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Thinking of getting Sirius?

A

ajhenderson

Everyone in Seattle who listened to Leykis now says Sirius/XM is the only option, but allow me to offer a suggestion: save your money.

It's no better.

XM has weak, short playlists and I hear Sirius is even worse. How much U2 and Coldplay can a man take?! They may have 125 channels, but that accounts for filling every niche format that three people ever listened to. The mainstream formats you hear on FM are accounted for on a handful of channels. Sure, I enjoy listening to the 40s channel for a few minutes here and there, and the classic reggae channel can be interesting. Hell, Starbucks Music works when I'm really in a bad mood. But for the most part, I find myself listening to Dr. Laura (it can really be quite entertaining) and some of the other political talk shows that are already on my local stations, just at different times. John and Jeff at night, too, but since you're usually either at work or home at that hour, you could stream them.

So, unless you're a Stern fan and can't live without him (of course, the 20-minute stopsets aren't going anywhere), take a pass. Just a public service from me, your host.
 
Well, while I am sure you're right overall, I spend about 1 or 2% of my radio time listening to music stations. I am a talk radio listener for the most part. To further whiddle it down, I am a talk radio listener who cannot stand the sound of AM radio! So it becomes very quickly evident that without the Buzz, I am pretty much screwed in Seattle unless I want to listen to NPR (which I do occasionally although it's really not my speed) or come January catch BJ on KISW in the mornings. So BJ might cover my ride into work but then what? I don't know what the talk lineup is on Sirius or XM (maybe I should go look eh) but it can't possibly be any worse than what is now left on terrestrial FM radio in Seattle. To top it all off, at this point I have half a mind to go buy a damn Sirius just to spite Entercom! I'm waiting around a bit to see what develops since this is all still in a state of flux, but if it doesn't turn out favorably soon then satellite is looking more tempting by the day...
 
Reasons to get Sirius include: 1) You really do want to listen to Stern, 2) When he is off you do get a choice in music that avoids U2 and Coldplay, and 3) the sound quality is better. Terrestrial radio is just so boring, and local morning shows are not the caliber of Stern. Even interviews over the phone have lost their appeal to me. Listening to Bob Rivers is marginally interesting, and I couldn't care less about his political views. I enjoy The End and hope No Name and Jennifer White keep doing well, but I wouldn't miss that show. And I think my Sirius subscription will last longer than BJ Shea's tenure on mornings at KISW. Why did BJ get the morning gig and not Ricker???

Musically, on AM or FM you are even more trapped into listening to the same songs ad nauseum, or formats that are of no interest. And I will not wish to purchase music because the I lose interest in the CD's after purchasing them anyway. I will have purchased enough music on a monthly basis. I'll let you know if I change my mind in a year or so.

> Everyone in Seattle who listened to Leykis now says
> Sirius/XM is the only option, but allow me to offer a
> suggestion: save your money.
>
> It's no better.
>
> XM has weak, short playlists and I hear Sirius is even
> worse. How much U2 and Coldplay can a man take?! They may
> have 125 channels, but that accounts for filling every niche
> format that three people ever listened to. The mainstream
> formats you hear on FM are accounted for on a handful of
> channels. Sure, I enjoy listening to the 40s channel for a
> few minutes here and there, and the classic reggae channel
> can be interesting. Hell, Starbucks Music works when I'm
> really in a bad mood. But for the most part, I find myself
> listening to Dr. Laura (it can really be quite entertaining)
> and some of the other political talk shows that are already
> on my local stations, just at different times. John and Jeff
> at night, too, but since you're usually either at work or
> home at that hour, you could stream them.
>
> So, unless you're a Stern fan and can't live without him (of
> course, the 20-minute stopsets aren't going anywhere), take
> a pass. Just a public service from me, your host.
>
 
The last few months I have been considering getting satellite radio, but it has not been a big priority for me. However, once FM talk was lost in Seattle I have been considering it more and more. Let me explain, I am 25, work in tech, have pretty nice spending power, and have out grown the music stations. Furthermore, I own an 60gig iPod that has tons of Podcasts (keith and the girl, dawn and drew, pk&j, countless others) and literally tons of music that I personally enjoy. There is literally no reason for me to listen to regular old FM now. Now its just a matter of choosing between Howard Stern and both Howard 100 stations on Sirius. Which I sure will be funny, but other than Howard's morning show, might be a little too much out of left field for me. Opie and Anthony and Ron and Fez on XM. Which I can subscribe to on audible.com for a few dollars a month without satellite.



