Listening to the radio and driving go together as firmly as peanut butter and jelly. But before satellite radio came along, it was sometimes a bit frustrating to try to cruise down the boulevard with your favorite song blasting. That’s because radio signals are only so strong and can get buried under tall buildings or foliage. That’s all changed with satellite radio.
It works by beaming clear, static-free digital signals from orbiting satellites down to the radio receivers in cars and homes. From there, the signal is decoded and turned into a stream of music, talk or sports, usually free from advertisements. It’s a subscription service that gives consumers access to scores of channels, including a vast array of musical genres. There’s even a channel dedicated to ’80s hair bands, another for the Grateful Dead and one for emotionally driven alt rock.
Satellite radio first emerged in the 1990s with three competing services, WorldSpace, Sirius and XM Satellite Radio. They all eventually merged, which leaves just one player in the satellite audio space in North America: SiriusXM. At a celebrity-laden event in New York City today, SiriusXM took a look back at its roots and ahead to what the future holds for it as an audio play in a streaming-dominated market.
SiriusXM’s technology has evolved over the years, but its core value proposition remains intact. It delivers a clearer sound than terrestrial radio and has more channels for music, talk, news and traffic. The company has diversified its offering with the purchase of Stitcher and Pandora, among others, while continuing to offer exclusive content like Howard Stern’s show.
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