Is it just me or does FM radio SUCK these days

[JBLROCKS]

Is it just me or does FM radio really suck these days? I like having the radio on quite a bit but I am sure getting tired of all the advertising

There is too much good music out there and the radio staions are killing it because they play one song and then ten commercials! Or spend fifteen minutes talking about playing less commercials than the other guy.

Just my two cents worth

[scott fitlin]

Sirius or XM digital radio is where its at! XM has all kinds of music stations, actually playing good stuff, not just the same 20 rotational hits and incessant talking, like FM!

[JBLROCKS]

I sure am thinking about going to XM, only thing that presents a problem is requiring a tuner/adaptor for each stereo

[scott fitlin]

XM,s stations are good! The music progamming is for real! You wont be dissapointed!

[Robh3606]

The days of WNEW are long gone!!


Rob

[Titanium Dome]

I still try to listen to the WAVE here in SoCal, but even it gets tiresome and commercially overbearing. Plus, the playlist seems to get shorter all the time.

I could go XM since my Pioneer has the capability, but I hate the idea of a subscription. So my solution is the iPod, which in my case has about a week's worth of legal music on it, organized in a hundred different ways for playing flexibility.

The next wave apparently will be "radio podcasting." where you download music content to your iPod and play it like a radio, except it works everywhere and you can control the music to a degree since it's on your HD and you can create your own playlists from what's there. There will be numerous genres (we podders like to call them playlist mixes) downloadable up to the limits of your player's capacity.

THE DOWNSIDE: It WILL BE a subscription model in all likelihood, and I just wrote that I don't like subscription models. But if I can choose the playlist mixes and control the where and the when of the music on iPod radio, then maybe I'll do it.

For now, though, my music on my iPod is pretty freaking fantastic.

[jblnut]

I have one of these and love it. I can re-broadcast any streaming source from the internet, as well as any MP3 playlist or even a concert DVD in the PC's drive. Anything the PC can play can be broadcasted in a 1/4 mile radius for $60 with very good quality.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/electronics/audio/6f4e/


jblnut

[hector.murray]

Titanium Dome, is KMET still in business? I used to like to listen to Dr. Dimento.

[boputnam]

I sure am thinking about going to XM, only thing that presents a problem is requiring a tuner/adaptor for each stereo

All you need is a docking station at each pre-amp - you can move the receiver around. I've got a couple receivers and move the receiver from car (kit) to shop; the other stays in the family room pretty much.

XM has some great programming right now. I stay on XM40, mostly. "Deep Tracks". As well, they started a new series "Then Again, Live..." where some of our favorite artists go back to studio and recreate their best album track-by-track. Allmans just did Eat a Peach; Dave Mason did Alone Together; more to come. Really, really great stuff.

Oh and Rob - I miss WNEW-FM, too. Dave Herman and the gang were my heros of the day. Used to crowd around the FM on NYE to catch the Grateful Dead live broadcasts from San Francisco. Them were great parties!!

[Titanium Dome]

Titanium Dome, is KMET still in business? I used to like to listen to Dr. Dimento.

KMET disappeared in the early 90s, before I came to LA.

[Maron Horonzakz]

The new FM HD is just starting IBOC...In band on channel....HD format. DAY SEQUERRA is making new tuners to recieve thes broadcasts. Starting at $2500 & up. Other manufacturs coming out with new HD tuners this year.

[lfh]

I'm very curious about how you perceive the audio quality of XM and iBiquity. Do you hold one system better than the other? Have you hooked up the receiver to your JBLs - and if so, is the music (and speech) still acceptable?

When it comes to digital radio in Europe, DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale) is the up-and-coming technology, where the good old AM bands (SW, MW, LW) are getting new life. However, the bitrates are typically much lower than the ones employed in the USA, so we're not talking Hi-Fi. Still the transmissions are enjoyable, and it's pretty cool to listen to stereo broadcasts from Germany up here in Stockholm.

DAB, finally, is AFAIK currently only used at a larger scale in the UK. We do have lots of transmissions in Sweden, but only the major cities are covered.

[boputnam]

Can't know about iBiquity. Do know about XM.

XM is compressed - talk channels more-so than music channels. Yes, I do play it through the 4345's and yes I can hear the compression, but most/many cannot. It is not for critical listening, but for all-day and evening background it is excellent. It is slightly more compressed than mp3 - but I cannot quantify that statement.

XM has totally changed the manner of our listening at home. CD's only get played at times of critcal listening; XM has replaced FM. Period.

[Rusnzha]

I was a big fan of WNEW, but around the time disco kicked in, I knew it was over. Around that time, a friend introduced me to WRVR and I never looked back. Since that sorry morning when I woke up and heard country music on what was the best radio station ever, FM has sucked. It hasn't gotten any better. When I listen to the radio in the car now, I like Phil Henry, the Young Turks and stuff like that better any of the music stations. Finding good music to buy became a lot harder.

Russ