RELATED SEARCHES
Sponsored Sirius Satellite Radio Results:
Sirius Satellite Radio: Antennas And Receivers
By:
Published: February 28, 2007
Over the past several years, many innovations have been made to the classic radio format. At the forefront of these innovations for satellite radio is a service called Sirius Satellite Radio. Along with XM, Sirius Satellite Radio is one of the two big service providers for commercial-free digital radio, available on specially designed receivers.
Sirius Satellite Radio provides 130 different channels of content split between several different genre specific, talk, and sports channels.
Conceptualized in 1994 and introduced in February of 2002, Sirius Satellite Radio provides 24 hours of radio coverage to a Sirius receiver using a huge network of 1,300 Satellites. This ensures that any Sirius Satellite Radio customer will be able to receive a signal in the United States from one of the satellites at any point during the day. A subscription to the Sirius Satellite Radio service is a relatively inexpensive $12.95 per month. The Sirius receiver itself retails anywhere from $30 to $300 depending on functionality and size.
One big draw for people looking to own a Sirius radio antenna is the big brand programming offered on Sirius Satellite Radio. Among the brand names currently broadcasting on Sirius airwaves are NFL, CNN, NASCAR, and, of course, shock jock Howard Stern who has been a blessing and a curse for the network. While many of Stern's morning show listeners have purchased Sirius Satellite Radio for the expressed purpose of listening to Stern and company, his numbers have stalled since his debut in January 2006, and he's responsible for turning off as many listeners as he's turned on.
Still, Sirius Satellite Radio is a popular item. To date, Sirius Satellite Radio claims around 6 million subscribers, which is an increase of about 80% from 2006. While it seems that that number will only go up in the future, Sirius Satellite Radio may be in great danger. While their customer base is soaring, the prohibitive costs of programming and maintenance have had a lasting effect on the company, one that has seriously impacted both their bottom line and their stock prices.
To this end, it has been suggested by both companies that Sirius Satellite Radio and XM merge. The plan would make it so the companies could provide the same programming to an XM or Sirius receiver, while sharing the significant network maintenance and program licensing costs that are effecting both companies. It would seem, on the surface that this would provide financial relief to both networks, while providing the customers with more content overall for the same base price. However, this plan has come under strict scrutiny from the U.S. government over whether or not it will violate federal Anti-Trust laws.
Still, for the time being, the Sirius radio antenna is becoming more and more popular, both as a replacement for the terrestrial car radio and for handsets and boom boxes. While it's highly unlikely that Sirius Satellite Radio, at least in its current iteration, will ever overtake the popularity of standard broadcast AM/FM radio, it has certainly found a fan base and has a good lead over other new radio formats like HD Radio. The key to Sirius' future likely is up to whether or not their merger with XM is allowed. If it is, a customer base of around 13 million paying $13 per month with the support of every major sports league and celebrities such as the aforementioned Howard Stern and Oprah Winfrey, could just push Sirius Satellite radio as the next big advancement in the medium.
Sources:
Corporate Overview. Sirius Satellite Radio. 25 Feb. 2007 <http://www.sirius.com/servlet/ContentServer?pa gename=Sirius/CachedPage&c=Page&cid=106547 />Sirius Satellite Info. Sat Radio. 8 Oct. 2003. 25 Feb. 2007 <http://www.strathlachlan.com/satradio/2003/10/ sirius_satellit.html>.
“Howard Stern ‘Sirius'-ly Turns off Hyundai Customers.” CNN Money. 13 May 2005. Cable News Network LP, LLLP. 25 Feb. 2007 <http://money.cnn.com/2005/05/13/Autos/hyundai_ stern/index.htm>.
Fuller, Harry. “Getting Sirius: Howard Stern and the Magic Number.” CNet. 4 Oct. 2006. CNET Networks, Inc. 25 Feb. 2007 <http://news.com.com/2061-10802_3-6122636.html& gt;.
Taub, Eric A. "Satellite Radio Rivals Could Merge." International Herald Tribune. 2 Jan. 2007. 25 Feb. 2007 <http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/01/02/busines s/radio.php>.
Related Articles
Conceptualized in 1994 and introduced in February of 2002, Sirius Satellite Radio provides 24 hours of radio coverage to a Sirius receiver using a huge network of 1,300 Satellites. This ensures that any Sirius Satellite Radio customer will be able to receive a signal in the United States from one of the satellites at any point during the day. A subscription to the Sirius Satellite Radio service is a relatively inexpensive $12.95 per month. The Sirius receiver itself retails anywhere from $30 to $300 depending on functionality and size.
One big draw for people looking to own a Sirius radio antenna is the big brand programming offered on Sirius Satellite Radio. Among the brand names currently broadcasting on Sirius airwaves are NFL, CNN, NASCAR, and, of course, shock jock Howard Stern who has been a blessing and a curse for the network. While many of Stern's morning show listeners have purchased Sirius Satellite Radio for the expressed purpose of listening to Stern and company, his numbers have stalled since his debut in January 2006, and he's responsible for turning off as many listeners as he's turned on.
Still, Sirius Satellite Radio is a popular item. To date, Sirius Satellite Radio claims around 6 million subscribers, which is an increase of about 80% from 2006. While it seems that that number will only go up in the future, Sirius Satellite Radio may be in great danger. While their customer base is soaring, the prohibitive costs of programming and maintenance have had a lasting effect on the company, one that has seriously impacted both their bottom line and their stock prices.
To this end, it has been suggested by both companies that Sirius Satellite Radio and XM merge. The plan would make it so the companies could provide the same programming to an XM or Sirius receiver, while sharing the significant network maintenance and program licensing costs that are effecting both companies. It would seem, on the surface that this would provide financial relief to both networks, while providing the customers with more content overall for the same base price. However, this plan has come under strict scrutiny from the U.S. government over whether or not it will violate federal Anti-Trust laws.
Still, for the time being, the Sirius radio antenna is becoming more and more popular, both as a replacement for the terrestrial car radio and for handsets and boom boxes. While it's highly unlikely that Sirius Satellite Radio, at least in its current iteration, will ever overtake the popularity of standard broadcast AM/FM radio, it has certainly found a fan base and has a good lead over other new radio formats like HD Radio. The key to Sirius' future likely is up to whether or not their merger with XM is allowed. If it is, a customer base of around 13 million paying $13 per month with the support of every major sports league and celebrities such as the aforementioned Howard Stern and Oprah Winfrey, could just push Sirius Satellite radio as the next big advancement in the medium.
Sources:
Corporate Overview. Sirius Satellite Radio. 25 Feb. 2007 <http://www.sirius.com/servlet/ContentServer?pa gename=Sirius/CachedPage&c=Page&cid=106547 />Sirius Satellite Info. Sat Radio. 8 Oct. 2003. 25 Feb. 2007 <http://www.strathlachlan.com/satradio/2003/10/ sirius_satellit.html>.
“Howard Stern ‘Sirius'-ly Turns off Hyundai Customers.” CNN Money. 13 May 2005. Cable News Network LP, LLLP. 25 Feb. 2007 <http://money.cnn.com/2005/05/13/Autos/hyundai_ stern/index.htm>.
Fuller, Harry. “Getting Sirius: Howard Stern and the Magic Number.” CNet. 4 Oct. 2006. CNET Networks, Inc. 25 Feb. 2007 <http://news.com.com/2061-10802_3-6122636.html& gt;.
Taub, Eric A. "Satellite Radio Rivals Could Merge." International Herald Tribune. 2 Jan. 2007. 25 Feb. 2007 <http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/01/02/busines s/radio.php>.
Featured Sirius Satellite Radio Products:
