When it involved just a few thousand gadget freaks, satellite radio was easy to ignore.
Now there are nearly 11 million Americans who roll with subscription radio. The people are speaking, and broadcast radio is extremely nervous.
Listeners love their Sirius or XM service. The music is fantastic, the sports offerings have no equal, the talk stations are dynamic and entertaining, and reception is better than anyone planned.
But how to choose? Both plans are $12.95 a month, both offer a variety of receivers from car stereos to boom boxes to portable MP3 players. XM boasts Snoop Dogg and Bob Dylan programming; Sirius has Howard Stern and a 24-hour Rolling Stones channel.
After weeks of reviewing the two services, I’m happy to give you a straight answer. But it’s a mixed one: Newbies should give Sirius a slight edge if programming alone will make up their minds.
XM, though, offers the coolest and most practical portable player, shaped like a Blackberry and a million times more fun. Through these devices, XM boasts a live hand-held signal anywhere you want to take it. The Sirius device stores many hours of music or talk but can’t get a live signal unless it’s plugged into a car or boombox dock with an ungainly antenna.
If takeout radio is what you desire, sign up with XM.
How did I get there? Pure, unabashed subjectivity, but I’ll walk you through it.
Sirius has attached its constellation to celebrity. Luring Howard Stern’s talk show from CBS single-handedly saved Sirius from
potential ruin, as the second-place service ran far behind XM in subscriptions and buzz. But Sirius didn’t stop with America’s favorite spouter of spleen and aural sex. The New York-based service also signed up Martha Stewart, the Rolling Stones, an Elvis channel, Jimmy Buffett with Radio Margaritaville, and many more personality-driven programs.
In a sports coup, Sirius also bought the rights to every NFL game, all season long. Other major sports include more than 1,000 NBA games a season, 40 NHL games a week, English Premier League soccer and, starting in January, NASCAR’s season.
XM prefers to brand its music channels with a made-up personality – but the gimmick works. “XMU” is the best college-music station on the air, blasting a constant stream of fresh sounds that will keep you ahead of your friends. “Lucy” offers the best of alt-rock’s hits; “Hank’s Place” is an audio wonderland of traditional country, while “Raw” is an ear-curling stream of new, uncensored hip-hop.
For sports fans, XM emphasizes Major League Baseball, featuring games from every team, every week. XM has the rights to this summer’s FIFA World Cup, while other seasonal offerings include Big Ten conference football.
Dozens of commercial-free music channels on each service allow programmers to slice the baguette extremely thin. Sirius puts the Eagles’ perennial “Take It to the Limit” on “Vinyl: Early Classic Rock”; seconds later, the band’s more minor “Those Shoes” appears on “Rewind: Later Classic Rock.”
Sirius has a Jam Bands channel; XM offers a regional Mexican station with bouncy norteño for Colorado road trips. (Both satellite providers allow you to listen to music channels through the Internet as part of your subscription.)
If the choices sound bewilderingly rich, they are. That’s when equipment becomes a deciding factor.
The remaining problem with satellite radio is that its “plug and play” progress has been relatively slow. Radio systems like the Sirius S50 comes with a dizzying array of charging cables, antennaes, USB connectors and remotes. If you want a system that moves seamlessly from car to office to home stereo, start with a professional car installer and let him fashion an elegant solution to hiding the new gear.
Or go completely portable with XM’s Pioneer Inno. The sleek device retails for $399 and doubles as a storage device for much of your recorded music. The Inno can take a live satellite feed while you’re jogging; it can also record shows by appointment and play them later. You can import your own digitized music on WMA or MP3 files.
All these programming and equipment innovations are taking place while broadcast radio does almost nothing to protect its lucrative – but threatened – franchise. The drive-time commercial cram on broadcast radio remains one of the biggest frustrations of the Denver commute: When you punch all six presets and hit a commercial on every one, satellite sounds better all the time.
Reach Michael Booth at mbooth@denverpost.com; try the “Screen Team” blog at denverpostbloghouse.com
Five great reasons to try satellite radio
Blue Collar Radio, Sirius Channel 103: There’s something about redneck jokes that make an Interstate 25 traffic jam go down a lot easier. Catch highlights from gigs by Ron White, Larry the Cable Guy, Bill Engvall, Kathleen Madigan, Jeff Foxworthy (left) and others.
The Joint, XM Channel 101: The joint, get it? XM takes reggae way past the Bob Marley you already know, deep into roots, dancehall and dub. Permanent and guest deejays spin their favorites and talk about Jamaican culture.
Theme Time Radio Hour with Bob Dylan, XM Channel 40: The master of the intriguing mumble (right) picks favorite songs and influences, and strings together non sequiturs that provide insight into his genius, if not his method.
X Country, XM Channel 12: Your best source for alt-country music in America, this inspired stream gives voice to overlooked roots artists such as Kasey Chambers (left), BR549, Drive By Truckers and Wayne Hancock.
Area 33, Sirius Channel 33: The trip-hop will get you through. An all-star lineup of DJs and mixers provides a steady stream of trance and progressive house music.
