Satellite Radio
 

Satellite radio has caught on; a lot of people wondered if it would. Would people pay about 10 bucks a month for radio? Well, it's grown pretty well, and now the car manufacturers are offering them in new cars.

The two big companies are XM Radio and Sirius.

As of October 2004, XM offers 68 commercial-free music channels, 33 channels of news, sports, talk and entertainment, 21 dedicated channels of XM instant traffic and weather.

Sirius offers over 120 channels.

You'll need a special radio, either as an add-on or provided by the car manufacturer in a new vehicle. XM says it's compatible radios are available in over 100 new 2005 car models. Audi, GM products, Honda/Acura, Infinity, Isuzu, Lexus, Porsche, Saab, Toyota/Scion and VW offer or will offer radios that will work with XM. BMW, DaimlerChrysler and Ford are offering Sirius compatible units. As well as car units, home and portable units are available.

If you like content like CNN, CNN en Español, BBC World Service, CNBC, MSNBC, C-SPAN radio, it's available on XM. Sirius offers ESPN, NFL, NHL and some of NPR's content.

Pricing is like cable TV, with different tiers. Some of the content is commercial free, some has commercials to keep subscription prices down.