Satellite Radio: Turn Right for XM, Left for Sirius

newsmax.com ^ | 11/25/03 | Carl Limbacher

[ovrtaxt]

With Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff

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Tuesday Nov. 25, 2003 4:30 p.m. EST Satellite Radio: Turn Right for XM, Left for Sirius XM Satellite Radio president and CEO Hugh Panero once touted his company saying, "I think that there are a number of people who are simply dissatisfied with their musical choices on terrestrial radio… The people who love jazz and blues and rock and roll and other kinds of eclectic music like reggae or opera just can't find it.” However, competing for the potential satellite radio audience in the roving U.S. market of some 200 million licensed vehicles has apparently gone beyond appealing to jazz lovers versus rock and roll devotees. XM competitor Sirius, for instance, offers 40 channels of stuff other than music, featuring more news and talk shows than XM. What’s more, the Sirius programming has more choices geared to liberal-minded listeners. XM appeals more to the middle and the right. Left-leaning Sirius has no less than three public radio channels, which tend to appeal to the liberal crowd, while XM doesn't have any. Sirius also features "Sirius Left,” a liberal talk channel. Covering the bases, however, Sirius offers "Sirius Right” as well. XM's stable of talk-show hosts includes conservatives Bill Cunningham, Michael Reagan, and libertarian Glenn Beck. Meanwhile, personality Phil Hendrie pokes fun at both sides of the political debate. Perhaps most telling, Sirius features a channel for the gay community, while XM has an exclusive channel for NASCAR racing buffs and a Playboy station that charges an extra tariff. All things considered, Sirius and XM have just 13 channels in common – for the most part rebroadcasts of cable nets like CNN. The rest comes from exclusive signings – Sirius has deals with NPR, the NBA, the NHL, as well as original programming. Critics have suggested that the varying political bents of the talk shows are defining the real difference between the competing services. When it comes to the musical content, the two services offer the same wide variety – XM channels, however, feature live disk jockeys who take call-in requests. In any event, don’t have an epiphany and switch from liberal to conservative or vice-versa once you bought the hardware for the service of your choice. That hardware is not interchangeable – at least not yet before open-standard radios become available on the market. It’s all about programming, as Sirius and XM ramp up their efforts to attract new subscribers. As more and more car manufacturers install satellite radios in their new models, they're expected to attract 25 million subscribers in the next five years. Whether liberal or conservative, that’s a market to reckon with.

[ovrtaxt]

I'm in the market for satellite radio. Does anybody who owns one have any advice?

[BigBlueJon]

I have XM. I'm not too familiar with Sirius. I love it. I can listen to Fox News the whole time I'm in my truck, or any other favorite station I want to at any time. Except for the occasional XM radio ad, there are almost no commercials. I would give it two thumbs, however I haven't found a station that plays Rush Limbaugh. It does offer Larry Elder and Sean Hannity on the A.M. Talk radio station. Equipment can be found at any electronic store for home or auto. Shop for the deals.

[woofer]

Except for the occasional XM radio ad, there are almost no commercials.

Hmmm. Now why would they advertise exclusively to an audience that has already purchased their services?

[Las Vegas Dave]

Are you sure you want to pay $10/month for radio, I thought radio was free?

My wife's son is a car salesman, and had the thing in one of his demos, we tried it, and do not think it is worth the $$$. (We live near Cleveland and get good radio reception from Ashtabula, Youngstown, Akron, Detroit/Windsor,Ontario, not to mention our local radio.)

Now on the other hand, we have the DISH (top 150), and have the audio output going to our H-K stereo receiver. On the DISH we have several radio stations (free with the DISH top 150 package), about 30 FM stereo stations listenable to us, "holiday" music is real nice!

[Diva]

We got XM before we went on our trip to New Orleans from Detroit. Its wonderful! Of course occasionally while driving through West Virginia (went to the Carolinas first), a mountain would get in the way for a few seconds but other than that it was terrific. I use it here in my travels around the metro area and am very pleased.

[MoodyBlu]

I have 2 of the XM units, one in the wife's car and another that we keep portable for in the house and a second vehicle.

On a cross country trip this past summer, it was great to listen to Fox News, Weather Channel, all kinds of sports, and some fine music stations in places where regular local radio left a lot to be desired.

I looked at both options before buying and went with XM for some of the reasons the article presents. So far no regrets!

[BigBlueJon]

It's mostly ads (if not entirely) about current XM customers getting friends and family to sign up for discounts and such. Also, there are ads that talk about one station or another. I don't believe that I've heard any other commercials for any thing else.

[dakine]

I received the XM for Christmas last year, I was so impressed that I went out and bought 1,000 shares of stock last January. I listen to the sports radio stations even though there are 100 stations.

My suggestion is go to the web-sites and compare the stations offered, then choose one that you will listen to the most often.

[FreedomPoster]

>>Are you sure you want to pay $10/month for radio, I thought radio was free?

The price of a pizza a month is more than worth it to have either no ads, or very, few much more low-key, ones.

I love my XM. The stations I listen to most, XM40 Deep Tracks and XM74 Bluesville, have no commercials. I had quit listening to music in the car due to the @(&#$ terrestrial stations play these days. I listen to music in the car again because of XM. And much less hassle than messing with CDs.

Also, the DJ format on XM is good stuff. There's a human interacting with the audience, handling email requests and answering questions, telling you about live shows by the artists, that sort of thing. The impersonal nature of a non-DJ format is not nearly as good. While I haven't experienced it on Sirius, if that anything like the music stations on DirecTV, give me XM and DJs.

I just wish XM would do a few conservative talk-radio shows. At least they do have the audio feed from FNC.

[Vigilantcitizen]

I'm at work right now and don't have time, but later, I'll upload a pic of XM's realy cool looking trade show booth we built them.

[FreedomPoster]

Cool, would like to see that.

[Grit]

bump for later

[Skooz]

I'm in the market for satellite radio. Does anybody who owns one have any advice? Ditto. My current car receiver is "Sirius ready," but it looks like XM has a better selection. Is Rush anywhere to be found on satellite radio?

[Paul_B]

I have XM radio (recently) and XMSR is my largest portfolio holding.

My main interest in getting XM, aside from investment purposes, was to listen to Christian music. I've been fairly disappointed, in that the best they offer is a Top 40 format. It's very good sometimes, but too often it's not good at all. Perhaps that will improve; they are young. The lack, or near lack, of commercials is great. I find the lack of DJ color makes for a boring monolithic presentation.

As for this XM/Sirious right/left thing, I don't place too much stock in it. XM, after all, offers a Playboy channel; nothing conservo about that in my book. And XM has plenty of off-color channels.

I never thought I'd pay for radio, but all in all I think it's worth it. And as XM begins to turn a profit (something it looks like Sirius will never do), we can expect the content to improve.

p.

[Drango]

NPR is free and they have no commercials.

Well not exactly free...If you don't pay your tax, a man with a gun will come to your house, and they will throw you in jail. Now, about those commercials they don't have...

[wita]

Is it the one I'm going to see at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Jan 8-11 2004, or some other one?

[glock rocks]

I love XM!

I live on channel 40, Deep Tracks. Blues, jazz and new age are well represented on XM, too.

Well worth the subscription. I can listen to FoxNews at work, and catch NASCAR if I'm away from the tv.

[ovrtaxt]

I should clarify, I'm a talk radio FIEND. So the talk channels, or channel, is important to me. From what I've seen, XM doesn't offer much.

[glock rocks]

bonk.

[MsGail61]

I've also heard ads on the 80s channel for JC Penney and OnStar.