Why I Pay for Radio

My wife and I spend a lot of time traveling by car and all too often we spend our travel time scanning for radio stations. Sure, we have a CD changer but there is also a need for news, information, and sports. Trying to find such channels in remote or mountain regions is a particular challenge. That is why I have been a subscriber to XM Radio for four years now.

Finding radio stations in remote areas is only one of the reasons I pay for radio. Over the air radio stations must sell commercial time in order to operate. From my perspective the commericals and disc jockey banter are dead air. (at least I am consistant in my desire to ignore commericals - I am also a Tivo user) . So, instead of supporting commerical radio by buying products advertised on the air, I support satellite radio by spending money to the XM service.

So why XM and not Sirius? First, the choice was easy since Sirius wasn't on the air when I first subscribed. In the end it comes down to listening and car model preferences. Technically the two services are identical. They both provide high quality audio (audiophiles would disagree, but they also hear the sawtooth sound in audio CDs). Both provide ample variety of commerical free music.

Here is a list of some of the basic differences in the two services:

XM is for those who are NPR fans that like Bob Edwards and are fans of major league baseball. XM hardware is factory installed in all General Motors (including Saab and Saturn), Honda/Acura, Audi, Infiniti, Izuzu, Lexus, Nissan, Porsche, VW, and HarleyDavidson vehicles.

Sirius is for those that like the NFL or NBA, and of course starting today, fans of Howard Stern. Sirius hardware is factory installed in Ford, Daimler Chrysler, Audi, BMW, and Lexus vehicles.

The real challenge is for listeners like the fans of Howard Stern that drive GM cars. They will need to by an aftermarket radio or a portable unit that plugs into an auxillary input or through an FM modulator. The choice for me was obvious since I drive GM vechicles and am not a Stern fan. Sphere: Related Content