Sadly, this still does not clarify the situation about Africa. Only thing is, the beam won't be switched off, so perhaps lucky users in India can point their dishes west and keep listening to music. If there is someone around to upload it, of course.
The action taken by the unidentified buyer of the remains of the Worldspace company is bewildering, for sure. If India really is responsible for 95% of the WS subscription base, then what assets does the buyer hope to acquire? Especially if, as it seems, refunds are in fact possible, eventually. When the company was floated, it had planned an investment of $3bn, and even if they ended up spending only half of that, the stock certificates could paper a lot of bare walls. Three 8 year old satellites are not a great asset, but since they are geostats, maybe they have a longer life than normal. Anyhow, if the buyer does not intend operating the India satellite, what use is it? Not as though one can reuse the remaining fuel in another vehicle. Vickram http://communicall.wordpress.com http://vvcrishna.wordpress.com ----- Original Message ---- > From: Frederick Noronha <[email protected]> > To: sajan venniyoor <[email protected]> > Cc: [email protected] > Sent: Fri, 1 January, 2010 2:03:11 > Subject: Re: [cr-india] WorldSpace to stop service from New Year > > http://www.worldspace.com/index_wsmsg.html > > Special Announcement for India Subscribers to WorldSpace Satellite Radio > > On December 31, 2009, the WorldSpace satellite radio broadcast service > will be terminated for all customers serviced from India. > > This action is an outgrowth of the financial difficulties facing > WorldSpace India’s parent company, WorldSpace, Inc., which has been > under bankruptcy protection since October 2008. The potential buyer of > much of WorldSpace’s global assets has decided not to buy the > WorldSpace assets relating to and supporting WorldSpace’s subscription > business in India. As a consequence, WorldSpace, Inc. must discontinue > its subscriber business in India. Your subscription contract is with > WorldSpace, Inc., a US company that is in a bankruptcy proceeding in > the United States. The company recognizes that you may have paid for > services to be rendered beyond the termination date, but is not in a > position to offer a refund for any unused portion of your > subscription. > > You may have a potential remedy under the U.S. bankruptcy law. You may > file a claim under the claims procedure that is intended to protect > creditors of the bankrupt company. Sometime early next year, a claim > servicing company will send notice to all creditors listed by the > company. In order to ensure that you receive timely notice, we would > request that you send the following information by mail or email to > Rakesh Raghavan at WorldSpace, Inc. headquarters in the United States. > > 1. Name > 2. Address > 3. Email > 4. Subscription Account Number > 5. Date of Subscription > 6. Length of Subscription > 7. Amount paid for your current subscription > > Send this information to: By email -- [email protected] > or by regular mail – Rakesh Raghavan, WorldSpace, Inc. 8515 Georgia > AV, Silver Spring, MD 20910 USA. > > Our sincere apologies for this circumstance. > > > Continue to browse WorldSpace Website > > > 2009/12/31 sajan venniyoor : > > Could someone answer Jean Parker's question, whether WorldSpace's Africa > > service is being switched off as well, and whether the Asia service will > > continue to be available outside India? How about WorldSpace's > > 'free-to-air' channels like Asia Development? Would our friends from Equal > > Access know anything about this? > > > > A year ago, apropos of the vast number of media regulations gathering dust > > Shastri Bhavan, I had written that "Satellite radio, familiar to many > > in India as WorldSpace, has been available here since 2001, while the policy > > to regulate it has been in orbit for nearly as long. > > > > > > > > "TRAI's recommendations on satellite radio [policy] were sent to the > > ministry in 2005, and the ministry's comments on TRAI's recommendations were > > sent back for further recommendations, and the ministry is now in the > > process of 'firming up its views' on TRAI's final comments. In the