1000 Ways Broadcast Radio is Fighting Back Against Satellite Radio

Local radio has been taking a beating from satellite radio. But broadcast (sometimes referred to as terrestrial radio) is fighting back with a powerful weapon called HD Radio..

HD Radio is digital radio. As such, it enable a dramatic increase in sound quality. In fact, it makes AM radio sound as good as today's FM and FM sound as if you were listening to a CD.

There are already about 1000 stations across the country broadcasting HD Radio and more are adding this technology every week.

Why broadcast radio is more than competitive

The first reason why satellite radio will never replace broadcast radio is cost. SA subscription to satellite radio costs anywhere from $11 to $14 a month vs. broadcast radio which is free. There may be as many as 10 million satellite radio listeners in the U.S .but there are literally hundreds of millions of broadcast radio listeners. It's pretty hard to believe that satellite radio will ever have 100 million listeners, let alone several hundred million.

Just as important, satellite broadcasters can't deliver local information or programming. People will need their local stations for weather, traffic reports, news and to hear their favorite talk radio personalities. .

With a new concept called HD2

HD radio is digital not analog. This means it requires less spectrum ? or "radio space.". This means stations can broadcast their primary FM channel in digital and as many as four more subchannels. These subchannels, called HD2, are being used by broadcasters for new programming content. For example, one station in Chicago is broadcasting oldies of the 80s on its primary channel and hits from the 70s on its HD2 channel. The subchannels are not only free, they are expected to be commercial free for at least another year -- to compete head-to-head with satellite radio.

In short, broadcast radio is fighting back and in a way that will enrich the listening experience for all of us

For more information on HD Radio, including an explanation of the technology, as well as information, HD2 channels, and HD text messaging, be sure to go to http://www.hd-radio-home.com. You can also get detailed information on HD Radios at http://www.hd-radio-buyers-guide.com

Douglas Hanna is the publisher and webmaster of two HD Radio websites as well as the author of numerous articles on HD Radio

Satellite Radio - what we should know about it?

Satellite radio becomes more and more popular. It is a choice of millions and the army of listeners is still growing. Three provider companies offer this service: XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio broadcast throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico and they are the major players on the market. The third one, WorldSpace, broadcasts to the rest part of the world (Europe, Asia and Africa). Each of the providers offers more than a hundred of entertainment and music channels, talk shows, sports games and many more. It also includes adult-oriented broadcasting, since FCC (Federal Communications Commission) does not regulate the industry. So, there's something for everyone.

The service is provided through subscription. In the United States the subscription cost varies from $10 to $15 per month for a single radio receiver and many people are unhappy with this fact. However satellite radio offers high quality sound and commercial free broadcast, and this fact make customers still enjoy the service.

As stated above, there are two major competitors on the US market: XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio. Both of the companies have their own broadcast systems. They transmit their signal at a different frequency and they require different equipment. For instance, if you wish to change your provider you will need to purchase a new receiver for the specific company. XM Satellite Radio has two satellites in geostationary orbit with funny names - Rock and Roll, which is quite enough to provide radio coverage throughout the United States. On the other hand Sirius Satellite Radio employs three satellites in an elliptical orbit. This scheme gives a greater redundancy in case any of the satellites fails. In addition, both of the companies have spare satellites that can be used when they are needed.

Both companies have partnered with major automobile manufacturers and dealers to equip new vehicles with satellite radio receivers. This increases the chance that car buyers will become subscribers. Over the past three years the number of cars with an installed satellite radio receiver has tripled.

Besides the car satellite radio receivers there are units for home stereo systems. Plus, you can make your choice towards a portable radio receiver, which has built in antenna and you can listen to it with headphones. You can take this type of radio wherever you go. Almost all the satellite radio receivers have an advantage over traditional FM and AM radio receivers: they display the name and artist of song programs, as well as the channel.

The growing demand has shown that satellite radio industry has a great future. Like a cable television it has become a necessary part of our information environment. And there is no reason to stay apart. With the variety of options on the market you can make the right choice.

For more information about satellite radio and other consumer electronics equipment visit Radio Shack.com.

David Hunter is an author from California. And he likes playing golf.

