Sirius vs. XM: Which satellite radio is best?

[rtwngAvngr]

And why? I'm thinking of getting one or the other.


"Input!"

 

[Dan]

Music-wise, I've heard both are almost identical (IE, both have almost the same exact types of music channels). Sirius has more MLB coverage whereas XM has more NFL coverage.

But, I'm pretty sure the biggest drawing point would be whether you want to hear Howard Stern or not. Sirius has 2 Howard channels. XM has Opie and Anthony, though, who I actually like a lot better than Howard, or at least I used to when they were on regular radio, I've never heard them on XM.

 

[Shattered]

<i>**has Sirius, and loves it**</i>

 

[no1tovote4]

Sirius, because I own stock....

 

[Shattered]

Sirius, because I own stock....

:teeth:

 

[pegwinn]

Well for what it is worth I have used both. I picked Sirius about a year ago for three reasons.

First: The music choices and news choices were similar but Sirius has NFL and XM has Nascar as the big draws. AS an OTR truck driver I obviously wasn't gonna be watching games.

Second: At that time Sirius was cheaper both hardware and subscription.

Finally: Sirius (again at that time) could be easily moved from vehicle to vehicle without extra expense. XM required either hardwired or an expensive extra docking station.

Obviously stuff has changed a bit over a year. Hope this helps.

 

[KarlMarx]

I'm not a satellite radio subscriber, I listen to online radio stations at work and at home....

I see that XM and Sirius both have the same feature i.e. you go to their respective website, type in your username and password and listen in over the Internet.

Of course, I'm probably hogging bandwidth on my company's network and it will probably get filtered out at their firewall eventually....

Still... the nice thing about streaming audio is that all you need are a pair of headphones, no CDs to change and carry to and from work, plus the selection is very diverse. Many stations have a free channel (with commercials and lower quality) and premium channels (without commercials and higher quality)

I like www.radioio.com but I've listened to www.live365.com and www.di.fm, too

There are devices that will stream the audio from your PC to your home stereo system (over a home network), too.

The drawback is, that you can't listen to them in your car or truck.

But for us that have desk jobs it's another alternative.

 

[fuzzykitten99]

Sirius, because I own stock....

really? how's it doing? i heard that both were on the way down because not many people are wanting to pay for listening to radio, esp if they like their local stations.
I don't listen to enough all-music stations to make the purchase worth it. Personally, I would rather endure a few commercials than pay another monthly bill for radio broadcasting where I can't even get my favorite local stations. Kind of like dish tv. I won't get it because they make you pay extra for local channels, and i watch more local stuff than cable, if i watch tv at all. Basic (very basic) cable here is cheaper than any dish package that is offered.

 

[Dan]

I'm sure Sirius' stock is about to skyrocket because of Howard.

 

[fuzzykitten99]

I'm sure Sirius' stock is about to skyrocket because of Howard.

not necessarily. i heard he lost a lot of his blue-collar listeners (a big listener base) because he sold out to the yogurt-sprout-eating crowd because he wanted to move to satellite broadcast to allow him to do what he wanted without the threat of being fined.

he actually used to be more on the conservative/right side, but then all of a sudden changed his mind and went total opposite. he was funny when he would just talk about stuff and bash both the right and left equally for their faults, but then just went postal on the right only, because they told him he was breaking rules that had been there all along, but just not enforced.

My husband liked to listen to him when he was broadcast here in MN, but says Stern alone isn't worth buying expensive equipment and paying a monthly bill just to listen to the show. This plus Stern's appeal of walking close to the line (and sometimes way over) of breaking FCC rules is what made the show great-he always pushed the envelope. Now he won't have that line, so where does the appeal come from?

personally, i don't think his show will last that long on satellite. There are just not enough people who have it yet (i doubt i will ever own one), let alone those who actually want to listen to Stern, and even less who will pay just to hear him on a daily basis.

 

[no1tovote4]

I'm sure Sirius' stock is about to skyrocket because of Howard.

I know about 4 people who are subscribers simply because of Stern. I plan on riding the Stern rise, then selling.

 

[no1tovote4]

really? how's it doing? i heard that both were on the way down because not many people are wanting to pay for listening to radio, esp if they like their local stations.
I don't listen to enough all-music stations to make the purchase worth it. Personally, I would rather endure a few commercials than pay another monthly bill for radio broadcasting where I can't even get my favorite local stations. Kind of like dish tv. I won't get it because they make you pay extra for local channels, and i watch more local stuff than cable, if i watch tv at all. Basic (very basic) cable here is cheaper than any dish package that is offered.

It has doubled since I bought it at $5. So, I would say it is doing pretty well. There is a Stern wave that hit just a short while ago. I am likely going to ride that wave then sell the stock, but I'm not sure. I was going to sell AAPL too, but the IPOD has kicked that one into high gear and it has risen 441% since I purchased that one. I may just hold on to it.

 

[Dan]

It has doubled since I bought it at $5. So, I would say it is doing pretty well. There is a Stern wave that hit just a short while ago.

