Day 120: Sirius Weather and Emergency

My Best Guess: Get a nationwide view of what's going on overhead, from nasty storm fronts to important weather systems...Sirius Weather and Emergency makes sure you're prepared for what lies ahead!

According to Sirius: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, The Weather Channel Radio Network on SIRIUS is the place where you will get a complete picture of the weather across the United States from the #1 source for weather, The Weather Channel. Every hour you’ll hear the national weather summary plus short and long range regional forecasts, city-by-city forecasts, “Weather and your health” features and other lifestyle reports such as regional special events, golfing weather and Boat & Beach reports. When the weather is particularly severe and life threatening, the SIRIUS Weather & Emergency system activates on Channel 184. Frequently updated reports from The Weather Channel Radio Network will air giving you the latest information on a Severe Weather event. And, when there's a national emergency or an Amber Alert, the SIRIUS Emergency System is activated to bring you updated information that could be life saving. Which evacuation routes are available...where the shelters are open, word from first responders on disaster recovery planning.... and Amber Alerts from across the country are always available on channel 184.

Curt's Rebuttal: I don't have much to say here...this channel is actually pretty damn impressive. The official online description actually went on for a bit longer, but I just took the highlights...

Sample Playlist:

• You pretty much get several (I counted three) different takes from several different meteorologists about what is going on across our nation, weather-wise. Last night, for example, rain and snow was hitting the Northwest part of the country, while there were also bad snow conditions in Denver. A third primary weather spot was up in Maine (and across New Hampshirt and Vermont, too), with much white stuff getting dumped on them. It was kind of interesting to tune into this throughout the day, as I got to hear progress on how the rain was approaching, and later drenching, Seattle...how the snowstorm in Denver was scattering to the Great Plains...and how Maine continued to get dumped on. Fun random weather fact: there was dense fog in Dodge City, Kansas last night...I just liked how they picked that random city to report on.

Verdict: Unfortunately, as interesting as this was, I very seldom tune into weather reports. And while it was actually engaging to get that nation-level view of what was happening to our weather, I'd be more likely to tune into one of the city-specific channels that also covers traffic if I needed to find out anything.

Day 119: The Korean Channel

My Best Guess: Straight from Korea to your Sirius dial, get everything from classical music and top techno/dance hits, to morning talk show zaniness and hard-hitting headline news...all in the span of 15 minutes!

According to Sirius: Hit Korean music, breaking news and talk shows that cover topics Korean Americans care about.

Curt's Rebuttal: Okay, true...but there WAS classical music on there. And I still say that the trippy thing about this station was it's ability to cover ALL of those areas in just under 15 minutes.

Sample Playlist:

• Well, once again we fall into the realm of a "language barrier," here. But the neat/strange thing about this channel was that listening to it on the 20-minute drive into work gave me a quick sampler of almost every genre: love ballad, two anchorpeople reading news headlines, techno-pop, something that sounded like an interview with a lot of laughter, and strange music that sounded like filler during "station identification" on UHF TV stations. They were really hard to peg down...and the transitions between segments were sudden and unexpected.

Verdict: Going to have to pass, largely for the whole "language barrier" thing, but the format was intriguing and always kept you wondering what would be next...

Day 118: CNN En Espanol

My Best Guess: For our Spanish-speaking listeners, now you can get all of your local, national and international news from CNN...with a little latin flavor!

According to Sirius: CNN en Español provides unmatched coverage of breaking news, complemented by live reports and hard-hitting interviews. It’s all the headlines shaping our world, presented in a vibrant and compelling manner with thought-provoking insight, by a team of award-winning journalists who are internationally recognized for their experience and knowledge of Latin America.

Curt's Rebuttal: I guess that's probably a bit more accurate than what I had. But I still think it had a bit of Latin flavor...

Sample Playlist: Ah, international radio stations. For the most part, I had no idea what was being reported, but I did pick up on a bit of the following:

• In the morning drive, I was listening to news stories about the world of computing. I only know this because I heard the following words and phrases in a relatively short time frame: WinAmp, Peer-to-Peer, Internet, Microsoft
• On the ride home, I heard "Wall Street" mentioned about five or six times in a one-minute span. Guessing this was business news.
• A commercial for "Songs of Romance," featuring Celine Dion, Michael Bolton, etc. This was, frankly, a little disturbing.
• Not sure if the post-commercial discussion was still on the topic of business news, but I did hear "FedEx" and "UPS" thrown around quite a few times.