> Everyone in Seattle who listened to Leykis now says
> Sirius/XM is the only option, but allow me to offer a
> suggestion: save your money.
>
> It's no better.
>
> XM has weak, short playlists and I hear Sirius is even
> worse. How much U2 and Coldplay can a man take?! They may
> have 125 channels, but that accounts for filling every niche
> format that three people ever listened to. The mainstream
> formats you hear on FM are accounted for on a handful of
> channels. Sure, I enjoy listening to the 40s channel for a
> few minutes here and there, and the classic reggae channel
> can be interesting. Hell, Starbucks Music works when I'm
> really in a bad mood. But for the most part, I find myself
> listening to Dr. Laura (it can really be quite entertaining)
> and some of the other political talk shows that are already
> on my local stations, just at different times. John and Jeff
> at night, too, but since you're usually either at work or
> home at that hour, you could stream them.
>
> So, unless you're a Stern fan and can't live without him (of
> course, the 20-minute stopsets aren't going anywhere), take
> a pass. Just a public service from me, your host.
>
 
I must respectfully disagree. I bought a Sirius system two weeks ago in anticipation of Howard and I couldn't be more pleased. The sound quality is better and there are about 15 stations that play either classic rock, alternative or a mix of AAA. I rarely hear the same song twice. I drive a truck for a living and listen to the radio for at least 12 hours every day.... $13 a month seems a bargain. I have no more interest in commercial radio, none of the shows in the Seattle market interest me. Besides Howard Stern I would occasionally listen to Robin and Maynard or Bob Rivers. I've tried Bob the last couple of days and he just seems...to....put....me... to...zzzzzzzzzz. I for one can't wait until 1/9/06.

> Everyone in Seattle who listened to Leykis now says
> Sirius/XM is the only option, but allow me to offer a
> suggestion: save your money.
>
> It's no better.
>
> XM has weak, short playlists and I hear Sirius is even
> worse. How much U2 and Coldplay can a man take?! They may
> have 125 channels, but that accounts for filling every niche
> format that three people ever listened to. The mainstream
> formats you hear on FM are accounted for on a handful of
> channels. Sure, I enjoy listening to the 40s channel for a
> few minutes here and there, and the classic reggae channel
> can be interesting. Hell, Starbucks Music works when I'm
> really in a bad mood. But for the most part, I find myself
> listening to Dr. Laura (it can really be quite entertaining)
> and some of the other political talk shows that are already
> on my local stations, just at different times. John and Jeff
> at night, too, but since you're usually either at work or
> home at that hour, you could stream them.
>
> So, unless you're a Stern fan and can't live without him (of
> course, the 20-minute stopsets aren't going anywhere), take
> a pass. Just a public service from me, your host.
>
 
> Well, while I am sure you're right overall, I spend about 1
> or 2% of my radio time listening to music stations. I am a
> talk radio listener for the most part. To further whiddle it
> down, I am a talk radio listener who cannot stand the sound
> of AM radio! So it becomes very quickly evident that without
> the Buzz, I am pretty much screwed in Seattle unless I want
> to listen to NPR (which I do occasionally although it's
> really not my speed) or come January catch BJ on KISW in the
> mornings. So BJ might cover my ride into work but then what?
> I don't know what the talk lineup is on Sirius or XM (maybe
> I should go look eh) but it can't possibly be any worse than
> what is now left on terrestrial FM radio in Seattle. To top
> it all off, at this point I have half a mind to go buy a
> damn Sirius just to spite Entercom! I'm waiting around a bit
> to see what develops since this is all still in a state of
> flux, but if it doesn't turn out favorably soon then
> satellite is looking more tempting by the day...

I'd agree on that. People say I'm crazy because I work in radio and don't get bothered by it (I guess I'm supposed to be an audiophile b/c of my job), but I've always been around and worked in AM and it never bothered me. XM and Sirius do have a certain compressed sound and that will increase as they figure out how to jam more channels of little general interest in, but it does offer better quality for those who like talk. Unfortunately, being in your position as a nearly 100% consumer of talk, I had to choose which hosts I liked better. There is little duplication of talk hosts on XM and Sirius; XM has Clear Channel hosts for obvious reasons, and Sirius has others. If you like Stern on Sirius you can't got O&A, Ron and Fez, the Philips Phile, Phil Hendrie, et al because they're only on XM. If you want Air America, you've gotta go XM. I can understand the CC connection w/XM, but seems to me the rest of the shows are shooting themselves in the foot by siding with one over the other.
 
KJCB...Usually, I think you're right on the money...But on this one, I have to respectfully disagree, about XM at least. Other than Howard coming, most of what I've heard on Sirius IS pretty weak.

