Cinemagic, we hardly knew thee…
When investing in my first satellite radio in 2005, my only regret in choosing Sirius over XM was the fact that Sirius did not have a channel comparable to XM’s film soundtrack channel, Cinemagic. Fast-forward to this past November. Sirius and XM have merged and announced their new combined channel lineup and lo and behold, Sirius subscribers were now going to be able to listen to XM’s Cinemagic. OK, it was going to be repurposed to air Christmas music for the holiday season, but starting in January, I would be able to add the option of listening to movie soundtracks into my already eclectic listening habits.
Well, that didn’t last long.
Last Tuesday, January 6, I tuned to Cinemagic channel 81, only to find that it had been unceremoniously yanked, replaced with a rotation of short promotional spots for a 70s disco/dance music-themed channel to premier on the 15th. A call to Sirius’ automated listener request line yielded a prerecorded voice stating, “Sorry that channel does not exist,” when I tried to input Cinemagic’s channel number. This, despite the fact that there still exists a page for the channel on Sirius’ website.
The next call I placed was to Sirius XM’s media relations department, who in turn referred me to Pat Reilly in their programming department. An email inquiry sent last Wednesday asking whether Cinemagic was going to be relocated on the Sirius lineup or if it was gone for good has not been answered.
Now I’ve been a Sirius subscriber long enough to know that they occasionally change their channel offerings based on programming availability and subscriber feedback. But only giving us a channel for five freaking days?! That’s strikes me as more than a bit ridiculous, especially when the channel is pre-empted to ballyhoo its replacement a full week before that replacement signs on the air. I would wager that many Sirius listeners who would enjoy the channel never even got to sample it before it disappeared.
Come on, Sirius. You say that you’re the “best radio on radio.” Prove it, and give Cinemagic a home.
If I was a Sirius subscriber, I’d be deeply upset by this news.
Yet another stupid move by corporate entertainment yahoos. There is a larger market growing due to rising interest in movie soundtracks by the late 30, early 40-something crowd. A heap of thanks to TCM who recently spearheaded the rerelease of various classic film scores, inclusive of King Kong. Heck, even AOL has been diligent in giving AOLRadio listeners movie soundtrack options – scores or otherwise. Tsk, tsk, a sad day for satellite radio listeners… (Shaking my head in utter disgust.)
My wife and I had resubscribed to Sirius and bought around $500 in Sirius related hardware so we could listen to it in our cars. The main reason? Cinemagic. We had canceled Sirius before due to lots of issues and it having no station like Cinemagic or http://www.streamingsoundtracks.com. When we heard Sirius was getting Cinemagic, we were extremely excited and anxious. I bought my wife all the nessisary hardware to install Sirius in her vehicle so she could listen to Cinemagic on her drive to work. Once the holiday music ended, we were excited and loving Cinemagic… now its gone…… Read more »
I agree with all that i’ve read and share the same delima!!! PLEASE<PLEASE “CINEMAGIC”…gotta have it!!
Cinemagic appears to still be playing via the web player.
I too, enjoyed listening to Cinemagic on my GM-supplied XM radio for 6 years. Then I bought a Ford Edge with Sirius, knowing Sirius and XM had “merged” programming. Alas, whenever i tune my car radio to Ch. 88 or whatever it is, the RDS reads “Cinemagic” but the programming is some mind numbing hip hop music. C’mon Sirius – let’s have Cinemagic. I had to pay for a premiium internet connect to get Cinemagic on my laptop. I can even get it on my iPod Touch with the new app I downloaded but I miss it in my car… Read more »
I’m confused. I have Cinemagic on Sirius XM and love it. I bought my car in June, 2009. Still have it in August.
Kathy, your car probably has the XM radio and is receiving the XM programming package. Before they merged, XM and Sirius receivers had different technology that prohibited them from recieving the other company’s signal. Not that they’ve merged, most of their programming is the same for people who have XM and Sirius receivers. However, some things – Like Cinemagic, which was originally an XM channel pre-merger – aren’t duplicated on the Sirius side and vice versa. Cinemagic is only available to Sirius subscribers via their online service.
