First of all, I’m an OTR (over the road) truck driver and have been since late 2001.  I initially discovered satellite radio technology with seeing the billboards scattered throughout the country for XM Radio.  In the meantime, I used to keep a list of FM stations that I’d come across in different markets that I liked in the various cities that I found myself traveling through.  When I was in a “dead” area (like Interstate 40 across most of New Mexico and Arizona), I often relied on cassettes and CDs to get me through my drive.

Fast-forward to June 2004.  I had been debating on getting a satellite radio for a couple months and finally had the means to get one.  I just had to decide which service I wanted to subscribe to.  At the time, most prospective subscribers were choosing their service based on the sports packages XM and Sirius offered.  For me, it was a difficult decision because I am a fan of baseball, football, hockey, and Nascar (XM had the MLB and Nascar, and Sirius had the NFL and the NHL).  I decided on Sirius, and I never looked back.

Sirius opened up an entire new world to audio listening for me.  I was able to travel cross-country and never had to change the radio dial.  I also discovered the world of talk radio and spent countless hours listening to ESPN Radio and the Midnight Trucking Radio show (on Sirius 147 at the time).  Along the way, I started seeing and hearing advertisements for Howard Stern (whom I’d been familiar with whenever I watched his E! show at night), and I didn’t seem all that interested at the time.  Then the fateful day of 1/9/06 came, and I found myself tuning in to Howard 100 strictly out of sheer morbid curiosity.

From that point on, my Sirius listening habits changed.  My Sirius radio stayed tuned in to Howard 100 and Howard 101.  I discovered Bubba The Love Sponge that very same day, and I look forward to hearing his show every day.  It was because of his show that I decided to become a lifetime subscriber of Sirius and my main reason for continuing to be a subscriber.  I still listen to some of the music channels and other programming (like NFL, Nascar, 80’s on 8, Hair Nation, Prime Country) on the weekends, but I am a loyal Howard Stern/Bubba The Love Sponge/Scott Ferrall listener during the week.

What better way to help pass the time when traveling down the highway than to listen to all-day entertainment and never have to change the dial on the truck radio?  There’s always something on that I enjoy listening to, and that’s why I have been a Sirius subscriber for over 4-1/2 years.  I’ve met so many other Sirius/XM listeners throughout the country, including Taylor from TSS-Radio, that share my love and appreciation for Bubba The Love Sponge, and it gave me a renewed joy that Sirius/XM decided to sign him through the end of 2010.

I am thankful that I discovered the wonderful world of satellite radio and have been proud to share this with friends and family members.  It is what radio should’ve been long ago, and it is the future of radio.

Satellite Radio