XM has short, weak playlists? I guess it depends on what kind of music you like. Personally, I listen to America, Highway 16, Squizz, The Bone Yard, Top Tracks, Deep Tracks, Lucy, Mix, and High Voltage mostly...And occasionally XM Comedy. Of those, other than Highway 16, I can go HOURS without hearing the same songs over again...Between Squizz and The Bone Yard, I hear more rock and a deeper playlist than I've heard on KISW or any other commercial rocker in fifteen years.

I agree...If you're listening to 20 on 20 or Kiss 21, XM's playlist is a bit shallow...But those stations are meant to be that way. And XM Comedy and that new Canadian comedy channel on 153 blow All Comedy Radio out of the water...Makes ACR look like a bunch of amatures.

I agree about Sirius though. My in-laws have Dish Network, which uses Sirius for its music channels, and their jocks are awful and the playlists are about as bad as commercial radio.

Also, XM is good if you're a fan of a baseball team other than the Mariners, or if you're into hockey or college sports...I can heard my Arizona Diamondbacks, Coyotes, and Sun Devils which was almost never possible since moving to Seattle. So, it's worth the money for the sports content, O&A, deeper playlists, and comedy...The traffic and weather channels are nice if you travel, too. However, if I were XM, I wouldn't have brough Lex and Terry's show on board, even on tape delay as they did. Man, those guys are awful. I used to think they were somewhat entertaining, but not so much anymore.

> Everyone in Seattle who listened to Leykis now says
> Sirius/XM is the only option, but allow me to offer a
> suggestion: save your money.
>
> It's no better.
>
> XM has weak, short playlists and I hear Sirius is even
> worse. How much U2 and Coldplay can a man take?! They may
> have 125 channels, but that accounts for filling every niche
> format that three people ever listened to. The mainstream
> formats you hear on FM are accounted for on a handful of
> channels. Sure, I enjoy listening to the 40s channel for a
> few minutes here and there, and the classic reggae channel
> can be interesting. Hell, Starbucks Music works when I'm
> really in a bad mood. But for the most part, I find myself
> listening to Dr. Laura (it can really be quite entertaining)
> and some of the other political talk shows that are already
> on my local stations, just at different times. John and Jeff
> at night, too, but since you're usually either at work or
> home at that hour, you could stream them.
>
> So, unless you're a Stern fan and can't live without him (of
> course, the 20-minute stopsets aren't going anywhere), take
> a pass. Just a public service from me, your host.
>
 
Sirius has Stern but they are swimming in a tsunami of red ink. They will never generate enough subscribers to justify Howard's insane $500 million contract and millions of outstanding stock shares. The only hope for satellite is a merger between XM & Sirius. That is the only way to provide enough content to justify the expense. In any case satellite radio is doomed by rapidly developing alternative technologies.
 
> XM has short, weak playlists? I guess it depends on what
> kind of music you like. Personally, I listen to America,
> Highway 16, Squizz, The Bone Yard, Top Tracks, Deep Tracks,
> Lucy, Mix, and High Voltage mostly...And occasionally XM
> Comedy. Of those, other than Highway 16, I can go HOURS
> without hearing the same songs over again...Between Squizz
> and The Bone Yard, I hear more rock and a deeper playlist
> than I've heard on KISW or any other commercial rocker in
> fifteen years.

I'll admit that if I came across a really deep playlist I probably wouldn't listen much; it just struck me that they advertise "Listen Large" yet I keep hearing the same songs. I haven't ventured out into the really deep channels, although XMU isn't bad. I wouldn't know if they were repeating stuff there anyway.

> I agree...If you're listening to 20 on 20 or Kiss 21, XM's
> playlist is a bit shallow...But those stations are meant to
> be that way. And XM Comedy and that new Canadian comedy
> channel on 153 blow All Comedy Radio out of the
> water...Makes ACR look like a bunch of amatures.

Channel 150 is pretty entertaining indeed. I listen to the 24/7 ACR affiliate here just to get a feel for what they're doing and I can't stand it. Other people who like comedy have said the same thing. And although the listener will flock to the best content, you can't blame terrestrial radio for not being able to air the language they do on there. 152 is also good for Hendrie and John and Jeff, and CC's Philips Phile out of WZZR/W.Palm Beach is good for short spurts, but I don't think too many people are getting XM for that, nor listening to it.

> Also, XM is good if you're a fan of a baseball team other
> than the Mariners, or if you're into hockey or college
> sports...I can heard my Arizona Diamondbacks, Coyotes, and
> Sun Devils which was almost never possible since moving to
> Seattle. So, it's worth the money for the sports content,
> O&A, deeper playlists, and comedy...The traffic and weather
> channels are nice if you travel, too. However, if I were
> XM, I wouldn't have brough Lex and Terry's show on board,
> even on tape delay as they did. Man, those guys are awful.
> I used to think they were somewhat entertaining, but not so
> much anymore.

