Sirius (SIRI) Merger With XM Satellite (XMSR): A Little Sleaze From The NAB

Investing

Published: November 25, 2007 1:37 pm

This post may contain links from our sponsors and affiliates, and Flywheel Publishing may receive compensation for actions taken through them.

The National Association of Broadcasters and all of its radio station members are against a merger of Sirius (SIRI) and XM Satellite (XMSR). They don’t want the satellite radio business to be any stronger than it is today.

But, has the NAB crossed the line in terms of the way it is lobbying to keep the deal undone? Probably.

According to The Washington Post, the NAB got thousands of e-mails sent to the FCC with messages opposing the merger. But, when the newspaper checked with some of the people who had sent the notes, a number of them could not remember being involved. According to a piece in the Post "the lobby group said it inspired the sending of 8,500 e-mails to the agency by buying pop-up ads on consumer-oriented Web sites such as CarMax.com, Staples.com and PriceGrabber.com in August and September." (CarMax has written us saying that they do not have pop-ups at their site.)

Was the move by the NAB legal? Perhaps. Was it sleazy? Definitely.

Douglas A. McIntyre

Take This Retirement Quiz To Get Matched With An Advisor Now ^(Sponsored)

Are you ready for retirement? Planning for retirement can be overwhelming, that’s why it could be a good idea to speak to a fiduciary financial advisor about your goals today.

Start by taking this retirement quiz right here from SmartAsset that will match you with up to 3 financial advisors that serve your area and beyond in 5 minutes. Smart Asset is now matching over 50,000 people a month.

Click here now to get started.