What Makes Satellite Radio So Great Anyway?

... What satellite radio does that makes its programming so much better is offering niche programming channels that allow for the best of a certain genre or subgenre. For decades, traditional radio research said that listeners wanted “variety.” However, a famous oldies format program director, Steve Rivers, has proven on many major market Infinity radio stations that the best ratings for an oldies format come from playing a very limited playlist. By Rivers’ standards, that list can be as selective as 300 or fewer songs. Ironically, it is satellite radio that is best suited to exploit Rivers’ example. A dedicated reggae station on XM can play Bob Marley every hour and be more successful than a more varied competitor. A vocals and standards station on Sirius can play Frank Sinatra every 30 minutes and never get a complaint. The reason for this is the diversity of the nature of the channels on satellite vs. radio. Yet on those channels, satellite radio (in many cases) keeps the playlists tight, thus making the stations sound better. ... Link: Audio Video Revolution.