there is no such thing as a free lunch
"free" to me means someone else (spot buyers) is paying the freight
in return for that, I get the pleasure of listening to what they pay for in return for the "free" content.
Exactly right! The pendulum swings both ways here. If I want something to be free, then I have to put up with ads, whilst If I pay for a service, it is assumed I will have less (preferably none) ads. I do think that if people are paying a decent amount for a service, like $25-30 for SXM, or $70 for Hulu, then they shouldn't also be subjected to dozens of ads. That's extortion.
As technology has progressed so has the ability of the listener to purchase the content without the filler.
This is no different than people paying for HBO in the 1970's
I am still a supporter of HD radio. I only wish there was a way to make it profitable for the radio stations.
Me too. However, iBiquity turned HD into a dead-end street with all of their patents and "licenses", and the fact that they really don't advertise that well. However, if HD was more consistent/popular, I could see encrypted subchannels offering "premium" audio formats without commercials for a price, in a style similar to SXM.
when ordering my new car last week
Carvana?
I made sure it had a HD tuner and SXM.
Thank you!
I also have a Amazon Music subscription.... the amount of content on that platform is almost limitless, even for someone of my advanced age.
That sounds good!
Like SXM, I am assured of finding something I want to listen to, something that is getting harder and harder to do over broadcast radio. We are at the point that Nirvana and Soundgarden are now classic rock acts.... and as those acts are added to playlists to attract the 34 to 54 audience, the Who, Beatles, The Rolling Stones and other acts are getting less spins, if they get any at all.
Sounds like you enjoy 50's, 60's, and 70's, definitely check to see if an AM in Fort Myers might be running a true "Oldies" format. Or, of course, we know SXM has that easily covered, but they divvy out by decade, and that's not always desirable. And FM tends to stay away from your preferred timeframe, but some Classic Hits stations will lean 60's/70s/80s.
In Fort Myers Fl I have 5 FM presets on my tuner, and I can scan thru them and usually find something to listen to.
When I am back north for the summer, there are two stations in the Boston area and a couple in Southern NH I can listen to, but that is it.
I see.
On my SXM tuner I have TEN presets, and there are other stations I will listen to above and beyond the 10 that are pre set.
And the best part of SXM? When I leave here to head north next Thursday I don't have to keep scanning the band every hour as we come in and out of range of radio stations on a 24 hour 1500 mile road trip.
While there's nothing wrong with wanting consistency and reliability, sometimes it is worth branching off and getting that local flavor. Remember that a "real" subscription to SXM is at $27.99, and rising.
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Also: For the best of Oldies music, šµ
Shortwave Radio, WTWW! šµš on 5.085, of course during the evenings.