Art Bell Quits Dark Matter

[Shastalexy]

Hi Art, Paul and Nice People...

I am one of those people...
My internet connection, my IPhone, and IPad never worked.  From the first day.  At the end of the first week, I called Sirius to tell them that  I got dropped every 5 15, 7, 10 minutes.  This is the conversation, and actually, when you call them, they record the conversation, so they have a record of my 4 calls... one each week.

I will tell you my first call:

Me:  Hello Sirius, I am having a problem getting connected and staying connected.  I go to bed and get nice and comfy.  Wrapped like a burrito and snuggled in to listen to Art Bell.  After a very short amount of time, 5, 7, 10 15 minutes, I get dropped.  I have to get up, turn on the light , and close the app... reopen the app get the show back, and realize that it repeats the last 5 minutes and goes off again. 

Sirius: (a lovely voice from India):  "Oh, I am so sorry to hear that.  Can you put your IPhone closer to your bed so you don't have to get up?" 

True as can be... second call was just as bad, telling me that Sirius has it stop every 20 minutes at night so that it does not cost the user a lot of data expense.  She told me that some people leave it on for three days, and forget to turn it off...  I went nuts! 
My connection never worked.  I am one of those people.

[Marc.Knight]

It's over peeps. Arts riding off into the sunset.70 is just really an age art needs to take it easy at.
If he does anything at that age it should be guest hosting.

We had six weeks of solid gold.  A type of "time travel" to a more innocent time.  The experience lingers, but fades as an echo, beloved.

[dortmunder]

I think I may have found Hoagie's long-lost brother...


Jeffisms

[Marc.Knight]

Hi Art, Paul and Nice People...

I am one of those people...
My internet connection, my IPhone, and IPad never worked.  From the first day.  At the end of the first week, I called Sirius to tell them that  I got dropped every 5 15, 7, 10 minutes.  This is the conversation, and actually, when you call them, they record the conversation, so they have a record of my 4 calls... one each week.

I will tell you my first call:

Me:  Hello Sirius, I am having a problem getting connected and staying connected.  I go to bed and get nice and comfy.  Wrapped like a burrito and snuggled in to listen to Art Bell.  After a very short amount of time, 5, 7, 10 15 minutes, I get dropped.  I have to get up, turn on the light , and close the app... reopen the app get the show back, and realize that it repeats the last 5 minutes and goes off again. 

Sirius: (a lovely voice from India):  "Oh, I am so sorry to hear that.  Can you put your IPhone closer to your bed so you don't have to get up?" 

True as can be... second call was just as bad, telling me that Sirius has it stop every 20 minutes at night so that it does not cost the user a lot of data expense.  She told me that some people leave it on for three days, and forget to turn it off...  I went nuts! 
My connection never worked.  I am one of those people.

What speed / quality is your Internet connection?

[malachi.martini]

Hi Art, Paul and Nice People...

I am one of those people...
My internet connection, my IPhone, and IPad never worked.  From the first day.  At the end of the first week, I called Sirius to tell them that  I got dropped every 5 15, 7, 10 minutes.  This is the conversation, and actually, when you call them, they record the conversation, so they have a record of my 4 calls... one each week.

I will tell you my first call:

Me:  Hello Sirius, I am having a problem getting connected and staying connected.  I go to bed and get nice and comfy.  Wrapped like a burrito and snuggled in to listen to Art Bell.  After a very short amount of time, 5, 7, 10 15 minutes, I get dropped.  I have to get up, turn on the light , and close the app... reopen the app get the show back, and realize that it repeats the last 5 minutes and goes off again. 

Sirius: (a lovely voice from India):  "Oh, I am so sorry to hear that.  Can you put your IPhone closer to your bed so you don't have to get up?" 

True as can be... second call was just as bad, telling me that Sirius has it stop every 20 minutes at night so that it does not cost the user a lot of data expense.  She told me that some people leave it on for three days, and forget to turn it off...  I went nuts! 
My connection never worked.  I am one of those people.

Did you try a desktop computer?  Anything other than an iphone or ipad?  A satellite radio?

[MikeJ]

I still have not cancelled. Anyone else still signed up?  I have been listening to the On Demand, but I think the shows expire in another day or two.

[Falkie2013]

EXACTLY! I am of the opinion that many of the "drops" were really people who were not Internet savvy enough to figure out the Sirius interface, and got frustrated. Pilot error, if you will...

