satellite "radio"....is it really radio???

[perenoel6218]

Not sure if this is the correct place for this question, but perhaps some of us mayhave some thoughts on this. Ever since satellite "radio" has been with us, I havealways wondered if calling it RADIO is correct. I notice that this site has a category for it. Yet in reality, is it not something more like MUZAK? TraditionallyMUZAK ran most of the time on a market's FM subcarrier frequency. Did we considerit RADIO then? I guess my own personal thought would be that Sirius and XM aresimply audio sources and not necessarily RADIO, in the true sense. Just asCNN or any of the other cable/satellite feeds are not broadcast stations, but simplyvideo sources. If the majority of us feel that way, then perhaps satellite feeds such as Sirius and XM do not belong on this site, as they are not actually RADIO. If I am correct, they do not get licensed by the FCC and they do not operate oneither of the FM or AM bands. But, then, I could be all wet!

 

[N_D_Radioguy]

It's a lot like calling a tomato a vegetable.By definition, the tomato is actually a fruit. However, no one thinks of it that way. You wouldn't put a fruit on your cheeseburger. Your mom never told you to "eat all your fruits so you'll grow up big and strong." Whatever way you care to think of it, "fruit" and "tomato" just don't fit right together in our minds.Our brains put "tomato" together with "vegetable." Whether it's how we eat them or how our mothers taught us about them, we think of them as vegetables. It is less about what they are and more about how we perceive them.Now lay that analogy over "radio" and "satellite." Technically -- and technologically -- they are not the same thing. Consider, though, how the listener uses them. Each broadcast, net stream, or sat transmission is a "station" to them. The interfaces are mostly the same. The environments during use are mostly the same. For non-engineering personnel, the skills necessary to program, perform and produce are pretty much the same. Sure, there are plenty of differences, but ultimately traditional radio and satellite radio are enough alike that they go together.Just like "cable" and " broadcast" TV.And just like "tomato" and "vegetable."

 

[DJDave113]

I don't know that it matters what you call it. The fact is, even though I am a veteran broadcaster, now that I have a car with XM radio, that's what I listen to most of the time. I know local broadcasters try to counter the challenge by talking about "local programming," but with the infestation of automation, voice tracking, etc., local radio really isn't local or live anymore, at least in most markets. With XM, you can choose the music genre you wish to hear, or switch over to Fox News or CNN or your favorite baseball team's coverage, with the push of a button. One thing I am sure of is that HD radio's "sub channels" are an interesting concept, but with the cost of receivers to pick up those "broadcasts" either at home or in the car, I doubt there will be any success with this concept.Just my two cents worth....-Dave