Boo-yah! I'm a genius! I need to be a stockbroker! :funnyface

I was going to sell AAPL too, but the IPOD has kicked that one into high gear and it has risen 441% since I purchased that one. I may just hold on to it.

Nice. Did you know the IPOD was coming, or did you buy Apple when it was still in the pooper?

 

[Dan]

not necessarily. i heard he lost a lot of his blue-collar listeners (a big listener base) because he sold out to the yogurt-sprout-eating crowd because he wanted to move to satellite broadcast to allow him to do what he wanted without the threat of being fined.

he actually used to be more on the conservative/right side, but then all of a sudden changed his mind and went total opposite. he was funny when he would just talk about stuff and bash both the right and left equally for their faults, but then just went postal on the right only, because they told him he was breaking rules that had been there all along, but just not enforced.

Yeah, but in his defense, why should he have to suffer and have his show totally changed and basically ruined because Janet Jackson took out her boob on TV?

In one sense, I'm sure he lost a lot of listeners when he started criticising Bush, etc., but on the other hand, I gotta respect someone who sticks to their guns and supports what they believe even though it's not what's expected of them. For this same reason, I have a lot of respect for Dennis Miller for changing his persona to more right-wing.

This plus Stern's appeal of walking close to the line (and sometimes way over) of breaking FCC rules is what made the show great-he always pushed the envelope. Now he won't have that line, so where does the appeal come from?

I hear ya. This is the main reason I went from being a huge Opie and Anthony fan when they were on regular radio to not really caring at all once they went to XM: they can be funny, but I admit that their appeal, even moreso than Howard, was in pushing the envelope. That, and the reason for their firing from WNEW was just so blatantly "let's be shocking!" and not at all clever or interesting in any way.

 

[no1tovote4]

Boo-yah! I'm a genius! I need to be a stockbroker! :funnyface



Nice. Did you know the IPOD was coming, or did you buy Apple when it was still in the pooper?

I bought it while it was in the pooper. I also did that with Qwest. I tend to watch for the high, then huge dip. I then buy what I can and hold it with both fists. I go for a ride. I have been very successful with this strategy....

So far.

 

[fuzzykitten99]

Yeah, but in his defense, why should he have to suffer and have his show totally changed and basically ruined because Janet Jackson took out her boob on TV?

i think the boob show was more of a cold shower to the station execs because Stern had been doing what he had been for years, even though a good lot of it was a violation of the FCC rules that had been there well before Stern. He got away with a lot because of his listener base, and because there were other shows that were just as bad, and they didn't get fined either. Many people like(d) Stern because he was the 'rebel' with whom they could identify with.
Its like speeding at about 10mph over the speed limit past the speed traps. Its unlikely you will get pulled over and ticketed if you are in a big crowd of cars doing about the same speed. But once others slow down, and you just keep going, your chances of getting caught are greater. Just because you have been speeding for years with the crowd, doesn't mean what you are doing is not against the rules anymore.

In one sense, I'm sure he lost a lot of listeners when he started criticising Bush, etc., but on the other hand, I gotta respect someone who sticks to their guns and supports what they believe even though it's not what's expected of them. For this same reason, I have a lot of respect for Dennis Miller for changing his persona to more right-wing.

its hard to argue this one because i agree, except with the part of Stern supporting what he believes in. Does HE even really know what he believes in? He was first pro-Bush, Pro-War, etc. If he really did what he wanted and not what was expected of him, then why did he change his position all of a sudden with no real spoken reason other that the usual, tired liberal rhetoric? He wanted to make the switch to satellite, and being the outlaw he has always portrayed himself as, blatently breaking FCC rules was the quickest way to get there and still maintain support from some fans. He made a stink about not being able to do what he wanted, and complained non-stop and got fans all riled up. What they didn't seem to want to bring up was the rules didn't change all of a sudden. They had been there for years, just not enforced. Then janet's flashdance brought this sort of behavior into a harsh light. Not only that, is the radio waves are government owned, not privately owned. The FCC is a government agency, and has every right to regulate what is broadcast on the airwaves, regardless of what people think. Satellite is not government owned, thus the rules are not as strict.

I hear ya. This is the main reason I went from being a huge Opie and Anthony fan when they were on regular radio to not really caring at all once they went to XM: they can be funny, but I admit that their appeal, even moreso than Howard, was in pushing the envelope. That, and the reason for their firing from WNEW was just so blatantly "let's be shocking!" and not at all clever or interesting in any way.

I have a couple recorded bits, most have Jim Breuer on with them in studio, well before they got 'fired'. They were crazy, funny, and were just fun because they pushed the envelope. I have heard some of the shows from XM, and it just doesn't seem the same.

I think they did the same as Stern. Threw the show to get on satellite, making a stink about being censored to get support for satellite.

I am wondering if some XM execs wanted O&A's listener base to follow them to bring business to satellite, so they offered a deal with more money and such. How would they leave WNEW without saying they were offered more money, so now anyone who wants to listen has to pay to do so.

 

[CSM]

I had Sirius but cancelled it this week....mostly because they dropped FOX news. You guys can keep HS, I didn't like him anyway. I will be going with XM. Did a little research and found that XM is equitable and in some cases better than Sirius.

