Satellite radio is it worth the money?(FM to Sirius)

Publication: Consumer Reports

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COPYRIGHT 2006 Consumers Union of the United States, Inc.

The signals have never been stronger for satellite radio, the subscription service that beams hundreds of "stations" to your car or home. Shock jock Howard Stern has just moved from FM to Sirius, one of the two satellite providers. And Bob Dylan recently signed with XM, the other provider, to host a weekly radio show, his first ever, starting this March.

Is it time to consider satellite radio? To help you answer the question, we surveyed a nationally representative sample of several hundred current subscribers who listen in their cars, where most satellite radio is heard. Overall, 71 percent said they were highly satisfied with their service. That's comparable to the satisfaction levels satellite-TV subscribers recently reported to us, and it gives satellite radio a high ranking among all services we have rated. They also gave satellite radio high marks for ease of setup and use.

But paying for radio rankles even satellite's devotees. The cost of the service--$12.95 per month or $142 per year from either provider--topped the list of their complaints. More than...

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