What a crock assertion that is.
I was using computers long before the internet and I had continual issues with Sirius and their crappy interface.

Sinatra's song feed repeating songs or re-winding and re-playing the same lyrics over and over 5 times in a row.
Logging onto the site and having to log on to it a second time to get to the section to even listen to Art's channel.
Having the site completely lock up on numerous occasions.
Having pages lock up and go translucent on the screen repeatedly.
Losing the feed on the Siriusly Sinatra channel as well as other channels.
Telling me to click on the channel almost continuously at times.
Multiple different error messages.
Continual and repeated instances of having to reset my password because the site could not recognize it and then having to call Sirius to get it fixed.
Having to create a new user name and password 3 times because the site wouldn't recognize it.
And I told Sirius this on the phone and in continual email messages that never got a reply other than the standard " we're looking into the issue and will answer your concerns within so many days or hours. "
I'm still waiting for a reply to those which I never got.


Do I need to list more ?
Don't try to say like the woman caller on Gabcast's tech show did that only 20% of people are internet savvy.
I will admit that I don't know everything about how the net works but I know more than most who've either never used it or are rank newbies and am continually asked by people how to do stuff when they can't get it done.
Not only on the Mac but on some game consoles, about printers and the like in part because people see me continually reading " technical manuals " when I'm in bookstores and elsewhere.
And if I don't know it or can't figure it out I go seek out someone who can like I've been trying to do about podcasting and other issues.

Sirius's software is buggy and sucks.
And so do its execs who did Art a huge disservice by knowing full well their site was buggy and who did nothing to fix it.
Don't try to blame this on the customers or users of Sirius's seriously flawed website model.
That dog don't hunt.

Somewhere in the high desert, a series of upset dogs is howling right now.
They're probably mad that they can't listen to Art anymore too.
Not to mention the enraged cat population.
My cats like to listen to classical music on Comcast.

[AppealPlay]

We need to pool funds to get JC a public access show or something.  I've just listened to over 30 minutes of JC calls on YouTube.  I love it.

[popple]

Art could you please post your contract and highlight the non-complete clause? Also could you please send me $10,000.00 in unmarked bills. Also could you please send me an mp3 file that I can use as the voice mail on my phone? Something like, "Andy's not here right now but please leave a message after the beep". Oh and also can you recommend a good replacement for pizza punch? Also can you please make it clear to the rest of the posters here that my 5 calls to the show were not the reason that Dark Matter is no more? That is all.

Also can you broadcast Dark Matter II from Jaz's guest bedroom?

[tertiaryimam]

I think I may have found Hoagie's long-lost brother...


Jeffisms

I had to work with that dude overnights at a Truck stop Hardee's for like 4 months. He was in back making all the sandwiches and I ran the register and cleaned the lobby, made the fries, stocked the soda cups, etc. he'd always take too long and talk shit about the customers within ear shot. He'd piss off a lot of big burly truck drivers by saying stupid shit like "Why do they want that?" and "Can't they just get it like it is on the menu?" He would always get frustrated with my humor and complained to the boss that he never knew when I was joking or not. Eventually they fired him.

[AppealPlay]

I still have not cancelled. Anyone else still signed up?  I have been listening to the On Demand, but I think the shows expire in another day or two.

Yup.  I'm still subscribed.  Fingers crossed everything works out and Art's back double time...

[maren]

Once again, Maren...the voice of reason. Those NC in the entertainment business are standard and you really have to observe them. Sirius would just point out what many of us have: a lot of people had no issues at all with the player. Mine worked fine, if it timed out I just touched the iPad, no big deal. You can't legally go up against Sirius and expect to win.

I just got the sense that some felt complying with a NC was optional, and that's never been my understanding.  The one time I had an NC I couldn't work for a competing ad agency for one year.  And believe me, my former agency would have never let me slide even though I wasn't in a position to take any clients with me.

I actually feel guilty about bitching about the timeouts.  I'm usually on my iPad, too, and it only timed out a couple of times per show. 

[jazmunda]

What speed / quality is your Internet connection?

I too am in the camp that it could have something to do with internet connections and cheap wireless routers. I had one issue the whole 6/7 weeks and I just restarted the app and away I went. The biggest problem I had was that my fat fingers could never rewind the progress bar properly but that's hardly a deal breaker.

