Why Satellite Radio is Siriusly F#@&ed!

I bought a new car this week. A 2009 VW Passat. I tried to buy American, but my money was not welcomed by Ford. You can see my post below on this subject.

My new Passat came with 90 days of free satellite radio. This is my first satellite radio experience as I have been a dedicated terrestrial radio fan. Satellite radio is a little overwhelming. There are so many choices and so many niches that it is nearly impossible to figure out where to start.

I continued to scan each band until I came to the comedy/adult talk channels. Sirius 100 is Howard Stern followed by Playboy, Raw (adult comedy) and Laugh USA. I've always been a Howard Stern fan, from his earliest days in New York when his endless prattle about nothing was a refreshing respite from the monotonous morning chatter of Top 40 radio. You had to sift through his ramblings, but could always come across a gem, some little bit that was both unique and very non-commercial. I enjoyed listening to Howard the rebel, pushing the envelope and the FCC's buttons at the same time.

Then Howard decided to thumb his nose at the FCC and take Sirius money as the savior of satellite radio. And with his passing from the terrestrial band to the insignificant world of satellite, Howard become instantly irrelevant. Not that he was highly relevant before, but he did shake up the radio establishment and he served a purpose in pushing the bounds of the First Amendment. But he traded his relevance for the ability to say F#%k. That's it. He left for a half a billion dollars and one word. It's a word that does not make him the least bit funnier. It's a word that, frankly, diminishes the edge from which he used to work his magic.

As I tuned in the various other channels on the "adult" band, it occurred to me that satellite radio's promise was essentially built on a foundation of one, four-letter word. Sure, it's cool to have access to Bob Dylan's program and 24 hour Boss. But the satellite visionaries ultimately believed that the ability to hear one, FCC-banned word would attract enough shallow Americans to make satellite, well, serious. Well, as Sirius/XM scrambles to make a $170 million bank note in the next few weeks, it is painfully obvious that one simple word won't be enough.

It's really a f#%*ing shame!