Classic Rant #1,243 (July 8, 2014): Satellite Radio

OK, I can change my mind, can't I?

I am referring to satellite radio.

I did not understand what its value was before I had it, but now that I have it, I kind of like it.

Although I generally listen to CD-Rs in my car that I have created myself, you can't keep putting the CD into the radio when you make short stops or go on short trips.

And in those in-between times, I would much rather listen to satellite radio than what is on the over the air radio stations.

Those stations lost me years ago, because they are completely bland, don't play the music I like, and even the oldies radio stations have generally moved on from the music I like--the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s--and look at oldies as the 1980s and beyond.

Not my cup of tea.

Now, with satellite radio in the car, I can listen to the type of music that I want to listen to during those breaks from the CDs.

I have located three stations that I really like, and they are set in the car--yes, I finally found out how to do that, too.

They are the 1950s station, the 1960s station, and Little Steven's Underground Garage Radio, which really is a true mix of the first two stations with some newer stuff mixed in.

I became a disciple of satellite radio when I was listening a few weeks ago, and the Underground Radio  Garage station played three in a row of first, Frank Sinatra, second Elvis Costello, and third, the Monkees.

That type of mix is appealing to me, reminds me of what they used to do on the AM Top 40 stations in the 1960s--namely WABC and WMCA in New York--and right then and there, I decided that I liked what I had.

Now to pay for it ... I am obviously not thrilled about that, but I worked it out in a way that it won't cost me an arm and a leg to do so.

I have a three-month trial subscription, which will end in two months. The other day, I called Sirius, the satellite provider, to try to get a good deal after the trial period is up.

They first offered me a deal at I think $14.99 a month, which I balked at. Too expensive to listen to three stations, I told them.

They knocked it down to $9.99, and I told them that it was still too expensive.

They then asked me what I wanted to pay for the service.

I told them that some people I know are getting it for $4 a month, which is true, I heard some people at work talking about it.

The operator put me on hold for like five minutes, came back, and we had a deal for five months at $4 per month after the initial free period ended.

So I don't have to worry about this until the beginning of next year, and then, I will probably sign up for the same $4 deal.

I think that that price is worth it for what I am listening to. I have sampled the other stations, and they really don't appeal to me and how I am using satellite radio as a fill-in, but the deal I have makes it all worth it.

So I made a mistake early on, not really being impressed with what I heard.

But the more I listened, the more I found that for what I was listening to, the experience was quite different than listening to regular, over the air radio.

So there. I admit that I was wrong.

And for $4 month, who's complaining?