[jazmunda]

Also can you broadcast Dark Matter II from Jaz's guest bedroom?

In 2 years I will probably have another kid so there goes the spare bedroom.

The couch is comfy and he could broadcast from my kids clubhouse.

[The General]

What a mess.

[ItsOver]

This makes sense when you run the numbers.

"19.5, my friend.  19.5!  Read the number!"

[DesertFox]

It's over peeps. Arts riding off into the sunset.70 is just really an age art needs to take it easy at.
If he does anything at that age it should be guest hosting.

The problem was Art wanted to retire at 68 and made up this mini-drama to hide behind instead of honoring his contract with Sirius and more importantly with his fans.

[TheGrimCreeper1]

Maybe this has all been covered, but I'm genuinely curious: Who or what exactly does Art believe to be the opposing force(s) behind Sirius not getting back to him?

These bastards!!!

[SixWeekTenure(tm)]

I still have not cancelled. Anyone else still signed up?  I have been listening to the On Demand, but I think the shows expire in another day or two.

I'm keeping my subscription whether Dark Matter returns or not - car and home receiver, great quality and no drops. Due to my internet connection issues, I wouldn't be able to hear Art's live stream on his website (if it were possible). Funny how I'm the polar opposite - I wonder if I emailed him hundreds of times about my current problem if he would quit after six weeks for me too? Probably not.

[littlechris]

So I hire this guy (lets call him Art) to help me with my landscape business. A couple weeks later I hear he (Art) is publicly slamming my business by telling all customers and potential customers how crappy my tools are. Next thing I hear is he (Art) is telling my customers that I should just give away free yard services for a year until I get my tools up to par. I say no, he (Art) quits. Now he (Art) wonders why I won't return phone calls ... (Sorry Art, but you left a bad taste in my mouth on how you handled that)

GREAT analogy!!

[jazmunda]

I still have not cancelled. Anyone else still signed up?  I have been listening to the On Demand, but I think the shows expire in another day or two.

I have prepaid for 5 months so I will stick it out til then as I enjoy the music and comedy channels.

The OnDemand shows end in 3 hours so you can't even hear and entire show anymore.

[ItsOver]

What a mess.

Apparently, Dark Matter has now become a reality show, to be played out at BellGab.  MV.  Always thinking.

[Marc.Knight]

I too am in the camp that it could have something to do with internet connections and cheap wireless routers. I had one issue the whole 6/7 weeks and I just restarted the app and away I went. The biggest problem I had was that my fat fingers could never rewind the progress bar properly but that's hardly a deal breaker.

I never had any issues.  I love Art, but his 'stated' justification for quitting the show doesn't hold water.  Not one drop.

[Étouffée]

Yup.  I'm still subscribed.  Fingers crossed everything works out and Art's back double time...

I'm still subscribed.

And I will survive.

[ItsOver]

These bastards!!!

Of course!  The gnomes.  Damn gnomes.   

[Falkie2013]

In 2 years I will probably have another kid so there goes the spare bedroom.

The couch is comfy and he could broadcast from my kids clubhouse.

You cheap bastard. You could put a lawn chair out by the barbie and have him broadcast from there if he had to.

Sheesh. Guy's got this huge country with the huge expanse of the outback, a giant rock where ( with the permission of the aborginies ) Art could erect an antenna and he want's art to broadcast from a treehouse or something.
Probably filled with enraged koalas too who are still pissed because Quantas wouldn't use them in their commercials.

[nooryisawesome]

Saints beating down cowboys.

[malachi.martini]

So I hire this guy (lets call him Art) to help me with my landscape business. A couple weeks later I hear he (Art) is publicly slamming my business by telling all customers and potential customers how crappy my tools are. Next thing I hear is he (Art) is telling my customers that I should just give away free yard services for a year until I get my tools up to par. I say no, he (Art) quits. Now he (Art) wonders why I won't return phone calls ... (Sorry Art, but you left a bad taste in my mouth on how you handled that)

lol you'd have to be a fucking idiot to want to work with him again.  sorry, I don't need to deal with a temperamental 68 year old asshole that badly.

[Jnthn932]

Saints beating down cowboys.

WHO DAT

[maren]

Most suit types have NO conscience or ethics.
That's why so many of them get indicted or put in jail.

Agree on the no conscience or ethics, disagree that many of them have been indicted or jailed.  A lot more belong behind bars.