Get Sirius, Canada, but not Howard Stern

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/12/2005 (7490 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SIRIUS Canada launched across Canada yesterday, giving the country its second satellite radio service in a week.

Sirius joins XM Radio in bringing satellite radio to Canada at long last, but with a different format featuring more stations for a higher monthly fee. Perhaps most different of all, the Canadian version of Sirius has no plans to import shock-jock Howard Stern, who is getting US$500 million for five years from the American service.

But Sirius will launch with 100 channels of music, entertainment, sports and information (including 10 Canadian stations from the CBC) for $14.99 a month for the first receiver and $7.99 for each additional receiver.

To help launch the service across Canada, Sirius is waiving the one-time $20 activation fee for the first 50,000 subscribers.

On top of that, of course, consumers will need the hardware to receive the Sirius service, and for the moment that means the Sirius One and Starmate models, for $79.99 and $99.99, respectively. The “simplified design” of the Sirius One is supposed to make it “a good choice for those wanting the easiest way to get Sirius satellite radio in their vehicle,” while the Starmate “features a plug-and-play capability that lets users easily transfer the device from a vehicle to the home with the Sirius Home Kit.”

More sophisticated receivers will follow early in January, including the ultra-compact Sportster Replay plug-and-play unit and the portable boombox for enhanced portability.

For the money, Mark Redmond, the president and CEO of Sirius Canada, promises a “premium offering with the best digital quality sound and the most extensive coverage offered by any satellite radio provider.”

Redmond says Sirius already has over 7,000 requests for information made by consumers to its website to-date, adding that the firm is “shipping out thousands of products each week to our retailers.”

Commercial-free music

The mainstay of the Sirius is likely to be 60 stations of commercial-free music featuring what Redmond calls the “best selections in rock, pop, country, jazz, hip-hop, electronic, dance, R&B, classical and show tunes.”

Next comes “unbelievable sports play-by-play action” from the NHL, NFL and NBA, says Redmond, as well as “news, talk and athlete interviews for all hard-core sports fans.”

News is another big priority for Sirius, says Redmond, who points out that with “12 news channels, Sirius has more options for up-to-the-minute information than any other satellite radio provider in Canada.” They include CNBC, CBC Radio One, Info plus, Première plus, Bloomberg Radio, CNN, NPR Now, and BBC World Service News, among others.

For people who like to listen to other people talk, says Redmond, Sirius has “Hollywood’s A-List,” with 10 channels dedicated to talk and entertainment. Even though there’s not going to be Howard Stern, there will be Martha Stewart Living Radio, MAXIM Radio, ABC News & Talk, and E! Entertainment Radio, “just to name a few.”

Sirius is also bragging about having the most Canadian content, though for people who speak only English or only French that means one more station than XM has. Redmond notes that the Canadian content on Sirius includes 10 channels “featuring some of the best of CBC Radio One programming and cutting edge Canadian indie music on CBC Radio 3, Iceberg Radio, Hardcore Sports Radio, Premiére plus, Info plus, Bande á part, Rock Velours, Energie2, and multilingual station RCI plus.”

All of this will be coming from what Redmond calls the “largest satellite footprint,” meaning three satellites in a unique figure-8 orbit that “optimizes the reception and coverage quality for listeners anywhere in Canada.”

Canada’s satellite radio service is available at Future Shop, Best Buy, London Drugs, The Source by Circuit City, Canadian Tire, Audio Video Unlimited and many other leading retailers throughout Canada. In Quebec, Sirius products will be available at Dumoulin/Audiotronics, Centre Hi Fi and others.

Information on Sirius Canada’s service can be found at www.siriuscanada.ca, and the full channel listings are at www.siriuscanada.ca/Channels-et.htm.

–DIL Auto News Service