Posted on 02/04/2005 4:26:46 PM PST by t_skoz
Satellite dishing: How Sirius and XM rate in the radio arena
By Dean Johnson
Wednesday, February 2, 2005
These are the great dilemmas of our time. PC or Mac? LCD or plasma? And now, Sirius or XM? Which satellite radio service should you subscribe to?
Both offer more than 120 channels, most commercial-free. Both offer more than 60 channels of music. XM is $9.99 a month. Sirius is $12.95 a month or a one-time ``for life'' fee of $499.99. Both are high on celeb special-guest performers and/or DJs ranging from Lindsay Lohan and Tom Petty to Nas and Jennifer Lopez. But which one is right for you? It depends on your favorite type of programming. . . .
Format: Rock
What XM offers: 14 rock channels, including five alternative channels and an unsigned bands channel.
What Sirius offers: 15 rock channels, including four classic rock, one jam band and one garage rock channel.
What's special: Springsteen guitarist Steve Van Zandt programs two Sirius channels; XM's classic alternative channel is called ``Fred.''
Who wins: XM for Gen X, Sirius for baby boomers
Format: Pop
What XM offers: 15 channels, including three contemporary hits stations and world-pop hits.
What Sirius offers: 14 channels, including light pop and Christian hits.
What's special: All-Elvis channel on Sirius; interactive Top 20 on XM.
Who wins: XM
Format: Hip-hop/Urban
What XM offers: seven channels, including Uncensored Hip-Hop and Urban Adult.
What Sirius offers: eight channels, including Slow Jamz and Hot Jamz.
What's special: Mix and Freestyle channel on Sirius; Hip-Hop From Day One on XM.
Who wins: Sirius
Format: Dance/Electronica
What XM offers: Four channels, including Underground Dance.
What Sirius offers: Six channels, including Trance/Progressive House and disco
What's special: Sirius offers Chill Out channel
Who wins: Sirius
Format: Niche Channels
What XM offers: Starbucks music channel, Cerebral New Age, Playboy Channel
What Sirius offers: Gay Radio, Maxim Radio, Grand Ole Opry
What's special: Both offer a Truckers' Channel. Really.
Who wins: Neither
Format: Classical
What XM offers: Three channels, including Classical's Greatest Hits
What Sirius offers: Three channels, including Classical Pops
What's special: XM's The Greatest Music of the Last 1,000 Years
Who wins: XM
Format: News/Talk
What XM offers: More than 20 channels, including African-American Talk, Opie and Anthony
What Sirius offers: More than 30 channels, including Talk for Women and Howard Stern in 2006
What's special: XM has a Family Comedy Channel; Sirius offers Wisdom Radio for the ``mind body spirit earth.''
Who wins: Sirius
Format: Sports
What XM offers: 15 channels, including Major League Baseball
What Sirius offers: Eight channels, including National Football League
What's special: XM has two NASCAR channels, Sirius offers all-NFL talk channel.
Who wins: XM
XM Radio Ping list! FR-mail me to get added to or removed from this ping list.
What does the "Playboy Channel" offer on radio?
What XM offers: 15 channels, including Major League BaseballI think I'd go with Sirius on this one.What Sirius offers: Eight channels, including National Football League
What's special: XM has two NASCAR channels, Sirius offers all-NFL talk channel.
Who wins: XM
I'm wondering...Does XM win the "pop" genre because Sirius offers a contemporary Christian music channel?
No idea! I have XM but this is an "extra" channel, you have another fee to pay if you want this one (who cares, anyway?).
I always figured it was an audio version of "Penthouse Letters"... I mean, what else are they going to talk about?
XM has 3 Christian channels!
http://xmradio.com/programming/neighborhood.jsp?hood=christian
Hugh Hefner reading from his diary?
The audio portion of the TV channel.
Yeah, thanks for that.
heeheheh no idea... maybe for 1 month I will subscribe to the Playboy channel just out of morbid (?) curiosity.
My XM radio is on my dad's account though... if he doesn't kill me, my girlfriend will!
do you know this for a fact, or are you just guessing?
I've always wondered...
Are you serious (or "Sirius")? To be honest, I've never seen the PB TV channel. What is the audio? All grunts and groans?
You have XM radio, so you are in a position to know....Is it like cable TV -- 200 channels, and nothing to listen to?
So Sirius wins that one.
Loses big with that lame Stern 'hole, though.
I know for a fact, because Neil Cavuto has interviewed a Playboy Channel representative long before each service had been widely available.
I have XM and I love it. Best money I ever spent.
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Stern and Savage are both a-holes.
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