# Why do they talk so much on Sirius XM, and do people actually LIKE it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 8, 2019, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-talk-so-much-on-sirius-xm-and-do-people-actually-like-it/838359 "2019-08-08T17:15:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2019, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-talk-so-much-on-sirius-xm-and-do-people-actually-like-it/838359/81 "2019-08-12T13:22:14Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Another vote for DJ’s should just give title and artist and shut it up otherwise. > > Yet apparently there are far, far, far more people who like “Morning Zoo Doo Crew” chatter and what not. So Sirius has a market to please. > > And I can’t wish these bozos into the cornfield since **Mrs. FtG** has a close relative that earns a living doing exactly this. I can certainly understand why people like Morning Zoo stuff, but they could also have some channels that do that and others that just run through playlists. I’ll listen to some stations that don’t play any music (CNBC, comedy stations etc) or some that play a bit less music (Tom Petty, for example), but as stated earlier, it’s what I expect from those stations. I think they could do well with some Morning Zoo shows, but put them on the stations that you’re not expecting music from (even if they play music). I could see one of the comedy stations doing this, most of them have some type of talk show during the day at some point. Put it on in the morning and have them talk about some current events. ---
**Author:** ![infinitii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e8c25b/32.png) [@infinitii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/infinitii)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2019, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-talk-so-much-on-sirius-xm-and-do-people-actually-like-it/838359/82 "2019-08-12T14:01:38Z")
I agree with some of the others up above, if I just wanted music I could listen to Amazon Music Unlimited or Pandora or Spotify, but I like to hear the stories and learn about it, and that is what radio is good for. I have had Sirius XM since I got my new car about a year ago, and even though I live in New Orleans which has some fantastic FM stations, I don’t see myself getting rid of it until I can’t negotiate a good rate with them anymore. Also: where else are you going to be able to listen to the Grand Ole Opry and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir every week, as well as highlights from multiple different music festivals throughout the year in one place? For the record, I love the stations: Lithium, First Wave, Underground Garage, Outlaw Country, Rock the Bells Radio, Real Jazz, Broadway, and the 90s on 9. Admittedly I do listen to these primarily for the music, but each one of them also has interesting DJs that know what they are talking about. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2019, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-talk-so-much-on-sirius-xm-and-do-people-actually-like-it/838359/83 "2019-08-12T15:05:03Z")
I sometimes even like it when the DJs break in. Over on Octane and Liquid Metal there’s Jose Mangin who just brings joy every time he’s on the air. You can really tell he loves this music and he’s always positive and supportive and it just makes me feel happier after hearing him. You can feel that sometimes and it makes the music better. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2019, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-talk-so-much-on-sirius-xm-and-do-people-actually-like-it/838359/84 "2019-08-12T15:26:43Z")
> [@infinitii](#): > > For the record, I love the stations: Lithium, First Wave, Underground Garage, Outlaw Country, Rock the Bells Radio, Real Jazz, Broadway, and the 90s on 9. Admittedly I do listen to these primarily for the music, but each one of them also has interesting DJs that know what they are talking about. I have a feeling you’d like Tom Petty Radio (#31). A lot of Tom Petty music, but they’re still playing Buried Treasure reruns, which is Tom playing his favorite music. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2019, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-talk-so-much-on-sirius-xm-and-do-people-actually-like-it/838359/85 "2019-08-12T15:48:06Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > they always care, especially when said “fundie” gets the FCC involved. Good luck getting the FCC involved over ‘goddamned.’ ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2019, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-talk-so-much-on-sirius-xm-and-do-people-actually-like-it/838359/86 "2019-08-12T16:51:39Z")
I turn over vehicles fairly quickly, so the result is I usually have a free trial available to me. I don’t usually use it because the talk sucks, and my phone has much better options. I recently went on a four week road trip, from the Great Lakes to California and back. T-Mobile coverage sucks, and AT&T’s coverage map for the vehicle hotspot was a massive lie, so it meant that to soothe the kiddo, I was pretty much forced to turn on SiriusXM every once in a while. It seems like we were in the shadow of a mountain about 20% of the time, so even that didn’t work out so well. Finally when the stars align and I can listen to Radio Disney, it’s some chipmunk chirping for five minutes at a time about uninteresting trivia rather than playing music. It was nice to get east of Denver and count on good, unlimited T-Mobile bandwidth once again. (My company gives my information to SiriusXM, who postal mail spams me, so there’s that negative experience, too.) ---
