What’s worth listening to on Sirius XM?

Cafe Society
1

I’m being offered a trial subscription to Sirius XM. What should I expect?

I mostly listen to podcasts. When I’m not listening to podcasts, I’m listening to public radio. Of I want to listen to music, I use Spotify or my iTunes. On the rare occasions I listen to music on the radio, it’s usually classical music.

(I don’t exclusively listen to classical music but when I’m listening to pop or rock or whatever, I prefer to use my own playlists rather than rely on a deejay to make choices.)

So what should I look out for on Sirius XM? Is there likely to be anything that appeals to me?

2

SiriusXM has an NPR channel (though much of that programming may be the same as what you get on your local NPR station), and another station, PRX Remix, which also features NPR-style content. They also have live channels which carry the BBC World Service, and CBC Radio One.

For classical music, they have a more traditional classical-music channel (Symphony Hall), a classical pops channel (SiriusXM Pops), an opera channel, and a channel that plays movie soundtrack music (Cinemagic).

Here’s their overall channel guide:

3

Thanks!

4

Chris Smither has a channel that I get on my home computer, but not in my car. The channel is awesome!
I’ve been turned on to some cool music on Outlaw Country, where Steve Earle has a show. Mojo Nixon has a show also, as does Johnny Knoxville, and both of those guys turn out to be really entertaining.

5

I’m not happy with it so far. It’s too hard to find things. And it doesn’t seem like my mobile app automatically syncs with CarPlay, in terms of favorites.

I’ve got AM/FM radio, Spotify, Stitcher, and pretty much anything on my phone that produces audio. I’m not seeing what Sirius XM offers that make sit worth figuring out. And like traditional radio you have to listen to whatever is programmed.

6

That’s true.
If you’re a Beatles fan you might like the Beatles channel. Some interesting interviews and deep cuts. Sometimes really good covers.

I don’t have my own music anymore, or Spotify. So I mostly listen to 70s channel or the Bridge.

POTUS channel is sometimes good too (politics)

7

Have you thought about taking a look at the channel lineup to see if there’s anything that might interest you?

There are tabs along the top of the list on that page that allow you to view channels by genre.

Channels tend to be grouped on the “dial” by genre, so if you find a channel you like, similar ones tend to be just up or down a click. They don’t have much classical music any more - CH. 76 is the only one if you’re listening in the car.

There’s lots of talk and news.

I have the ‘Mostly Music’ subscription since I am not interested in talk, listen mainly in the car and when I travel out of my local area I don’t have to fiddle with finding new stations. The only thing I use my phone for in the car is directions - Waze and Google Maps are way better than my car’s nav system.

I don’t have any other audio subscriptions, but you do, so maybe that’s enough for you and how you listen.

8

I pretty much agree. There’s nothing on satellite that I want that I can’t find more options for using Internet radio. That said, there’s more coverage. Sirius, AFAIK, doesn’t really drop out if you hit black out spots like you do with your phone. That may or may not be a bit deal to you. If you listen to Howard Stern, I think you can only get him on Sirius. Otherwise, for me, it’s not worth my money when I can find way more options using my phone and an Internet connection.

9

Here’s an interesting one I have as one of my presets:

Channel 305, “88 Rising Radio”. They play all Asian pop. Certainly lots of K-pop and J-pop, but also pop music from the Philippines, Vietnam, etc.

I guarantee no terrestrial station in the US plays anything like that.

10

I’m a big fan of Michael Smerconish. You may have seen him on his CNN show but his morning slot on POTUS gives him a chance to give more attention to both political and current event-related topics.

11

That biopic was mildly amusing but I’ve never heard anything from his show that makes me want to hear more.

12

Terrestrial radio is more or less dead. XM’s relevant competitors are all the streaming services plus maybe your personal collection of music on your device or cloud account.

Which totally can and do provide K-pop, etc.