There is zero place for modern remakes of standards on this stream, and never has been. Rod Stewart and any other modern artist extending their career by singing standards...that stuff belongs on Starlite and Sirius Love IMO. by itstrue
With the merging of Standard Time and Swing, the playing of modern artists singing this music, and now playing Sinatra 50% of the time, Siriusly Sinatra is no longer worth a preset.
I encourage everyone who's dissatisfied with this channel to send Sirius feedback directly. by 7Aaron
Overall I think I liked Standard Time better too, but this channel isn't too bad, just way too many repeats.... but that is true with most Sirius channels in my opinion. The programmers are lazy as hell and haven't clue how to keep these channels fresh with removing and adding music on a constant rotating basis. by DAB
Overall I think I liked Standard Time better too, but this channel isn't too bad, just way too many repeats.... but that is true with most Sirius channels in my opinion. The programmers are lazy as hell and haven't clue how to keep these channels fresh with removing and adding music on a constant rotating basis.
Unfortunately, I think they are overplaying Frank. I love his music, but there is a TON of other music out there from this era. I have written to Sirus, with no reply. Guess I'll contact them via my pocketbook. My subscription comes up for renewal this month, and I have decided not to renew because of the change from standards to alll frank.... all the time. by Rickanator
They play too much Sinatra on the Sinatra channel???????
That is just not possible! A real Sinatra fan gets a mood or a feeling and goes to the channel to hear SINATRA!
Someone says he would cancel their subscription because they play too much Sinatra?!
First of all, no you won't.
There is no second of all. by JohnDaddyo
Maybe not as effective as calling...but I felt the need to email, even though I don't think it will hinder their decision... by jnorth51
I was hoping when they announced this they would maintain a diverse selection of artists doing standards along with some swing, while tilting towards Sinatra and some Sinatra specials (not unlike Margaritaville).
The fact is that they now have abandoned swing altogether and effectively only offer a standards option if you want to hear Sinatra doing them. Yeah, they play others but it is so swayed towards Sinatra, they may as well not even bother with the others. It's a shame that they have essentially killed 2 genres with one move. Hopefully when (if) they merge, the XM offerings in these categories will prevail. by jr461
I was hoping when they announced this they would maintain a diverse selection of artists doing standards along with some swing, while tilting towards Sinatra and some Sinatra specials (not unlike Margaritaville).
The fact is that they now have abandoned swing altogether and effectively only offer a standards option if you want to hear Sinatra doing them. Yeah, they play others but it is so swayed towards Sinatra, they may as well not even bother with the others. It's a shame that they have essentially killed 2 genres with one move. Hopefully when (if) they merge, the XM offerings in these categories will prevail.
Am I correct in assuming that Ch. 4 (The 40's Channel) and Ch. 73 (High Standards) are in this genre?
Can anyone with a dual sub comment? AZJoe maybe?
Again, i have no idea how the merger will affect us with the a la carte selections, etc, but these 2 channels are looking appealing to me! by jnorth51
Can anyone with a dual sub comment?
Awesome. Now I am a bit jealous.
Maybe with the merger, I can hear these channels? by jnorth51
Maybe with the merger, I can hear these channels?
Do that XM Online trial for 3 days. Also, try AOL Radio which carries XM channels. While no good in the car, it would give you the chance to sample 40's and High Standards
After a couple of weeks listening on and off I was very disappointed.
It feels like something isn't quite right. I miss Standard Time. It played enough Sinatra to keep me entertained but the other artist variety wasn't so narrow.
After a couple of weeks listening on and off I was very disappointed.
It feels like something isn't quite right. I miss Standard Time. It played enough Sinatra to keep me entertained but the other artist variety wasn't so narrow.
I will second that. Another one who feels the same way... by jnorth51