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WorldSpace radio to exit India on New Year’s Eve
December 25, 2009 06:10 PM | Bookmark and Share
Amritha Pillay
world

WorldSpace has declared that it will terminate its radio broadcast services to all Indian subscribers from 31 December 2009. Following its bankruptcy protection filing in October 2008, the satellite radio service provider has had to bid adieu to the subcontinent

On New Year’s Eve, apart from the bygone year, music lovers in India will bid farewell to something they have really cherished—the musical service called WorldSpace satellite radio.

In a statement, WorldSpace Inc, the parent company of WorldSpace India, said,”On December 31, 2009, the WorldSpace satellite radio broadcast service will be terminated for all customers serviced from India.”  While this termination is well before the end of its prepaid subscriptions, many subscribers are upset over the fact that they will not receive the service, rather the money that they stand to lose.

WorldSpace is listed on the Nasdaq, and is tottering under a $2.1-billion debt. It is seeking to raise fresh funds to repay its obligations.

In the note posted on its website, the company has said that the main reason for the termination was that the potential buyer of much of WorldSpace’s global assets has decided not to buy the WorldSpace assets relating to—and supporting—its subscription business in India.

When the service was launched in India, the annual subscription offered was around Rs1,800 in 2005. The satellite radio network has around 170,000 subscribers in over 130 countries including India. Moreover, over 95% of the subscribers to the service are from India.

On the refund involved in the services which would be terminated well before the subscription expiry date, WorldSpace stated, “The company recognises 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.”

According to reports, US-based media company Liberty Media has already bought out WorldSpace’s liabilities from its creditors. Interestingly, Liberty Media holds 40% stake in Sirius XM Radio and as per reports, chief executives of both the companies had said that there is a possibility of a joint Sirius XM/Liberty Media global satellite radio venture between the two.

WorldSpace has offered a claim procedure to be undertaken next year under US bankruptcy law. However, more than the claims, what bothers Indian subscribers most is the discontinuation of a quality music service, which Indian FM channels have failed to provide.

“I just wanted to hold my head and start crying for the sake of classical music. They did not even inform us,” said Vitthal Nadkarni, a senior journalist, who was caught unawares about the notice even as classic music from WorldSpace continued to play in his father’s room.

“I was completely surprised that they could do such a thing. The issue is not the subscription paid. It was doing so well, it was part of our life. It was money well spent anyway,” said Anand Desai, another WorldSpace subscriber from India.

“I thought it was a very good service. The music was available whenever you wanted. It is a pity. We tend to use the classical channel more, but they offered a lot of variety. It is indeed a sorry thing. I think more than the money (lost), the quality would be missed,” added Vimla Nadkarni, another ardent fan of classical music offered by WorldSpace.

Subscribers are divided over whether subscribers should file for a claim. “We will check out, but I think we will file for the claim if we get a chance,” said Ms Nadkarni.

Mr Desai, however, had a different opinion. “Whatever they have delivered has been so good, that you don’t want to file a claim. Anyway, filing a claim is useless,” he said.

He ended on an optimistic note, wishing revival for the radio channel in India. “I wish somebody saves it, at least the Indian part. I was looking for some local FM channels buying out the rights. Playing the service on your car radio would be fantastic.”
 



