Xm Radio
XM radio represents one of the two major satellite radio broadcasters in the United States, making a team with Sirius radio. XM is a pay-per-service radio similar to lots of cable and satellite television networks that function based on subscription. Music dominates by far the channels within the overall package broadcast by XM radio; there are no less than 73 different music channels, 39 news, talk, entertainment and sports channels and some 21 weather and regional channels. The beginnings of the company go back to the late 80s when XM radio was founded as part of the American Mobile Radio Corporation.
Although with such a long history, the satellite service for XM radio became available only in 2001, and in July 2008 it ceased to function independently as it merged with its former competitor Sirius radio. The new channel lineups entered broadcasting on November 12, 2008 and are expected to enjoy a higher amount of success with their now shared audience. Entertainment has always been the major consideration and path to follow in the internal making plans of various programs: thus, XM radio has always carried more than music, news and talk shows, as it also covers unique stand-up performance, comedy and even radio drama.
A receiver is the only equipment necessary for the reception of XM radio and the prices for such an item range somewhere between $50 and $200 with technical feature variations. One bonus offered by the company when you subscribe for a determined period of time longer than a year is a free simple receiver. Thus, XM radio is compatible with regular plug and play receivers that have the highest flexibility range allowing for the installation of multiple base units around the home or the car. Then, there are the in-dash receivers, equally suitable for radio satellite reception as well as the more complex desktop and home theater system receivers that usually come for higher prices.
There are music downloads available with XM radio using the XM+Napster for listeners that rely on the Windows interface, but subscribers to the Direct TV satellite network can also listen to the broadcast directly on the television set. As for the access to the online variant, this is available either as a product included in the XM radio subscription or it can be contracted separately for $7.99 per month. Last but not least, XM offers some very comprehensive weather forecast news that usually serve pilots, drivers and travelers.
