Sirius and XM stations begin merging November 12

Satellite radio fans, get ready: According to reports, on Wednesday the long-gestating merger between the Sirius and XM satellite radio networks will take its greatest leap forward to date, as stations on both networks begin to merge, changing channel numbers, and otherwise creating havoc on the dial.

Though the shift is reportedly just two days away, details are incredibly scarce. Some channels have already been shuffled -- Howard Stern is already now available on the XM network as well as his original Sirius, for example -- but other shifts are still just a matter of rumor. A few networks, like XM Escape, have already aired promos announcing their new channel information: Escape is moving from 78 to 28. Most stations seem to be in the dark as much as the listeners are.

By and large what happens later this week is a mystery: The combined Sirius XM now finds itself with a surfeit of stations, many of which cover the exact same material or genre. As Rolling Stone notes, does the network really need two different oldies stations? How much jazz programming can one network sustain? Some stations are sure to be shuttered... but which ones? I've got a query in to Sirius XM and will update this post when/if I get a response.

Are satellite fans out there excited, nervous, or both?

LINK: Sirius and XM to Begin Music-Station Merge November 12th