The Names Read Like a Census of the Fallen:

But these are not names on the rolls of those lost and transitioned, though they have seemingly been surreptitiously – sneakily – snuffed out and, thus, are somehow resting in an uncertain peace anyway.

I am talking about the power. Not my personal sense of agency or empowerment, though that’s what the aforementioned individuals have fortified within legions, but rather “The Power,” Channel 169, on XM Radio. “The Power” on satellite radio provider, XM Radio, bestowed a virtual candy store of African-American news and current events programming, furnishing a necessary antidote to the generally shallow, hollow sound bites supplied by major print, online and broadcast mass media. For those who dared to question; for those brave enough to think; for those inquisitive enough to delve beyond the official talking points meted out in the media – “The Power” was the answer.

I was ecstatic when I learned my XM Radio presented such a listening option. Tuning in to Ambrose I. Lane’s well-sourced commentaries on controversial current events was like an elixir to my ever-analytical mind. Hearing George Wilson explain the issues on Capitol Hill, in common speak digestible for the masses, provided much more content and context than the scripted fodder of televised voiceovers. Mario Armstrong presented the latest and greatest in technology, giving thoughtful product recommendations and real solutions for black technology buffs, for whom MP3 players, digital rights management, Linux and One Laptop Per Child were not unfamiliar ideas, but rather ways of their plugged-in lives.

I loved Andre Eggelletion’s matter-of-fact and conversational style of broaching issues such as illegal immigration and the Federal Reserve in a way that was inclusive and exclusively his own. Dr. Wilmer Leon and Mark Thompson (who also goes by Matsimela Mapfumo) engaged listeners in a mutual dance of language, legal interpretations and love of dialogue.

On “The Power,” one could hear a range of perspectives and opinions on the war, economics, personal finance, employment, history, relationships, religion, politics, health concerns, legal issues and more, from voices that were both elder and youthful, progressive and politically restrained. They were united in their shared belief that information dissemination, regardless of personal opinion, was a right and not a privilege.

On “The Power,” dissent was decent. Opinion was opportunity. Commentary could be causative.

But no more. Or, at least, little more.

Since the fall of 2007, after news broke that Radio One’s, Cathy Hughes, had met with members of the Republican National Committee, it seems aggressive programming cuts started and have continued at a clip. All of the previously mentioned program hosts can no longer be heard on “The Power.” Some can now be found online. Others have been picked up on new providers. Mark Thompson, for example, now hosts Make It Plain on Sirius Left, Channel 146. You can hear BlackCommentator.com writers at 7:00 pm ET, every Thursday.

I have been unsuccessful in finding where others landed – if anywhere. News recently broke that Radio One has severed its ties to XM Radio, and now Syndication One, home of Al Sharpton’s program, will now provide all programming on “The Power.”

The outcry has been palpable. Blogs rail against Radio One and hypothesize about Cathy Huges’ real agenda, personal allegiances and political alliances. Message board posts threaten cancellation of long-held XM Radio subscriptions. Some callers to the few remaining substantive programs (Warren Ballentine, for example) sound angry and hurt, and vow that changes must be made or they will exercise their only quantitative option – wholesale cancellation.

I am left in a quandary of my own. The XM channel that represented at least 85 percent of my reasons for maintaining an XM subscription is now a figment of its former self. To placate the loss, I have now developed an appreciation of – and developing reliance on – other XM programming. Their old school hip-hop channel and their “Beyond Jazz” and “Real Jazz” offerings are, in my lay opinion, exceptional.

But am I fooling myself? Talking myself into holding on? Am I living truth to power by keeping my XM Radio subscription? Or should I cancel to make a point that must be made?

Choices.

We all must make them.

Where do we draw the line?

BlackCommentator.com Columnist K. Danielle Edwards, a Nashville-based writer, poet and communications professional, seeks to make the world a better place, one decision and one action at a time. To her, parenting is a protest against the odds, and marriage is a living mantra for forward movement. Her work has appeared in MotherVerse Literary Journal, ParentingExpress, Mamazine, The Black World Today, Africana.com, The Tennessean and other publications. She is the author of Stacey Jones: Memoirs of Girl & Woman, Body & Spirit, Life & Death (2005) and is the founder and creative director of The Pen: An Exercise in the Cathartic Potential of the Creative Act, a nonprofit creative writing project designed for incarcerated and disadvantaged populations. Click here to contact Ms. Edwards.