By the fall of2005, satellite radio's higher quality and expanded choices should be availablefor Canadians to buy for their cars.That's the storyin general, but that's the best we can offer just now since the details won'tbe decided until after the Canadian Radio-television and TelecommunicationsCommission (CRTC) finishes its public hearings on the matter next spring inOttawa.The CRTC hasbefore it three proposals for satellite services and it's possible that all ofthem could be approved for operation, which is certainly what the threedifferent agencies would like to see. Each one of thethree companies propose to offer Canadian consumers more and higher-qualityaudio entertainment with fewer or no commercials for a small ($10 to $13) monthlyfee. This would of course be on top of the cost of the new receiver hardwareyou would have to attach to your vehicle's sound system, which would vary withthe kind of service you're using. Something around $100 is likely be the lowpoint, though you can of course spend more if you want to.When theservices get going, they will also likely be hard-wired into many of soundsystems in new vehicles so there'll be no after-market work required.General Motorsis involved in one of the applications, and the company says it would expect tooffer its new car customers the service in the fall of 2005, on its 2006 modelyear products. Ford and Chrysler are connected to another one of theapplications, and they expect to bring the service out about the same time. Satellite radio alsoworks in your house, but it should hold special appeal to people in carsbecause it delivers the same programming all across the country. So no moreneeding to search out new stations as you drive from one district to another,and no more long stretches where all you can find is the self-satisfied CBC, orNPR, or Delilah, or Howard Stern, or the real-life version of WKRP with aself-medicating Dr. Johnny Fever clone giving you 5,000 watts of intensivecare, babies.As the CRTC hasyet to pronounce on what it wants Canadians to hear, content on the threedifferent services is still somewhat up in the air. But they are all promisingto deliver more choices than can be found even in Canada's largest markets ofregular radio, with more to come.The threecompanies looking for licenses (it's possible they all might succeed, by theway) are all experienced broadcasters, and two of them have relationships withfirms delivering satellite service in the U.S. already. CanadianSatellite Radio Incorporated (CSR) is in partnership with GM's XM SatelliteRadio Inc. and wants a license for a national service costing $12.99 a monthfor 101 channels, four of which would be produced in Canada by CSR.The CBC, inpartnership with SIRIUS Satellite Radio and Standard Radio Inc. is looking fora national license to offer 78 channels to start, four of which would beproduced by the CBC, at a cost of $12.95.The finalapplication is from the CHUM network, which is proposing a national network of50 channels to be produced in Canada (the others will be using mostly U.S.prepared programming) for $9.95 a month.While there willof course be considerable overlap in terms of what music is played, thee willalso be unique offerings meant to attract more listeners. The Sirius network,for example, is taking special efforts to be as sports-oriented as possible.Each of theapplicants also makes the point that their service will provide lots ofopportunities for the use of Canadian artists, and that seems to be true. Theservice will put more Canadians on the airwaves, but as always it's up toindividual listeners to tune them in.
Satellite radio in Canada's cars in 2005