The advent of satellite radio has given many listeners a new type of audio entertainment. The service is broadcast over clear, static-free digital signals from satellites that cover much larger swaths of land than terrestrial radio stations can reach. The most popular satellite providers are Sirius and XM, which were two separate companies that merged in 2008 to become SiriusXM. Both offer a huge assortment of music, comedy and sports channels that aren’t available on terrestrial radio.
SiriusXM has more than 175 channels that cover music, talk, news and sports. The programming can also be accessed on home and mobile devices that use a software-based receiver. The service is subscription-based, and the company offers a variety of receivers designed for use in cars (Dock & Play), portable devices and boomboxes.
Unlike terrestrial radio, which is often affected by a variety of obstructions such as hills and tall buildings that interfere with the signal, satellite radio signals are transmitted by satellites that remain in a geostationary orbit above Earth’s surface. This means that you can keep listening to your favorite tunes on a road trip from Miami to Montreal to San Diego and back again without interruption.
When Sirius and XM first launched in the 1990s, they each offered unique programming packages that were a big hit with music fans. They also offered a lot of features that terrestrial radio couldn’t, including channels dedicated to specific types of music, such as 80s hair band or grunge and channels curated by individual artists like Tom Petty or Eminem.
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