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51 Comments
prabhakaran v 1 day ago
my receiver no is 270845.
kindly refund my leftout subscription money if do not give service anymore
my bank is
syndicate bank at
payyanur
kannur-
kerala 670332 mob no 9847182048
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Sunita 2 months ago
I miss worldspace so much i can't tell you. It was a great service. Anybody here who has been keeping a track, are they coming back somehow or the other, is it going to be revived ever?
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sandeep sarkar 3 months ago
How we can forgo the habit of listening to music in the morning before the start a hectic day because that acted as an energy input for thr entire day.
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neerja yenigalla 4 months ago
hope world space radio is revived somehow,each of the stations was so uplifting,as housewife i cud be in tuch with beutiful music all the time while doin my chores,also radio art of living,gurujis satsangs and meditations were too good,its something i,ve to learn to live without
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VISVESHWAR 5 months ago
AS A STUDENT OF MUSIC - CARNATIC INSTRUMENT FLUTE - SHRUTI CHANNEL WAS PLAYED NON-STOP AT OUR HOME. MY PROGRESS IS ATTRIBUTABLE TO WORLSPACE ALSO. BY CONTINUOUS LISTENING I HAVE LEARNT SEVERAL NUANCES OF THE MUSIC AND EFFORTLESSLY I AM ABLE TO BRING THEM OUT WHILE PERFORMING. I AM MISSING A LOT. THE DAWN OF 2010 HAS BEEN VERY BAD AND SAD FOR ME. I PRAY FOR THE EARLY REVIVAL OF THE COMPANY AND BROADCAST.
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ambuj 6 months ago
I can not imagine music without worldspace. Hope it will be back soon. Specially I miss Radio Farishta who made golden oldies unforgettable for us...
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CKRavi 6 months ago
Just keep cool and pray to all our Heads of Faith so that we get back WorldSpaceRadio as soon as possible,only with the help of the hidden Spiritual Powers in our country,India.
Surely it will be revived with the help of other big associates.Keep praying and dont get annoyed with WorldSpace,because their service is still in our minds memorised for their beautiful no nonsense broadcast when compared to our nonsense FM stations.
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venugopal 6 months ago
I still hold my breath to see light of restoring worldspace music whic is my part of life at this age of 70 kindly intimate wether restored. my subscription is till may 2010
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Basil Diarsa 6 months ago
I will miss MAESTRO forever!
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AASHISH PAREEK 7 months ago
hey, please help me out as my money is stucked in this company ; 4800/= of two years subscription i've paid through credit card in jaipur, please help , where should i go to claim my money !!!!!!!!
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vinod sagar 7 months ago

the music provided was soothing and brought peace to the listeners ; the music provided is simply priceless.can anyone revive the services? or at least make it available on the internet?
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Gururaj 7 months ago
It's really sad to know that so far no one from any of the media companies of India has come forward to buy out the World Space which has a huge potential of covering all of India in coverage and languages. It's just not possible that a company of such potential has been mismanaged and closed in hush hush way.

If nothing else works employees and subscribers should buy and run it on a co-operative basis.
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RAMESH BAJAJ 7 months ago
I am not only surprised but astonished also that that such a big group which was heading for bankruptcy were selling their connection in india even in the mid of december. how could they do so here in india. where are the safe guards for indians, where are the policies of govt of india which prohibts such actions. we once again are cheated by MNCs. every indian subscriber should be given compensation as per records of the company. my requests for all indians to get united and claim compensation irrespective of the amount involved.
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Manish Wadhane 8 months ago
It is a pity that we Indians are losing out on such a fantastic service. It was the unadulterated music treasure of India brought to our homes.
Big loss and a void for us.

If only, we knew how to revive it!!!
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kanupriya 8 months ago
it is very much a shocking news as we had renewed our connection in Dec 09 only. We feel cheated, the concerned person must be knowing this fact and still he misled us.
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SANDEEP SHARMA 8 months ago
Pl anybody help and do something so that worldspace can't go from our country and hearts........
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Hardy 8 months ago
I feel crippled without World Space Radio, which was a costant companion for almost 2 years. I don't want a refund, just want the service back!
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rohini mokashi punekar 8 months ago
We feel an acute sense of loss that there will no longer be a music channel called Gandharva. How in the world are we to survive without listening to absolutely divine classical music. Dhrupad was like the music of the gods. Please please revive world space somehow. It is like losing a part of our lives.
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Pragnesh Trivedi 8 months ago
I "was" using worldspace radio at my gym - Generation X Gymnasium. on 2nd of Jan i came to know that radio was not working and hence i started calling customer care no. after tired a lot i made a call to corporate office and came to know and words to my ears from a person were " Worldspace is over in india ". I searched on google and came to see all these toipcs and confirmed it to my self. It was 7th of Jan and I was unknown eventhough i was using it for last three years.

I will miss it. It gave good service and I was happy to listen paid music.

Other options of Worldspace like FM does not set to my mind.
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suresh 8 months ago
The common thread of all the die hard fans of world space is not about the lost subscription but about the loss of good music. We live in Coimbatore, Tamil nadu and our only source for music in various languages, styles 24 hrs is only world space. To think that this was endorsed by none other than A.R.Rehman and now to find that the subscribers have no one to approach to find a solution to this problem is very unfortunate. All the worldspace listeners only hope for an early revival
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R Vijaykumar 8 months ago
Winding up such a wonderful service in India is really hurting all Indians. One thing that melts every soul in the world is music, be it in any form. So as per announcement from 2010 we no longer could hear enchanting channels like Shruthi, Jhankar, Farishta, KL Radio, Moksha etc. and those golden voices of Md Rafi, Talat Mehmood, Kishore kumar, Asha & Latha etc. It is utter disappointment that krithis of many more outstanding carnatic music exponents will no longer be broadcast in these sets..In deed it is a very tough decision to digest. Like many I am also waiting with lots of hope for earliest resumption of this outstanding service. Since music has no barriers I believe that all music lovers' trust and hopes won’t be belied
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Durga Sivakumar 8 months ago
Shruti had been our morning companion while we carry our daily chores. I even got rid of the music system thinking I donot need it any more. Really sad about the present status. Strongly hoping some one would pull out worldspace from this...
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Tapas Chakraborty 8 months ago
Without World Space(specially Gandharva) we feel a vacuum through out the day. Even by mistake myself and my wife switch on the system and then realise the truth -- "no more music".
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Rajesh Pathak 8 months ago
It is really pity that the World Space Radio has stopped working. Today moring when out of habit i started it, there was no buzz. And i realized that today is 31Dec. My heart was heavy and I hope not to have a normal day today. I am ready to pay anythig if the service is started ASAP. If someone has some news on the start, pleaseeeee forward teh good news to me.
Regards.
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manjula singh 8 months ago
it is very sad news , my son broke this news to me and i said it is not first April dont fool me, my mornings and evenings will be empty now, i will miss world space badly
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radha 8 months ago
If it was in heavy losses the subscription should have been increased to meet the losses than terminating it .. very sad and unproductive decision taken without thinking about the subscribers.. we will miss farista
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Jagdish Joshi 8 months ago
its really a very sad news!
well how it can happen that any company packs its bag & baggage & run away from a country, I think indian law of land should do something.
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kalpanasingh 8 months ago
The Manager,
World Space Satilite Radio


Dear Sir, the news of satilite radio going off air has come as a shock to me and my friends and family. It had become such an inseparable part of our daily routine. Please do something to let it continue as it provides joy to so many of us. Kindly give us the feed back. Hope u will take strong steps to find some alternative.
Thanking you,
Kalpana Singh with family and friends.
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Ram Mohanty 8 months ago
Let the music continue ! As I write this I have kept the WS Radio on and true to its nature, it keeps filling my home (and me) with beautiful old hindi cinema music . Its a daily ritual now. Me and this WS music. It heals me,revives me day after day, every day. How can somebody be so cruel !
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Sukhvinder 8 months ago
This is too bad a news , the music was too good , there is no alternative to this in India. They had really quality music for every mood. we will miss it badly , Anyways thanks a lot guys for the wonderful music in the past.
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Rupan Jaswal 8 months ago
Don't just go away - you are our life line.If money alone could stop this catastrophe from happening,it would be worth every penny.
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R.D.Joshi 8 months ago
According to my impression world Sapce was frist of the radio launched in private sector and doing good for ling time.Perhaps it could have sevived if they allowed some advertisement for meeting their expences. As we Indians used to bear with such things.
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N Ramasubramanian 8 months ago
Without World space, how am I going to live? Imagine I will not be able to listen to Rafi saheb, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, ustad Amjad Ali Khan , pt hari prasadji. Pleeease do not do this to us
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Srinivas 8 months ago
Terrible to listen this news. Very much fond of karnatic music. I am afraid that I cant get world space from 1st jan'2010
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Rafi Siddiqui 8 months ago
I had three WS receivers including one in my car for which I had imported an antena from Switzerland used with Tongshi receiver. They called me in December and renewed one of my subscriptions from January though it was not even due then. I think that was cheating on their part because they knew beforehand that they were closing.

