AfterDawn: News

Satellite radio 'local services' challenged

Terrestrial radio stations/broadcasters are once again showing off their fear of digital radio by attempting to convince Government to limit their potential offerings. Specifically, a new bill introduced to the U.S. Congress, titled "Local Emergency Radio Service Preservation Act of 2007," H.R. 983, aims to ban services like XM and Sirius from offering "locally differentiated services".

The bill is cosponsored by Rep. Gene Green (D-TX) and Rep. Chip Pickering (R-MS) and unsurprisingly has received backing from the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB). The backers claim the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) only intended satellite radio services to provide national programming.



Local services include weather programming, traffic alerts and other public safety information. An example of how satellite services offering such services can be beneficial over terrestrial broadcasters is the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, when they became an important resource as other local stations were knocked off the air.

Source:
Ars Technica

Written by: James Delahunty @ 15 Feb 2007 14:47

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• 24 comments

• ZippyDSM

  HEIL!HEIL! Radio conglomerate may you reign and make all free broadcast radio everywhere unlistenable forever more HEIL!!HEIL!!!

  15.2.2007 15:52 #1

• veyron

  Ha!!! Send this article directly to Howard Stern! Just another feeble attempt from testicular radio to stop the future from coming.
  All of the sudden there's no free market? Give me a break. I'm no lawyer but I can see this won't last long in court.

  15.2.2007 18:46 #2

• i1der

  I wish i could afford satellite radio, which is much more 21 century

  15.2.2007 19:40 #3

• Unfocused

  Satellite Radio...
  
  Why start paying for something that I've been able to get for free my entire life?

  16.2.2007 00:46 #4

• ZippyDSM

  veyron
  I don't see them offering free broadcast satilite radio of coarse they are making money off that thus the free market dislikes it the free market also dislikes conglomerations of power and thats basically what sat radio is,what they need to do is find a middle point with free broadcast content and premium content.
  
  
  
  Unfocused
  Its like cable TV it offers content hat not on broadcast TV,the trouble is it dosent offer what I want and its to costly thus it fails,Since conglomerations run nearly all of it this is what they should do
  
  you buy a 2 radio kit one for the car thats backwards compatible with older cars and a house unit the hardware is 100-200 when you sign up they allot you your local radio channels (10-30 channles) or give you all the normal broadcast channels in a 30-100 mile radius and send you the card key for the radio's to activate it or active it in a different way ,this would be a great step to true free market sat radio but like cable TV they have a monopoly and they will set it up however they want it.

  16.2.2007 01:34 #5

• coleken3

  Nowadays local radio sucks. You hear the same songs at least 4-5 times an hour and the current music selection sucks. I used to DJ but got out cuz the music was going downhill. The 80s and the 90s rocked for the most part but today everything sounds the same. Its all about hip hop and chicks that wear pretty much nothing "Not complaining" and they want kids to buy into this.I bought my wife Sirius for her B-Day and she loves it. Old school rap and 80s retro music. Of course Howard"the howard"Stern This bill will end up in Superior court . Im gonna email to Howard Stern . By the way he wants to change his name to "The Howard" cause of Anna Nicole Smith's lawyer. He's getting a ton of condolence letters for her death.

  16.2.2007 03:01 #6

• ZippyDSM

  Originally posted by coleken3:Nowadays local radio sucks. You hear the same songs at least 4-5 times an hour and the current music selection sucks. I used to DJ but got out cuz the music was going downhill. The 80s and the 90s rocked for the most part but today everything sounds the same. Its all about hip hop and chicks that wear pretty much nothing "Not complaining" and they want kids to buy into this.I bought my wife Sirius for her B-Day and she loves it. Old school rap and 80s retro music. Of course Howard"the howard"Stern This bill will end up in Superior court . Im gonna email to Howard Stern . By the way he wants to change his name to "The Howard" cause of Anna Nicole Smith's lawyer. He's getting a ton of condolence letters for her death.what was the new uproad about stren?
  anyway you are right broadcast music is declining because they are putting more effort into the digital feeds and hope people will go to the premium plans.
  
  the main 3 or 4 stations I can stand from Chattanooga repeat alot,the local talk radio(and its not fundie radio either :3 ,it was the past 2 or so eyars when the fired the midday people twice and ran rush *stabs ears out * I hate rush and most fundie radio I like balance in my politics and stuff) can be better than TV most of the time I listen to it 2 or 3 hours a day when I can.

  16.2.2007 03:41 #7

• themind

  Howard Stern sucks xm rocks o&a party rock.

  16.2.2007 03:44 #8

• ZippyDSM

  Originally posted by themind:Howard Stern sucks xm rocks o&a party rock.
  stren is a bit OTT potty humor and sex get old fast.

  16.2.2007 03:53 #9

• ian23

  regardless if ur a stern or o&a fan both sides can agree that satellite radio is damn good and worth every penny. i never listen to regular radio anymore cause it doesn't play the music i like. maybe they should cut down commercials play a more spread of music but that won't happen. sooner or later free radio will become was AM radio is to FM radio now

  16.2.2007 09:04 #10

• RuPtUrE

  Satellite Radio...
  
