In October 2004, the programming arms race between XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio was in full swing:

Sirius had agreed to pay $220 million in cash and stock to broadcast NFL games for seven years and about $100 million annually for five years to lure Howard Stern from traditional radio. XM agreed to pay Major League Baseball $650 million over 11 years to broadcast every MLB game. Both provide commercial-free music, news, talk and a variety of sports programming.

At the time, I asked both XM and Sirius what was a fan who liked both football and baseball to do? Or baseball and Howard Stern? The answer I got from a Sirius spokesman?

Buy both.

The feeling, at the time, was that with monthly fees of $12.95 for Sirius and $9.95 for XM, subscribers could reasonably afford both.

With the news that the two providers are planning a merger, perhaps that won’t be necessary. The companies issued a joint news release and will hold a conference call Tuesday to discuss the announcement.

There are a myriad of complex regulatory issues – and a Federal Communications Commission provision preventing the merger - that could derail the deal. And the receivers can’t pick up each other’s signals – the companies are reportedly working on one that could pick up both. No word yet on what a merger would do to subscription fees - let’s hope they won’t skyrocket.