Anyway they provided lovely music and I hope someone takes it over for India. Any comments Radio Mirchi???
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Usha Sundaresan 8 months ago
Please .... please..... do not terminate the services. I will be shattered. I am really not worried about my subscription being refunded. I just want the service to continue..........
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PARAM SINGH 8 months ago
It is a very sad news for me as I purchaged this on 24.12.2009 with one year subscription . This is just cheating for me how they did not inform on that day . I will definitly file a claim on the company.
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devarshi 8 months ago
i have started to surf the net to see if somebody in india would buy the assets and continue the operation. the people who are employed by the ws are not picking up their phone. so no news from them too. the local dealer has a huge stock. he is also in a state of shock. so am i.
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Parimal 8 months ago
Worldspace was my companion when I used to be alone at home. Listen to it even during late night when on my PC. Will really miss Jhankaar, Farishta, System,Maestro & Falak. I had renewed it for 2 years on 16th Dec 2009 just to know after 10 days that it will be stopped. I only hope that it gets revived & this turns to be good news for WS subscribers in India in 2010! I am hopeful & hence will keep the receiver safe.
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Narinder Singh 8 months ago
I'am shocked to know the temination of the radio channel,old clasical channel as well as most punjabi,chanell of Gurbani kirtan and evening prayer every day. Pl. do something. Oh. Pl. do something. Thanks!
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Ravi Krishnamurthy 8 months ago
It is a pity that we lose this good service. What quality channels., what compere. Indian FM is just nothing compared to this. We sold our TV as we found World Space lighter to the ears and more enlightening the home.
Do we not have a single entrepreuner in the Globe who can see money in this venture and make the radio get a great come back to our lives. Not one entreuprenuer who loves good music?
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jaimin patel 8 months ago
world space radio farishta a fantastic service with so nice collection with nice presentation we wish for some remedi so it will not be terminated
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ASHOK DULLU 8 months ago
JOIN HANDS TO KEEP IT ALIVE.......CAN ANYONE PUBLISH THE SUBSCRIBER'S LIST TO ENABLE MORE ENTERPRISING LOT FROM THE LIST TO INITIATE ACTION TO KEEP IT AFLOAT...
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Kotecha 8 months ago
To the holder of worldspace
Life is worth when there is magic and music
Life itself is magic and along with this magical life when we came across this worldspace music it was worth for us to know in this worldly space we have a icon worldspace i say this words as a part of Indian for India (we do agree)
The present form of knowledge, art, music and entertainment what more please pray we get back this backbone of enlightment knowledge and soul music which shall allow us to play this life with more happiness
Life is worth when there is magic and music
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shanoo 8 months ago
its really sad that who used to depend totally on worldspace for good music will not get in future. i hope someone buys it so that we can get to hear good ghazals.
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K.Radhakrishnan 8 months ago
Life will not be the same for me and my wife (+60 couple).
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JAYAKUMARI 8 months ago
indians need food ,water clothing and music to live.Where will we go for such quality music.Thank you world space for bringing lot of happiness in our lives.
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AV Srinivas 8 months ago
If I thought I was feeling bad on losing his service, my mom's eyes started filling up with tears when i told her. Worldspace radio had been her daytime companion for so many years now! We'll surely miss it. Hope someone else takes it up now
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SiriusXM Is Cool 8 months ago
Start petitioning SiriusXM and Liberty Media, they are eyeing the Indian market strongly I believe
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murali 8 months ago
ever since i read the news abt the shutdown, i feel terribly sad. i enjoy playing their quality broadcast of classical carnatic music or old hindi filmi hits whenever i am at home even if m engaged in someother work. i cant think of filing a claim against them becos i enjoyed their product much and it was part of our daily life. i wish someone buys the indian segment .i'm sure the have built up solid content and network which can be turned into a money making venture
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T.V.SATHYAPRAKASH 8 months ago
It is sad indeed to know that WORLD SPACE Indian operations are closing on 31st Dec. onwards. It was one of the BEST poduced and QUALITY RADIO broadcast so far availabale in India when compared to F.M. broadcasts with shouting,andwith all ,halla gulla of the radio jockeys. We miss WORLD SPACE for its quality and advertisement free broacasts.Perhaps this will be taken over by some QUALITY minded media company and resume the operations shortly.
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