Yeah, they kicked off Michael Savage because he made his traditionally stupid remarks and said something about satradio being a flop. Problem is, they replaced him with Michael Reagan. Agree or not, Savage is an entertainer. Michael Reagan is a has-been. The sports make sense for some people, like yourself, who want to take the games with them. Most leagues do offer a service to listen online for a lesser fee, sans of course, the other content.

You're also right about the traffic from a practicality standpoint. For radio geeks like ourselves it's sometimes fun to drive around a city flipping around the dial, taking in the essence of the station, the intonation of the traffic, etc. And no, I don't have a life.
 
Oh, believe me...Even though I have satellite, if I'm in a city outside of Seattle, I'm constantly flipping around the dial to see what that market has to offer...Even in Portland, which I visit often, I still check out the local radio scene every time I'm there...See what's changed, see how it compares to home. It drives my wife insane. I work for the City of Seattle, did radio in college and thought it'd be a career...Unfortunately, last time I started looking for work was around 2000 when most stations had transferred everything to the computer. At that time, and I don't know if things have changed, Dalet and the other various systems weren't at all accessible with a screenreader. I've heard about a program that comes out of Europe, England I believe, that claims to be accessible, but I can't seem to find any US stations, other than community/noncommercial radio using it. Unfortunately, I can't remember the name.

Anyway, enough of my ranting...Time for a beer. :)

> > XM has short, weak playlists? I guess it depends on what
> > kind of music you like. Personally, I listen to America,
> > Highway 16, Squizz, The Bone Yard, Top Tracks, Deep
> Tracks,
> > Lucy, Mix, and High Voltage mostly...And occasionally XM
> > Comedy. Of those, other than Highway 16, I can go HOURS
> > without hearing the same songs over again...Between Squizz
>
> > and The Bone Yard, I hear more rock and a deeper playlist
> > than I've heard on KISW or any other commercial rocker in
> > fifteen years.
>
> I'll admit that if I came across a really deep playlist I
> probably wouldn't listen much; it just struck me that they
> advertise "Listen Large" yet I keep hearing the same songs.
> I haven't ventured out into the really deep channels,
> although XMU isn't bad. I wouldn't know if they were
> repeating stuff there anyway.
>
> > I agree...If you're listening to 20 on 20 or Kiss 21, XM's
>
> > playlist is a bit shallow...But those stations are meant
> to
> > be that way. And XM Comedy and that new Canadian comedy
> > channel on 153 blow All Comedy Radio out of the
> > water...Makes ACR look like a bunch of amatures.
>
> Channel 150 is pretty entertaining indeed. I listen to the
> 24/7 ACR affiliate here just to get a feel for what they're
> doing and I can't stand it. Other people who like comedy
> have said the same thing. And although the listener will
> flock to the best content, you can't blame terrestrial radio
> for not being able to air the language they do on there. 152
> is also good for Hendrie and John and Jeff, and CC's Philips
> Phile out of WZZR/W.Palm Beach is good for short spurts, but
> I don't think too many people are getting XM for that, nor
> listening to it.
>
> > Also, XM is good if you're a fan of a baseball team other
> > than the Mariners, or if you're into hockey or college
> > sports...I can heard my Arizona Diamondbacks, Coyotes, and
>
> > Sun Devils which was almost never possible since moving to
>
> > Seattle. So, it's worth the money for the sports content,
>
> > O&A, deeper playlists, and comedy...The traffic and
> weather
> > channels are nice if you travel, too. However, if I were
> > XM, I wouldn't have brough Lex and Terry's show on board,
> > even on tape delay as they did. Man, those guys are
> awful.
> > I used to think they were somewhat entertaining, but not
> so
> > much anymore.
>
> Yeah, they kicked off Michael Savage because he made his
> traditionally stupid remarks and said something about
> satradio being a flop. Problem is, they replaced him with
> Michael Reagan. Agree or not, Savage is an entertainer.
> Michael Reagan is a has-been. The sports make sense for some
> people, like yourself, who want to take the games with them.
> Most leagues do offer a service to listen online for a
> lesser fee, sans of course, the other content.
>
> You're also right about the traffic from a practicality
> standpoint. For radio geeks like ourselves it's sometimes
> fun to drive around a city flipping around the dial, taking
> in the essence of the station, the intonation of the
> traffic, etc. And no, I don't have a life.
>
 
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