Whether You Prefer Satellite or Terrestrial, Digital Radio Stations are the Future of Broadcasting

Digital radio stations have thousands more options to offer the listener than regular old AM and FM analog radio stations. To begin with, there is the quality issue. Gone are the days in which the radio quality would fluctuate based on whether or not you were driving under an overpass or passing by power lines. Through digital, there is relatively no disturbance from any outside sources which could disrupt your listening experience. Furthermore, there is no need for the guessing game when you hear a track you like and the disk jockey simply neglects to mention the name of it. With digital radio stations and an invention called ?radiotext,? listeners will be able to read the name of the artist and title of the track right on their radio receiver as the song is playing. Radio stations will also be able to transmit information about the news, weather and traffic directly into text form on your radio receiver. This is but one great feature of digital radio.

While all of this seems like an amazing invention, the fact of the matter is that terrestrial digital radio stations do not yet exist. Any station that currently says it is totally digital is lying. They are simply a hybrid of analog and digital where the radio receiver first picks up the analog signal and then homes in on the digital signal for a better quality broadcast. The possibilities do not end there though, as it may even be possible for digital stations to broadcast pictures and videos directly to your car or home stereo through the magic of digital broadcasting. Wouldn't it be neet to have MTV on your on digital radio so that you could watch the video while the song is playing?

Although terrestrial digital radio stations are at least ten years off, there is a way to experience some of the benefits of digital radio stations today. Satellite radio, brought to you in America by XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio offer the closest thing to full digital radio. They provide the listener with high quality sound and radiotext to let people see what they are listening too. Unfortunately, they are costly services and require the listener to not only purchase a receiver but pay a monthly subscription fee. These monthly subscription fees can add up to alot of money spent. Some say it is worth it and others do not believe so.

Keith Londrie II is a well known author. He has written many great articles on many topics, including satellite radio information. For more information, please visit http://www.digital-radio-info.info/ You may also be interested in Keith's other offerings at his site http://keithlondrie.com

Sirius Is A Star And A Satellite Radio

Sirius satellite radio is a satellite radio service operating in the US, Canada and Mexico and is based in New York. It provides more than 125 radio channels out of which 55 are sports, news and entertainment channels. The most attractive feature of this radio is that all the channels are commercials free.

Sirius satellite radio is broadcast over North America using 3 satellites. Some of the Sirius music channels are included in DISH Network satellite television service.

Sirius satellite radio service was started in 1990. It has more than 4 million subscribers. The company was named after the Sirius star.

There are over 125 channels available some of them are:

Pop/Hits. Sirius Hits1, Star Lite, Sirius Love, some channels for hits from 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and today, Elvis channel and French songs channel.

Rock Channels. Classic rock channels for 60s, 70s, 80s, Hard rock, Alternative rock, Metal, Heavy metal, Punk, Hip-Hop, Reggae etc.

Electronic/Dance Channels. These channels cover electronica, trance, disco and dance.

Hip-Hop/ R&B channels. These channels have, modern, progressive, old school Hip-Hop, classic and soul music.

Country channels. They cover country music, 80s, 90s, Classic country and outlaw music.

Christian channels. They contain Christian rock, contemporary christian, Gospel music.

Jazz/Blues channels. They contain Modern, smooth, classic Jazz, New age and Blues music.

Miscellaneous channels. There are channels which contain starndard music, classical music, latin and world music.

Entertainment channels. These have talk shows like howard stern show, blue collar comedy, stand up comedy, gay/lesbian entertainment, celebrity gossip, women talk radio, live trial proceedings, environment programs, Discovery, childrens channels, conservative channels, liberal talk, truckers talk, christian talk, family nets, Adult channels like playboy etc.

News channels. These channels have sports news, world news, news of various states of the US, financial news like CNBC, ABC News, CNN, NPR, CBS etc.

Sports channels. They include ESPN, Sirius sports, sports byline etc.

Purchase. The sirius satellite radio receiver is available in leading electronic stores or can be bought from sirius.com. The radio which are sirius ready can only access the sirius satellite channels after being fitted with a sirius tuner and activation. The activation can be done online at 10$. The monthly subscription charge starts from 13$ a month to 500$ for lifetime subscription. The radio channels are available 24 hours a day. These radios are being fitted in most cars available in the US like Ford, BMW, Chrysler, Jaguar, Jeep, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Toyota, Porsche, Volkswagen, Rolls-Royce etc.

Keith George always writes about valuable news & reviews. A related resource is Sirius Satellite Radio Further information can be found at Tips & News

Is Satellite Radio Killing Broadcast Radio?

