ARTSETC.
Satellite radio’s Sirius problems
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by Mac VerStandig
Tuesday, November 2, 2004
The satellite radio movement has long seemed a dubious attempt at mirroring the success of its television counterpart, with radio having fallen behind the times as cable television became the craze.
But with the recent announcement that Howard Stern, the self-proclaimed “King of All Media,” will be wishing his transmitter listeners a fond farewell and taking to the waves of a satellite radio company come 2006, the time is perhaps right to give the service a closer look.
Mr. Stern is moving to Sirius, which is one of the two major providers of the medium (XM being the other). So in roughly 14 months, when his broadcast contract expires, the raunchy interview artist will likely take his act to new levels, as the lack of government decency standards should lend him rather free reign to turn an already edgy routine into an outright pornographic act.
But in the meantime, what does Sirius have to offer?
With more than 100 channels, the service splits its content into 13 categories: pop, rock, country, hip-hop, R&B/urban, dance/electronic, jazz/standards, classical, Latin & world, news, traffic & weather, sports and talk/entertainment.
The music channels are generally decent, each presenting a unique theme within their category (including one pop channel that plays nothing but Elvis music). Of particular interest to this writer has been a variety of rock and jazz/standards channels ranging from “Classic Rewind” to “Broadway’s Best.” And while each channel has done a deft job staying within the narrow confines of its description (“Classic Rewind” advertises only “Later classic rock”), such over-constraint seems to come at a high price of awkward repetition.
Whereas a traditional radio station uses a broad format to move seamlessly through a day with minimal artist repetition, the Sirius channels this writer has tuned in to have shown a devastating over-reliance on George Thorogood, The Beatles, The Kinks and Pink Floyd. And while the music produced by these artists is unquestionably of the highest caliber, its over-saturation comes just shy of ad nauseam.
The upside to the musical entries, however, is the genuine absence of commercial interruption. Deejays do take to the air periodically and host sometimes-themed shows such as a diva hour, but there are no car jingles to be found.
Conversely, there is some modicum of advertising on the more talk-centric stations. Here, much of the content is non-exclusive (one channel is a simple simulcast of the Fox News Channel’s broadcast), so commercial blocks must be covered. Additionally, sports games are often picked up from home teams’ markets, so local ads can make their way into the mix (driving through western Wisconsin trying to listen to the Auburn game allowed this writer a tremendous education in who is running for local office in Alabama).
But from a content point of view, this excess of talk-based material is stellar. The ability to listen to every NFL football game from anywhere in the country is a privilege indeed, and a wide lineup of college football options are also nice. Conservative and liberal-themed talk radio stations become a sort of satellite AM, and both a family-friendly and an uncensored comedy station can help keep a smile alive through heavy traffic.
But when it actually comes to hearing about that traffic, good luck. Although Sirius dedicates 10 stations to local traffic broadcasts, only 20 major cities are included, and places like Madison are long forgotten. Indeed, the irony is rich that for a radio service that advertises on the ability to drive anywhere without losing its signal, rarely can it be as of much of an aid in helping you do that driving as a traditional AM/FM radio.
Moreover, Sirius lacks by necessity the personal touch of a hometown radio station. Deejays can never give the local sports team a shout out, your neighbors will never be the 10th caller, an important local city council resolution will never enter the news cycle, and in the absence of those once-pesky commercials, it is easy to forget just what a great bargain you can get by shopping somewhere this Saturday afternoon.
Additionally, the service requires a $14.95 monthly subscription fee, fairly pricey equipment that begins at around $99.95 and installation (although with some time and patience, the latter can be done on your own).
So proceed at your own risk. The channel options are wonderful, but the service has some serious drawbacks.
Anonymous (November 2, 2004 @ 6:15am):
"Whereas a traditional radio station uses a broad format to move seamlessly through a day with minimal artist repetition."
What station's are you talking about, Mac?
Z-104 (one of the most popular stations in town) has a playlist of 75 songs per week. Unless you are listening to a non-traditional station, you can find more variety on Sirius than mainstream radio. Our only hope is WSUM or WORT -- both play good shit from all over the place.