meantime, > > WorldSpace has gone bankrupt and it seems likely that its eight year old > > satellite will fall out of the sky long before the policy is firm enough to > > be announced." > > > > Well, the satellite hasn't fallen from the sky yet, but it's India beam will > > be switched off tonight. Looks like the Satellite Radio Policy, if ever it > > is notified, will be fairly unique in being a regulation with nothing to > > regulate. > > > > Sajan > > > > On Mon, Dec 28, 2009 at 1:52 PM, Barun Mitra wrote: > >> > >> > >> ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > >> From: jean parker > >> Date: 2009/12/28 > >> Subject: Re: [cr-india] WorldSpace to stop service from New Year > >> To: Barun Mitra > >> > >> > >> Well I never received any notice from Worldspace about discontinuing > >> service. Their customer service has never been very good, maybe that's why > >> they're bankrupt? > >> > >> Does anyone know if this effects the African service also? What about the > >> rest of Asia? Is there a way we can access the service directly like > >> people > >> outside of India do? My understanding is that they just purchase a > >> receiver > >> and they can get the channels for free. > >> > >> Jean > >> > >> > >> > >> ----- Original Message ----- > >> From: Barun Mitra > >> To: Nishant | निशाँत > >> Cc: [email protected] > >> Sent: Monday, December 28, 2009 12:39 PM > >> Subject: Re: [cr-india] WorldSpace to stop service from New Year > >> I was one such who had a two year subscription till 2008, and never > >> received a renewal reminder. And on calling the company, I was told that > >> due > >> to concerns about climate change, they had discontinued sending sales > >> agents > >> or letter reminding / seeking renewal. So perhaps going belly-up is World > >> Space's contribution to climate change! > >> > >> It was said that 95% of the World Space's customers were in India. So, I > >> am really curious why the Indian business could not be viable on its own, > >> if > >> it had such a large customer base? Would anyone on this forum have some > >> clues about the economics of satellite radio business? > >> Thanks. > >> > >> Happy new year to all. > >> > >> Barun > >> > >> > >> 2009/12/27 Nishant | निशाँत > >>> > >>> WorldSpace to stop service from New Year > >>> TNN 26 December 2009, 01:48am IST > >>> > >>> CHENNAI: It's sad news for radio listeners. Satellite radio WorldSpace > >>> will go silent in India from New Year. Broadcast of services would > >>> stop at midnight of Thursday (December 31). In a communication to its > >>> subscribers, WorldSpace said, "on December 31, 2009, the WorldSpace > >>> satellite radio broadcast service will be terminated for all customers > >>> serviced from India. This action is an outgrowth of the financial > >>> difficulties faced by WorldSpace India's parent company, WorldSpace, > >>> Inc, which has been under bankruptcy protection since October 2008." > >>> > >>> Company officials could not be reached. Customer support officials > >>> said, "we will go off air on December 31. As regards the fate of dues > >>> to you, we will send detailed email messages on how you should seek a > >>> refund. The company is in bad financial shape and has gone belly-up." > >>> > >> ________________________________ > >> > >> PLEASE JOIN THE COMMUNITY RADIO FORUM. MEMBERSHIP DETAILS ARE AVAILABLE AT > >> http://www.crforum.in/membership > >> > >> > >> > >> PLEASE JOIN THE COMMUNITY RADIO FORUM. MEMBERSHIP DETAILS ARE AVAILABLE AT > >> http://www.crforum.in/membership > > > > > > > > > > PLEASE JOIN THE COMMUNITY RADIO FORUM. MEMBERSHIP DETAILS ARE AVAILABLE AT > > http://www.crforum.in/membership > > > > > > -- > Frederick Noronha > > Columnist :: journalism > editing :: alt.publishing, > photography :: blogging > > Landline :: +91-832-2409490 > Mobile :: +91-9822122436 > 784 Saligao 403511 Goa India > > Goa,1556 :: http://goa1556.goa-india.org > Photos :: http://photosfromgoa.notlong.com > > Forthcoming from Goa,1556: > http://tiny.cc/peppercorns > > > PLEASE JOIN THE COMMUNITY RADIO FORUM. MEMBERSHIP DETAILS ARE AVAILABLE AT > http://www.crforum.in/membership PLEASE JOIN THE COMMUNITY RADIO FORUM. MEMBERSHIP DETAILS ARE AVAILABLE AT http://www.crforum.in/membership