Local radio has taken a beating from satellite radio. But are XM and Sirius capable of killing local broadcast radio?

The broadcasting corporations such as Infinity and Clear Channel are answering with an emphatic ?no!? And they have a powerful weapon called HD Radio to back up their position.

HD Radio is digital radio. As such, it enable a dramatic increase in sound quality. In fact, it makes AM radio sound as good as today's FM and FM sound as if you were listening to a CD.

Other important reasons

But there are other, equally important, reasons why satellite radio will never replace conventional radio. First and foremost, is cost. Satellite radio costs anywhere from $11 to $14 a month and conventional radio is free. As a result there are only about 5.5 million satellite radio listeners in the U.S.and literally hundreds of millions of broadcast radio listeners. It's pretty hard to believe that satellite radio will ever have 100 million listeners, let alone several hundred million.

Second, satellite radio can't deliver local information or programming. People will always turn to their local stations for weather, traffic reports, news and to hear their favorite personalities.

Third, satellite radio cannot continue to hire personalities such Howard Stern and Bob Dylan to attract subscribers because the cost is just too prohibitive vs. revenue generated from new subscribers. In fact,J.P. Morgan just downgraded the stocks of Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Corp saying that these two companies face near-term challenges to subscriber growth.

With a new concept called HD2

Because HD radio is digital, it requires less spectrum. This allows stations to broadcast their primary FM channel in digital and up to two more subchannels. These subchannels, which are being called HD2, will be used by broadcasters for new programming content. For example, a station might broadcast oldies of the 80s on its primary channel and hits from the 70s on an HD2 channel. The subchannels will not only be free, they will most likely be commercial free to compete head-to-head with satellite radio.

In short, broadcast radio is not going to die anytime soon. Or anytime at all.

Do you play golf? If you do and you'd like to reduce your handicap -- and have a great vacation -- all at the same time, you just can't beat North or South Carolina. To learn more about golf schools in these two states, including their costs, just go to http://www.topcarolinagolfschools.com

Douglas Hanna is a retired marketing executive, an avid golfer, the author of numerous articles on HD radio, and the Internet and the publisher and webmaster of http://www.hd-radio-home.com

Satellite Radio: Installation Costs

The cost of a satellite radio installation is broken down into two different groups, the startup (installation costs) and the monthly subscription to either XM satellite radio or Sirius satellite radio. Receivers and mounting hardware, the cost of activation are all start up costs. Recievers are available for your car, your home, your computer and now portable receivers are available. So how much does satellite radio installation really cost?

Satellite Radio installation costs are broken down as follows:

Activation costs are the amount that both XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio charge to start service. Activation costs vary, where $5.00 with Sirius and $9.99 with XM will get you ready to go. Telephone activation is $15.00 with Sirius and $14.99 with XM. Monthly subscription costs then play into the cost, but these depend on some factors. Recent media campaigns are dramatically dropping the cost of installation and activation, both XM and Sirius are offering free activation in some instances.

A typical cost of a car satellite radio installation can vary depending on whether you use a Satellite radio which is dedicated only to satellite radio reception or if it also can play CDs.

The typical costs are detailed below:

Receiver $75 - $125Radio $125-250Antenna $60.00Labor $80.00Activation $10---------------------Total $400 - $600 

Typical costs for a home satellite radio installation:

For this to work, you must choose to install a dedicated stereo receiver unit. Common AM/FM receivers are very similar to satellite radio receivers. Your auxiliary input is used to connect and a antenna is used to receiver the streaming content.

The typical costs are detailed below:

Receiver $150-$300Antenna $60.00Activation $10----------------Total $220 - $370 

Portable units are now being offered and can give you the ease of using your satellite radio anywhere you want! Each room in your house would require a home kit, which includes antennas, output cables, and power supplies. Home kits offer flexibility and ease of use as they can be plugged into your home stereo, computer, and boom boxes. Portable satellite radio installation costs are as follows:

The typical costs are detailed below:

Receiver $120Home Kit $140Boombox X 2 $100Activation $10----------------Total $370 

Scott Fish is the owner of Top Satellite Radio which is a resource for consumers seeking the history and facts about satellite radio. We also sell electronics related to Satellite Radio.

www.TopSatelliteRadio.com | Quick Access: www.TopSatRadio.com

sf@topsatelliteradio.com