Satellite radio is everywhere

Driving down the Ventura Freeway with the wind blowing through my hair and the radio blaring. It was just like old times… the only difference was the sounds coming from my radio.

Instead of a rock band playing at high volume, I was listening to the latest headlines from a 24-hour cable news station broadcast on satellite radio. It seems that no matter how hard I try to get away from the 24-hour news cycle, I can’t escape. Although I know I’m not alone. Cable news outlets not only have a huge impact on the minds of their viewers, but also on the minds of millions of people who listen to satellite radio in their cars and mobile devices every week. It makes it so easy to take my habit of being a news junkie to a new level.

Everywhere I go, someone seems to be listening to satellite radio. Even in stores.

Now that people can listen to their favorite stations on a cell phone, all it takes is an audio jack to connect a device to a complete sound system. Soon that person will fade to the sounds of MSNBC, CNN, or Fox News. Though the sounds that come from most of these outlets can hardly be called “swoon-able.”

Is it a good thing that we have access to the 24-hour cable news cycle pretty much everywhere we go today? On dire situations or breaking news days, yes it is… But let’s be honest… There are more times when nothing happens compared to times that require my direct attention. Why am I doing cable news on satellite radio all the time?

My family often wonders the same thing. Now when we get in the car for a family road trip, it’s no longer “Let’s listen to music” but let’s hear the same 5 stories over and over again on a new station. When we get tired of that station’s posture on those five floors, we can switch to another station to hear the reframed version of the exact same events on another. It is a vicious circle that never seems to end.

I miss the days of sitting down and using the radio as an escape from the world. Now it seems like satellite radio is bringing everything I’m trying to escape, right at me.