New at Reason

April 19, 2007

Radley Balko reports on the National Association of Broadcasters and some laughable, sleazy attacks on satellite radio.

Comments

|4.19.07 @ 4:55PM|#

Excellent article Radley. But isn't this Jesse's beat? You've been treading pretty hard on Jacob's turf too? Do you have some secret plan to take over for the entire Reason staff? Funny you don't look Jewish.

I keed! I keed.
please don't delete me [wimper]

|4.19.07 @ 5:19PM|#

Just got a new car with XM included for 3 months. I wasn't going to renew after the trial period (I got indie 103, why bother). Now I'll probably renew if just to spite Asscroft.

|4.19.07 @ 5:36PM|#

You know, it is a shame that the expense of launching a satellite is a serious barrier to entry into this market. I would love to have my personal Pirate Station in Space™

Nurse Helga, The Punisher|4.19.07 @ 5:47PM|#

ve shall see, Varren. You might have to face zee punisher. Und you've been a very very naughty boy.

*clap clap*

Kapitän Schmerz - fetch zee torture device, Mr. Thingy.

|4.19.07 @ 6:06PM|#

Those NAB "Radio" ads were some of the most insulting things I've heard on the radio. Those ads alone would have been enough to get me to subscribe to satellite radio, if I didn't already subscribe to both XM and Sirius.

I agree option four is the best.

|4.19.07 @ 6:53PM|#

I signed up for XM in October 2003, when they were counting down to their 1 millionth customer (and I don't think Sirius had reached 500k at that point), so the growth has been incredible.

I haven't listened to terrestrial radio in my own car since. A few weeks ago, though, I was in a co-worker's car, and they had the radio on, which played one of those ads. I started cracking up. Just plain stupid.

LarryA|4.19.07 @ 7:47PM|#

Terrestrial radio is a joke. Most of the stations are run by people in other states.

My wife likes to wake up to Paul Harvey. (I love her anyway.) Three times out of five the broadcast gets screwed up. Either it cuts out partway through, or there's another channel of music garbling it, or you can't hear for the static.

And there's no one local listening to get it back on track.

That's why I've given up on any radio. (That and we live in a small town with limited choice.)

|4.19.07 @ 8:38PM|#

I got the three free months of XM when I bought my new car, in summer 2005. I figured I'd just let the subscription expire when the freebie ran out, but one horrible Austin commute in 104 degree weather while listening to "Savoy Express" big bands totally converted me. Haven't listened to the Clear Channel Hell radio since. Also, not having to change channels when we drive to Dallas to visit my parents is worth it.

Also, if the NAB manages to block the merger and put both services out of business, they won't get me back as a customer. I'll just buy a RoadTrip for the iPod and never listen to radio again. The music channels play nothing I want to hear, and that's during the 20 minutes per hour when they play anything but loud commercials. That's what makes this campaign such an idiotic laugh - no, I don't pay for regular radio, advertisers do, and they certainly get their money's worth. Satellite gives me the option of ignoring 5 million McDonald's ads, and once you've been to that lovely land where they don't try to sell you a Honda every two minutes, you really want to stay there. If the NAB wants customers, they should, you know, try to find something they can sell instead of killing their competition.

|4.19.07 @ 8:49PM|#

The real question is how much longer can the format of advertising supported programming last? I have Sirius in my truck but am presently driving a different car while mine is in the shop. The difference is dramatic, not only having comercials every 10 minutes or so but the playlists are pathetic.

Am I the only one who has noticed how bad most classic rock stations are these days? I mean who honestly wants to hear the Beatles followed by Van Hagar. And don't even get me started on John Boy and Billy in the morning. I'm guessing people do like it otherwise these stations with the very same format wouldn't wouldn't exist in every city with a population of more than 100k. The more I think about it there must just be lots of people out there who have no desire to ever hear anything different for the rest of their lives. The local classic rock station here (lbk TX) is exactly the same now as it was three years. Since I don't my sirius I tuned in and it was like going back in time to when I didn't have sat. rad. three years ago. Totally mundane and just plain weird.

(Steps off soapbox) At any rate could someone just explain to me why these types of stations continue to exist?

|4.19.07 @ 9:14PM|#

I'm pretty sure Sirius and XM have lost their startup status after 15 years (each) of business. Anyway, am I the only person who doesn't find "you shouldn't have to pay for it" misleading? What's wrong with playing a little hardball now and again? Or is freedom only a one way street?

|4.19.07 @ 10:24PM|#

tomtom, my guess is that your radio stations are probably owned by national chains, and it doesn't really matter what people in Lubbock want, the playlist is put together from focus groups in Seattle. On the rare occasions when it's not playing commercials, the Austin oldies station plays one Beatles song, then ten minutes of dreck. (One of the great advantages of XM is that they don't play "Build me up, Buttercup." Or, when they do, I can change the channel quickly.)

|4.19.07 @ 10:39PM|#

...your radio stations are probably owned by national chains, and it doesn't really matter what people in Lubbock want, the playlist is put together from focus groups in Seattle.

A lot of air personalities are hired the same way, which goes a long way toward explaining the godawful sameness of much "talk radio" these days.

|4.20.07 @ 1:34AM|#

I still don't get the attraction of satellite radio - other than Howard Stern. I have something called an "iPod" which already has more music than I can ever hope to listen to. Then add the amazing variety of podcasts including intelligent talk radio from the BBC, NPR, German Radio, the RU Sirius show, etc. and I really don't have time for satellite. I've always assumed that once it becomes easy enough to stream web content to your car satellite radio will also disappear. Even XM and Sirius can't offer 1% of the diversity you find on the internet. Of course the RIAA is trying as hard as possible to kill web radio, but that's a different story.

LarryA|4.20.07 @ 1:05PM|#

You know, it is a shame that the expense of launching a satellite is a serious barrier to entry into this market. I would love to have my personal Pirate Station in Space™

It doesn't need to be.

If you had to set up your own ISP to access the internet it would be expensive. But since lots of folks want online, private companies set up ISPs and rent access.

Given more available bandwidth (Option 4) and more stations, someone could do the same with a satellite. Even Sirius would benefit by sharing access. It would rent excess capacity, and could then diversify to serve various customer bases. Sirius C&W, Sirius Easy, Sirius Jazz, etc. Shucks, you could even have Sirius AllNews.

Why doesn't the FCC see that? FTMoney.

Then add the amazing variety of podcasts including intelligent talk radio from the BBC, NPR, German Radio, the RU Sirius show, etc. and I really don't have time for satellite.

Drive through West Texas sometime. Satellite is the only way currently possible to cover a receiver moving through that kind of open space.

|4.20.07 @ 3:04PM|#

I still don't get the attraction of satellite radio...

They do the hunting and gathering for you. 'Course, you might like that sort of thing. YMMV.

I abandoned terrestrial radio over year and a half ago when I got XM. I don't miss it a bit. The only time I will turn it on in the car is to occassionally listen to Ron Smith's show in Baltimore.

I will admit that XM's alternative format on Lucy and Fred has a bit too much of a Depeche Commode/Echo/Joy Division/Cure fetish for me. They really need to tone that crap down and play something decent. I mean, Joy Division? Every hour? C'mon! They sucked in the 80's!

I threw away my crappy old Aiwa stereo and replaced it with a PC that has all of my MP3s on it and streaming music from Rhapsody. That suits me just fine.

Clear Channel and the NAB can rot in hell AFAIC.

Robert|4.20.07 @ 5:43PM|#

WFMU, E. Orange NJ
WXHD, Mt. Hope NY
http://wfmu.org