  Why start paying for something that I've been able to get for free my entire life?
  
  
  Simply because you dont have to sit there and listent to bullshit commercials daily. You don't have to sit there and listen to music which sucks and gets played out daily.
  
  Satellite radio is way better for 13.00 or so a month. You basically pay for other dumb shit like eating out when you can pay for this. They actually have like 5 hip hop stations. Weather channels in major cities as houston,dallas, and so on. No commercials with only very little commentary by dj's and so on. Thats why paying is way better than the free stuff. Like the saying goes,"you get what you pay for!!"

  16.2.2007 11:50 #11

• borhan9

  This is crazy to be afraid of satellite radio. This form of media is very big in third world countries and everyone uses it. It's like pay TV. It's just more competition. I don not see the issue here.

  17.2.2007 22:55 #12

• Unfocused

  @RuPtUrE
  
  You have bought into the propaganda that the media companies have thrust upon you. Local (Free) radio has been getting progressively worse over the years, but yet nobody was complaining about it.
  
  There are stations that used to come in clear just a few years ago, but now I can hardly pick them up unless I'm in the original broadcast city.
  
  The music today sucks, but that is part the fault of the artists, and part the fault of the media companies for thrusting this crap upon us.
  
  Along comes Satellite radio. This "night in shinning armor" offers us exactly what we want. Quality music. Most of this being the "retro" stuff that we grew up on.
  
  And to think, all of this for just a few bucks a month. The media companies are just being the Sheppard’s of the flock. Go this way, go that way. It will never end as long as people buy into their lies.
  
  Maybe I'm old school in my thinking, but even if it is under $15 a month, I still don't feel that I should have to pay for this.
  
  I understand the similarities in the cable / local television broadcast, but at least this model has not changed from the beginning.
  
  Although cable companies are slowly pushing the basic broadcasts out of the in favor of the premium content. When did CBS and FOX ever experience artifacting or audio lag until "HD Broadcast" is upon us?

  19.2.2007 05:05 #13

• RuPtUrE

  back @Unfocused
  
  Yes i agree but for now i rather pay or load my ipod into my car deck. But yes the stuff that gets played on my sirius radio believe me can't and won't get no play on local radio. Too much cuss words and it just won't be tolerated by all.

  19.2.2007 05:11 #14

• ZippyDSM

  RuPtUrE
  I like local radio for news alerts and stuff satilite is good and all but they have a long way to make it be worth while for all,they have the ability to offer free local radio over their service for the cost of setup and hardware be free monthly for local service and some extras,from my point of view they have become like cable and sat TV stagnated their flexibility in order to create a monopoly.

  21.2.2007 02:55 #15

• ian23

  um you can get local reports on satelite. i know xm does jus cause i was lookin at the channel line up in my friends car. i have sirius but i don't know for sure

  21.2.2007 15:04 #16

• ZippyDSM

  Originally posted by ian23:um you can get local reports on satelite. i know xm does jus cause i was lookin at the channel line up in my friends car. i have sirius but i don't know for suremmmmmm my info seems are old and stale as my brain 0-o

  21.2.2007 15:08 #17

• madman91

  Originally posted by Unfocused:Satellite Radio...
  
  Why start paying for something that I've been able to get for free my entire life?You've been getting commercial free music through a radio all your life?

  26.2.2007 16:06 #18

• madman91

  EDIT::
  
  Sorry, duplicate post.

  26.2.2007 16:06 #19

• coleken3

  Now there are the talks about the merger . That would be cool to get all of XMs stations since we have Sirius. Im addicted to the 80's retro channel . Brings back memories of high school partys and chicks that were easy.

  2.3.2007 02:12 #20

• JVC

  Sounds like some of you listen to the wrong radio stations!
  The stations around here, do not play the same song twice, from 6am-7pm.
  You can listen online, to my favorite one, at http://www.wsfl.com and see for yourself.
  
  I get aggravated at some commercials, but some are funny and entertaining. I also like the contests they have on local radio stations. I have won several cds and dinners at local restaurants. A lot of folks win tickets to concerts.
  
  I couldn't care less about satellite radio! I'll quit listening to radio, before I'll pay for it! Everybody else already gets enough of my money!
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  2.3.2007 04:09 #21

• RuPtUrE

  Try taking your online radio with you in your car!!! Then you'll porbably switch over to satellite radio. Speaking of listening to radio online. I can do that too with my sirius..
  

  Ask me i can answer to mostly anything...

  2.3.2007 04:55 #22

• JVC

  I listen to the radio in the car, not on the computer. I just said you could hear it online. The point was........I'm not paying for radio. TV is enough.
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  2.3.2007 17:54 #23

• ZippyDSM

  Originally posted by JVC:I listen to the radio in the car, not on the computer. I just said you could hear it online. The point was........I'm not paying for radio. TV is enough.TV is not worth it not at 40+ a month albeit neither is sat radio maybe because I a cheap...and need to give up and get a T1 >>
  

  
  
  FIGHT THE M.A.F.I.A.A.
  Sony has declared war on importers the consumer will be next with CD's,Videos/Games not far behind that....boycott SONY!
  http://www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/8062.cfm

  2.3.2007 18:33 #24