As good as it gets
If the deal goes through between Sirius and XM, satellite radio might get so good, listeners will want to move to Durango and take an eight-hour commute. From Christian rock hits to gangsta rap explicit enough to melt your speakers, the combination of XM and Sirius will provide more listening choices than most folks have in their daily drive. Consumers will no longer have to choose between celebrity-driven Sirius, which has built its subscriber base with personalities such as Howard Stern and Martha Stewart, and the genre-themed music channels of XM, though that network also has a couple of stars, such as Bob Dylan and Oprah Winfrey. Each provider already offers hundreds of music, talk and sports channels. Some of the top picks:
All NFL, all the time: Sirius has the audio rights to every NFL football game, all season long. For the sports nut or aspiring bookie in your family, the obvious choice.
College of music knowledge: XM’s college-rock music station, XMU, is the best way to discover a band before it goes mainstream. Not every song is great, but XMU taps into a constant flow of musical energy.
Blue collar, blue jokes: There’s something about redneck jokes that make an Interstate-25 traffic jam disappear in a haze of laughter. Blue Collar Radio is a round-the-clock channel on Sirius featuring gigs from Ron White, Larry the Cable Guy, Bill Engvall, Kathleen Madigan, Jeff Foxworthy and others.
Reggae other than Bob Marley: XM takes listeners deeper into the rich roots of reggae with The Joint – one of many double-entendre channel names on both services. The Joint dives into roots reggae, dancehall dub and other sub-genres. Permanent and guest deejays spin their favorites and talk about Jamaican culture.
STAFF WRITER MICHAEL BOOTH