**Author:** ![infinitii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e8c25b/32.png) [@infinitii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/infinitii)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-talk-so-much-on-sirius-xm-and-do-people-actually-like-it/838359/87 "2019-08-13T14:25:26Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I have a feeling you’d like Tom Petty Radio (#31). A lot of Tom Petty music, but they’re still playing Buried Treasure reruns, which is Tom playing his favorite music. Thanks! I will definitely check that out, at least the Buried Treasure show! ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-talk-so-much-on-sirius-xm-and-do-people-actually-like-it/838359/88 "2019-08-13T15:03:16Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > FWIW, my biggest beef against SiriusXM isn’t the talking so much as the fact that they play censored edits of a lot of their songs. I really don’t understand it sometimes, like on Octane or Turbo the DJs are uncensored, then they play a censored version of a song. 😕 > [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > I sometimes even like it when the DJs break in. Over on Octane and Liquid Metal there’s Jose Mangin who just brings joy every time he’s on the air. You can really tell he loves this music and he’s always positive and supportive and it just makes me feel happier after hearing him. You can feel that sometimes and it makes the music better. Yep I’ve heard him and was pretty impressed. And on Outlaw Country, Steve Earle is really a student of music and tells a lot of interesting stories. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-talk-so-much-on-sirius-xm-and-do-people-actually-like-it/838359/89 "2019-08-13T15:45:59Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > I really don’t understand it sometimes, like on Octane or Turbo the DJs are uncensored, then they play a censored version of a song. 😕 I have an hypothesis. I think that perhaps when SiriusXM signed the contract(s) with the music license-holder(s), it was specified that they would only be given radio edits, perhaps due to something having to do with the FCC or something. It’s all I’ve got. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-talk-so-much-on-sirius-xm-and-do-people-actually-like-it/838359/90 "2019-08-13T17:33:53Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > I have an hypothesis. I think that perhaps when SiriusXM signed the contract(s) with the music license-holder(s), it was specified that they would only be given radio edits, perhaps due to something having to do with the FCC or something. It’s all I’ve got. I fear it’s changing morality. We as a country have regressed. You can’t say stuff on TV you could 20 years ago. And it goes into radio as well. Two examples. WeTV shows bowdlerized Law and Order reruns. Let that sink in. A basic cable station edits “offensive” dialog from a show that was originally broadcast on network television! (and shows them with promos for some of the most offensive shows I’ve ever seen, like Marriage Boot Camp and Love After Lockup and a show about “Atlanta’s hottest strippers”.) But Lennie Brisco saying “butthead” gets censored. Example 2: the other music service, Music Choice, used to play the “funky shit” version of SMB’s Jet Airliner on their “classic rock” channel and the “funky kicks” on their 70s channel. Now they play the funky kicks on both channels. Regression. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-talk-so-much-on-sirius-xm-and-do-people-actually-like-it/838359/91 "2019-08-13T17:52:12Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I fear it’s changing morality. We as a country have regressed. You can’t say stuff on TV you could 20 years ago. And it goes into radio as well. > > Two examples. WeTV shows bowdlerized Law and Order reruns. Let that sink in. A basic cable station edits “offensive” dialog from a show that was originally broadcast on network television! (and shows them with promos for some of the most offensive shows I’ve ever seen, like Marriage Boot Camp and Love After Lockup and a show about “Atlanta’s hottest strippers”.) > > But Lennie Brisco saying “butthead” gets censored. > > Example 2: the other music service, Music Choice, used to play the “funky shit” version of SMB’s Jet Airliner on their “classic rock” channel and the “funky kicks” on their 70s channel. Now they play the funky kicks on both channels. Regression. Thanks a lot, Mike Pence. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-talk-so-much-on-sirius-xm-and-do-people-actually-like-it/838359/92 "2019-08-13T18:26:38Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I fear it’s changing morality. We as a country have regressed. You can’t say stuff on TV you could 20 years ago. And it goes into radio as well. > > Two examples. WeTV shows bowdlerized Law and Order reruns. Let that sink in. A basic cable station edits “offensive” dialog from a show that was originally broadcast on network television! (and shows them with promos for some of the most offensive shows I’ve ever seen, like Marriage Boot Camp and Love After Lockup and a show about “Atlanta’s hottest strippers”.) > > But Lennie Brisco saying “butthead” gets censored. obligatory [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgBD94cs0T8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgBD94cs0T8) ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-talk-so-much-on-sirius-xm-and-do-people-actually-like-it/838359/93 "2019-08-13T20:09:48Z")
I don’t notice song censorship much, if at all, on Channel 41 Turbo which I listen to constantly. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-talk-so-much-on-sirius-xm-and-do-people-actually-like-it/838359/94 "2019-08-13T21:17:55Z")