 

[Dan]

i think the boob show was more of a cold shower to the station execs because Stern had been doing what he had been for years, even though a good lot of it was a violation of the FCC rules that had been there well before Stern. He got away with a lot because of his listener base, and because there were other shows that were just as bad, and they didn't get fined either. Many people like(d) Stern because he was the 'rebel' with whom they could identify with.

Well, yeah, I think it was more of a feeling of "oh, crap, Janet went too far, everyone's flipping out, let's cut back on all the dirty stuff or else we're screwed, too." I saw Seth MacFarlane in an interview talking about how much they forced him to tone down Family Guy after the Janet incident. He said the FOX execs were basically saying "look, it's not that we want to do this, but we don't want to be lumped in with ABC, getting fined, etc." He mentioned some very stupid examples of things he had to edit, like, for example, there's a bit where Peter accidentally eats a bunch of change, then we see him in the bathroom (we just see his feet under a stall door, no nudity), and we hear change rattling into a toilet bowl. FOX forced him to cut the length of the sound effect from five seconds to three seconds. Stuff like that's just ridiculous.

Its like speeding at about 10mph over the speed limit past the speed traps. Its unlikely you will get pulled over and ticketed if you are in a big crowd of cars doing about the same speed. But once others slow down, and you just keep going, your chances of getting caught are greater. Just because you have been speeding for years with the crowd, doesn't mean what you are doing is not against the rules anymore.

I see it more like Howard (or any envelope-pushers) was going 10mph over the speed limit, then Janet came out and went 30 mph over, and now everyone's getting stopped. It's not really fair.

its hard to argue this one because i agree, except with the part of Stern supporting what he believes in. Does HE even really know what he believes in? He was first pro-Bush, Pro-War, etc. If he really did what he wanted and not what was expected of him, then why did he change his position all of a sudden with no real spoken reason other that the usual, tired liberal rhetoric?

Well, like I said, I'm not a big Howard fan or anything, so I'm not trying to defend him, I'm actually speaking more from my personal experience here, but it seems that to Conservatives, no reason is good enough for someone to be against Bush or the war. Any reason I have tried to offer why I am (well, was , I sort of stopped caring either way) against the war is constantly disregarded by Conservatives as being liberal rhetoric, or whatever.

And, of course, Liberals are just as bad. Anybody who supports Bush is immediately a corn-fed yokel in their eyes. From the little that I've read or heard about the situation, I really do think Howard's reasons for opposing the war are honest.

Not only that, is the radio waves are government owned, not privately owned. The FCC is a government agency, and has every right to regulate what is broadcast on the airwaves, regardless of what people think. Satellite is not government owned, thus the rules are not as strict.

I think this is part of the problem that is, unfortunately, incurable as far as I can tell. the FCC is run by the government, which is right now one of the more conservative governments we've seen in a long time. Obviously this is going to affect all governmental groups. If we had a government that was mostly liberal, I don't think things would be any better, there'd definitely be less order, at least. I'd love to say 'make radio privately owned', but then you'd have to pay for it. I'd have no problems with radio being completely uncensored, but in the same turn, I certainly sympathize with mothers not wanting their kids listening to unedited radio. Like I say, I don't think there's any real solution to the problem.

I have a couple recorded bits, most have Jim Breuer on with them in studio, well before they got 'fired'. They were crazy, funny, and were just fun because they pushed the envelope. I have heard some of the shows from XM, and it just doesn't seem the same.

They were laid back, that was what I liked most, it was like hanging out with a bunch of really funny buddies. I listened to a clip from their show last night from cringehumor.com and it wasn't the same. I think now that they're sort of the posterboys for XM, it's impossible for them to maintain that same laidback, 'we know we're just a bunch of f-offs' attitude.

I think they did the same as Stern. Threw the show to get on satellite, making a stink about being censored to get support for satellite.

Well, to be fair, satellite wasn't much of an option at the time that they were fired, and they had a good year and a half, two year hiatus before they went to XM.

In case you didn't know, they were fired for a bit they did where they had couples have sex in various crazy locations, and whoever racked up the most points (the crazier the place, the more points), won some money or something. Anyway, they snuck a couple into St. Michael's (I think. The big cathedral in NYC), and aired them having sex in one of the pews, so they were fired for that, a bit that was so stupid and pointless, it wasn't even worth airing. I don't think their firing was premeditated on their part, but I do think it was deserved.

How would they leave WNEW without saying they were offered more money, so now anyone who wants to listen has to pay to do so.

Well, they were pretty vocal about the fact that they did continue to get paid until their contract was up, even though they were not allowed on the air. I'm sure XM did offer them more money, but at the same time, O&A are also spokespeople for XM now, doing commercials, talk shows, etc. Back in the day, they were constantly trashing everything about WNEW.

Am I discussing this way too much? It's a topic I'm really interested in, sorry if I'm overdoing it! :tng:

 

[MtnBiker]

XM has Air America, whoa is Randi Rhoads a wack job or what?!!

 

[Said1]

XM has Air America, whoa is Randi Rhoads a wack job or what?!!

No shit.

Worse than Jerry Springer.