After advertising Cinemagic and broadcasting on their Satellite Radio service briefly in 2009, SIrius Canada returned Cinemagic to Canadian subscribers on the Sirius Online listening stream as SIR-9. In the middle of the Toronto International Film Festival this September, Sirius Canada abruptly removed Cinemagic from the line-up. The Sirius Call Center was not even aware of the channel’s removal as of September 15th, but two days later, Sirius Canada responded to an email that Cinemagic has been removed (again). How are paying subscribers supposed to feel when the broadcaster advertises and removes channels without even advising their customers of the… Read more »
Ever wonder why XM stock went down to pennies before they were took over by SIRIUS? It’s hard to justify a company with piss poor service for such a high price. Especially when you contemplate free stations over the air. Channel 81, the pseudo-disco channel, sounds like about 40 other disco channels. What happened to the soundtrack channel Cinemagic? You don’t have a soundtrack channel, not even one. No customer based service or regard for its listeners is why stock for SIRIUS is down from $3.85 to a embarrassing ,83 cents. Look for a place to land, SIRIUS. Your price… Read more »
i dont understand something… i love cinemagic… i listen to it on my iphone when i go to sleep.. in fact i did so last night… I went to add it to my StarPlayr app on my Mac and i couldnt find the station… so i googled and wound up here… seems like Cinemagic still exists on the iPhone app, but is not offered in their channel lists.. in the iphone there are no channel numbers, it’s just listed under “Jazz, Blues, & Standards”… so for you Cinemagic fans, go get yourself an iPhone or iPod Touch…
dRuEffect- As of now, Cinemagic is only available through Sirius’s online service. Hopefully they’ll find room to get it back on their broadcast line up as well soon.
I WORKED at XM until 2008 and tried, countless times to talk to them about programming Cinemagic as well as other endeavors but, “The Mutt” knows all.
Don’t worry movie fans…I have created MOVIE TICKET RADIO(TM) which unlike Cinemagic plays HITS FROM THE MOVIES…not dull background scores.
There are TWO stations for you to enjoy, CLASSIC and POP at http://www.movieticketradio.com. You can also search MOVIE TICKET RADIO at Shoutcast.
Give a listen and let me know what you think. BTW, we are looking for investors and people to sell it to terrestrial radio too!
J. R. Russ
I don’t know what you guys are talking about. I’ve been listening to Cinemagic on my XM radio (channel 76) for the past two years. Heck, I’ve got it on now. I like it because it is mostly the orchestral scores. This station is why I keep my subscription.
Dull background scores, J.R.? I couldn’t care less about the “Hits” from the movies (ok some of them are good), but a lot of us enjoy the beautifully crafted symphonic compositions that masters such as John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, James Horner and John Powell (“How to Train Your Dragon” soundtrack… wow) create to enhance the movies we love. So I will pass on your MOVIE TICKET RADIO as I prefer the “dull background scores”.
I just discovered this channel last week on Sirius and loved it. I traded that vehicle in yesterday, and in the new vehicle 1 day later, it does not appear in the line up, and I thought WTH?, it can’t disappear overnight. I look online and channel 73 where it was yesterday is not on the list, and when I try to select it the unit says I have no subscription to that channel…
It’s getting knocked off the air AGAIN starting July 1st, voice your opionions! This station rocks! It gives me my John Williams fix and much more. It was a HUGE reason I subscribed to SiriusXM in the first place! Good thing I got the montly plan and can cancel it the same time they cancelled Cinemagic, right on the 30th! BOOOOOOO
I agree with Ben ,dont delete it I listin to this station 98 % of the time in car and office. Pleaseeeeee dont take it off, if you do am gone. Figure some where to put it in. IT dept has problems with finding a new channell get new IT guys !
I have had strangers hear this at home or in my car and were blown away by it. One person had XM and didnt know about it ,now she listins all the time.
Cinemagic thank you for putting together one of the best listening stations in history !!!!!!!!!!
I have been a subscriber since the prelaunch, have 4 radios. I will be cancelling at earliest convenience (which means 2 month-to-month subscriptions, probably have to wait out the other longer terms). Things have really gone downhill since the merger.
When I bought my new car in May it came with a trial subscription for satellite radio, SiriusXM. I enjoyed the commercial free Cinemagic and had it on in my car all the time. With my trial period coming to an end mid July I was ready to renew with an annual subscription, but then the message about Cinemagic no longer available on Channel 73. You’ve just lost my business! You should really rethink this decsion.
I am so disappointed with the cancellation of Cinemagic. I have been a listener for three years, and when I found this program I was hooked. A two to three hour drive home from work was never a problem when listening to Dave Z and his music from the movies. I will be submitting my cancellation of my subscription next month. I can get the same music now available on SiruisXM from down loads or FM radio, except for the commercials. Hope this does not effect your stock prices! I am not buying in any more.
I bought my first XM radio several years ago primarily for Cinemagic. Now that XM has decided to move it exclusivly to the internet and apps I am done with them. Maybe I’m the odd one but I prefer to listen to music in my car. Horrible decision for such a great channel.