I listen to SiriusXM quite a bit\*, but only seem to notice yammering every now and then; mostly on the '80s and '60s channels. Alan Hunter is a moron and Nina Blackwood’s voice is like nails on a chalkboard to me, so sometimes I have to switch away from the '80s channel if one of them is talking a lot. The '60s channel is much worse: I can’t listen at all in the mornings because of Phlash Phelps, and – as others have mentioned – Cousin Brucie needs to just retire already. \*I tend to cycle between The Bridge, First Wave, Soul Town, and the '60s, '70s, and '80s in the car (I have two other bands of XM stations, but am super lazy). At work I use the SiriusXM app on my phone, and my favorites there also include Yacht Rock, '70s/'80s Pop, Real Jazz, Oldies Party, and Hits 1 Discovery (for when I’m feeling out of touch with what the kids are listening to). ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2019, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-talk-so-much-on-sirius-xm-and-do-people-actually-like-it/838359/95 "2019-08-14T18:36:00Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I fear it’s changing morality. We as a country have regressed. You can’t say stuff on TV you could 20 years ago. And it goes into radio as well. I don’t see that, you can generally say and show a lot more than 40 years ago. SiriusXM is not freely broadcast to the general public, it’s a subscription-based service like HBO. HBO has been cursing since the 1970s and there is no reason SiriusXM can’t as well. I’ve heard plenty of uncut songs on SiriusXM. I’m guessing whoever provided the songs to Sirius was responsible for whatever reason. Maybe it was easier to get their hands on the radio edits in some cases. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2019, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-talk-so-much-on-sirius-xm-and-do-people-actually-like-it/838359/96 "2019-08-14T19:05:34Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > I don’t see that, you can generally say and show a lot more than 40 years ago. yep. at least two of George Carlin’s “Seven Words You Can’t Say on TV” have been said on broadcast TV in recent years. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2019, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-talk-so-much-on-sirius-xm-and-do-people-actually-like-it/838359/97 "2019-08-15T11:59:16Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > I’ve heard plenty of uncut songs on SiriusXM. Oddly, another one of the things that bothered me during my use as described above was that I noticed censoring of some of the songs. I don’t recall which, but it was definitely a few, because another issue with SiriusXM was that they kept playing the same stuff over and over and over again. FWIW, I mostly stuck to Disney, 8, 9, 10, 1st Wave, and Alt Nation. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2019, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-talk-so-much-on-sirius-xm-and-do-people-actually-like-it/838359/98 "2019-08-15T18:25:16Z")
They need to realize it’s pay radio, and there’s no need for the DJs to talk over the song intros to squeeze in more songs or commercials! I hate when a DJ talks over the song on broadcast radio, and I hate it on Sirius! The practice was one of the reasons listeners left top 40 radio stations and went to AOR stations back in the 70s! ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2019, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-talk-so-much-on-sirius-xm-and-do-people-actually-like-it/838359/99 "2019-08-15T18:30:44Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > They need to realize it’s pay radio, and there’s no need for the DJs to talk over the song intros to squeeze in more songs or commercials! I hate when a DJ talks over the song on broadcast radio, and I hate it on Sirius! > > The practice was one of the reasons listeners left top 40 radio stations and went to AOR stations back in the 70s! As I noted upthread, that is _not_ standard across SiriusXM stations – the stations where they do this (particularly 70s on 7) are _intentionally_ re-creating the feel of an AM top-40 station of that era, at which, yes, it was often the standard for DJs to talk over the ramp/lead-in for songs. The other SiriusXM stations that I listen to which have DJs (such as Classic Rewind, First Wave, etc.) specifically _don’t_ do this. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2019, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-talk-so-much-on-sirius-xm-and-do-people-actually-like-it/838359/100 "2019-08-15T18:38:49Z")
It sucked then and sucks now. I don’t think anyone ever said “I listen to WPOS because I love how skillfully the deejays talk over the songs!” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-talk-so-much-on-sirius-xm-and-do-people-actually-like-it/838359.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-talk-so-much-on-sirius-xm-and-do-people-actually-like-it/838359.md?page=6)