For the past 5 years, Howard Stern has called Sirius Satellite radio home, with 100 million dollars to show for it. However, at the end of the year, Stern’s contract with serious finally comes to close and has yet to be renewed, as speculation is already underway on whether Sirius intends to re-sign their top billed talent. It raises the question, “What would Sirius look like without Stern leading the radio personality charge?” or better yet, “What would Stern look like 5 years removed from the shackles of censorship?”From a Sirius standpoint, 100 million is a lot of “straight cash homey,” in the timeless words of Randy Moss. At the onset of satellite radio, Stern was essential in bringing in new clientele and heightening the company’s profile. Now as more mature business, complete with a broad consumer base, Sirius perhaps can allocate such funds more efficiently, as opposed to spending such an exorbitant sum on a big name attraction. Sirius is past the point of making a splash, with Howard Stern serving as their main “Hey, look at us” calling card. Now, it might be time to use his salary to hire a host of radio personalities spanning a wider variety of viewpoints, culminating in a more complete radio experience. (more…)
Archive for September, 2010
Picking sides in the Stern Sirius Split (the case for Sirius) September 29th, 2010
www.representradio.com
Let Radio Roam Free September 29th, 2010
www.representradio.com
Some listeners will always believe radio is intrinsically free, much like water in the 70′s, but just as we’ve seen with Aquafina and Dasani, anything can be quickly turned for profit. Of course, in situations such as satellite where radio is sold in subscription form, unlike the great bottled water scam (perhaps we are way too trusting in city run purification efforts), there are actually benefits that come hand in hand with the price you pay, such as increased programming options. Don’t sell free radio stations short, however, as there are still plenty of satisfactory music and talk options for those who are morally opposed to paying a listening fee. Here are our go to alternatives.
- Grooveshark If you like to control your radio experience, Grooveshark is among the best options out there. At grooveshark.com, you can simply search for all your favorite songs, download them to your library and create playlists at will. If there’s a listening limit it has yet to become an issue. A higher end version is available for a few bucks a month, but the basic free service will be more than enough for most music lovers. (more…)