The moving of “Cinemagic” to the “Friday Night” time slot of radio, the internet, is ridiculous. Satellite Radio has how many channels? How many ways to repackage the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s? How many sports channels? Talk shows? You are telling me there’s no room for cinema scores on a subscription network not wholly dependent on advertising? “Cinemagic” was one of XM’s more innovative programs, a chance to hear not only the iconic, gripping scores that have made every bit as much of an impact as the films themselves, but to also listen to those audio gems a casual filmgoer… Read more »
To shed some light on the issue, another site has this information, taken from the FB page of one Dave Z, a Sat Radio program director: “Ok everyone, here’s the situation. Long story sort of short…As part of the merger agreement, SiriusXM is supposed to carry a certain number of minority owned channels. The FCC approved the channels and the company is slowly instituting them. Bandwidth is an issue and certain channels needed to be dropped to make room for them and unfortunately Cinemagic was one such channel. I was told of the news last week and to be honest… Read more »
Yeah this totally rediculous. Minority-owned channels? Hey dirt bags, the 80s are over. Set asides and affirminative action has as much place in the 21st century as bringing back the ugly institution that started this mess and which should have been done away with in 1787 with the constitution. Ya don’t drop channels over this issue anymore. Get the sand out of your head and bring back Cinemagic. Or maybe its time to become an eX Member of the sunscriber list.
longtime subscriber here, but if cinamagic is gone , I have no reason to stick around,wake up programming genius, you had a unique channel here ,it can not be found anywhere else,what will replace it? some form of a channel you already have, Ever heard of customer loyalty? probobly not,you just lost a customer,and you probobly dont care!
Cancelling Cinemagic is so, so stupid.
It was one good channel out of many that repeat songs infinitum
Satellite radio is only a few artists who have only a few of their songs played.
Anyone ever hear “Driven Out” by The Fixx? Red Skies At Night I’ve heard 1000 times.
p.s. While you’re at it Sirius, slow down on the Beatles.
I’ve heard them since the day they came out and they dont do it for me–they never did. Hey Paul: ‘I Want To Hol dYour Casket, wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo’
Once again XM has let me down. In fairness XM died the day the merger went through. Programming has declined significantly, but I still wasn’t ready to go back to listening to FM. There are so many redundant channels on the satellite side of SiriusXM. Why not make them online exclusives and keep one of the channels that makes satellite radio unique. I have been listening to Dave Z on Cinemagic for eight of the ten years it’s been on. There was a fear when the merger first happened that the channel would be dropped then. Fortunately that didn’t happen.… Read more »
i have 4 Xm radios and uses them in my 3 cars and at home.i am a serious cinemagic fan,if it does not return to the airway, i will cancel all of my subscriptions.
I just cancelled. I’ve had a subscription for years. The removal of Cinemagic was the tipping point. Really, I don’t walk around with headphones, and, in a more perfect world, I would be spending even less time on my computer than I already do. Cinemagic online means nothing to me. I bought satellite radio for use in my car. There are other listening options available on the computer, many are free. Cinemagic was unique. Why they couldn’t drop one of the many other redundant listening options, I’ll never know. But I do know this: I can get music and news… Read more »
Unbeliveable, They have dozens of channels for weather and traffic reports in other states, yet they drop Cinemagic. I dont understand the logic behind this decision, One of my favorite things to do while I am driving from state to state was listening to Cinemagic, made the driving I do seem to fade away. I hope somebody is reading all these posts and taking a hard look into bringing back this classy program, but in reality, the shareholders are the one that make those decisions and I guessing that they really dont care what the listeners wanna hear…they just wanna… Read more »
I still cannot believe that CineMagic has not made it back on the channel line up. It was one of the most original programs on XM, I absolutely loved the seasonal (Halloween, Christmas) specific special programming. There is way too much political talk channels, sports channels and redundant music channels alreay. And they could not find some bandwidth to keep CineMagic going? I just don’t get it? The premium nature fo satellite radio is being lost, now just a bunch of stations with obnoxious advertisements. As a nearly 10 year subscriber with XM, they better pull their heads out and… Read more »
Been looking for a while for sound tracks to return. all the other garbage being added is pointed to a much younger demographic, and if it continues i will not renew at the end of my present contract period, not worth it listen to same type of garbage that is shipped to us on our regular am/fm radio stations. No need to spend exra cash just to listen to fox news every once in a while, or the same old broadway songs over and over again.
After much debating with my wife we reluctantly agreed to pay for the satellite radio two years ago. I was listening to the Cinemagic most of the time while in the car, which I loved.
Now when it is gone I have been trying to replace the Cinemagic with other programs but I do not enjoy the radio as much as I did before. I am calling the Sirius, cancelling my subscription and asking for the refund now. Too bad there is no much competition out there which is I believe a part of the problem with them.
Was an XM subscriber for 4 years, once they got rid of Cinemagic I canceled by subscription. Hans Zimmer is my favorite composer and love listening to his scores of music. He has such an innate ability to bring you into a movie with his music and has a talent of truly capturing the ups and downs, twist and turns through his music.