Verdict: Again, have to pass...although Latin-flavored news would likely prove to be more interesting than its English counterpart, if only I spoke the language.

Day 117: ESPN Deportes Radio

My Best Guess: Sports from south of the border, broadcast directly to your Sirius radio "en Espanol," ESPN Deportes Radio brings you the latest news on both American and Mexican sporting events

According to Sirius: ESPN Deportes Radio is your premier 24-hour sports network - completely in Spanish - featuring a variety of great talk including Sports Center. Get up-to-the-minute sports updates in Spanish every 20 minutes.

Curt's Rebuttal: Well, they did seem to mention a lot of "football," and seemed to be listing a lot of what sounded like Central and South American countries, so I'm guessing this is more than just ESPN from the U.S. translated into Spanish.

Sample Playlist

• Well, the radio only said "ESPN Deportes Radio" all day, so no idea if there were different programs going on or not. I think I heard reference to the "American League" and "baseball" on my morning drive...so they were likely talking about the latest news in steroids usage. The drive home was definitely all about boxing, though, as Mike Tyson's name kept coming up.

Verdict: Already wasn't planning on subscribing to much in the way of sports radio...so throw in a language I don't understand and I doubt I have to spell out my plans here. Also, note that the channel jumped from 161 to 181...I get the sense the journey is almost over!

Day 116: FamilyNet Radio

My Best Guess: The most blessed of Christian talk radio is assembled for your devoted listening, 24/7, on FamilyNet Radio

According to Sirius: A rich blend of family-friendly, faith-based entertainment from North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, featuring the 700 Club, CBN Newswatch and more.

Curt's Rebuttal: Actually, on my receiver, this was called The Christianity Network, or something similar. So I call shenanigans. Actually, the website looks like it lists some of the shows I listened to today, so maybe God hasn't blessed the satellites with an update yet.

Sample Playlist

• Right from the Heart, with Bryan Wright: I went to school with a Brian Wright...at least that's how I THOUGHT he spelled his name. Well...I guess I doubt this is him. Anyway, he gave us some perspective on what likely would have been going through the Virgin Mary's head during the first Christmas. All conjecture, but not without being a little interesting.
• Focus on the Family, with Dr. J. Dobson: Doctor J was interviewing a woman who was telling the tale of how she had been working at a horse ranch or something (I came into the tale late, so am filling in the blanks with my imagination) that had been visited by troubled youths. She ended up working with a homeless girl whose family had pretty much all been murdered. She saw it as her opportunity to preach the Word to her. Kind of rubbed me the wrong way a little, actually.
• The Dave Ramsey Show: Dave helped callers with financial problems, such as figuring out whether or not it was even important to build up your credit score after a couple years of deep financial trouble, assuming you weren't planning on taking out a loan ever, ever, ever again. The Lord was conspicuously absent from this show, except during the commercials, where I was continuously referred to as "The Lost" (in contrast to "The Saved"), and how the best way to save me was to play on my desire for a long life. Or something like that. If you're going to name me after a TV show, please use "Heroes." Much obliged.

Verdict: Didn't really care for this one much...my soul is doing just fine, thanks for asking.

Day 115: EWTN Global Catholic Radio Network

My Best Guess: Evangelical programming finds a home in the heavens with Sirius Satellite Radio, as the best religious programming feeds your spirit with The Word every day

According to Sirius: EWTN Global Catholic Radio Network features a daily line-up for people of all ages and backgrounds. Listeners will find content filled with hope and inspiration. The EWTN Global Catholic Radio Network offers listeners live call-in talk shows, informative teaching series, daily devotions, inspiring prayers and Church events. EWTN’s strong commitment to original, high quality programming continues to attract listeners from all faith groups.

Curt's Rebuttal: Yeah, I guess this channel is different from the prior one as it focuses a little bit more on prayer and worship than on the overall topic of religion.

Sample Playlist

• Women of Grace (LIVE): First off, I didn't hear any women on this program, which threw me. The portion of the show I got to listen to was basically a listener Q&A, with people calling in with questions on spiritual warfare (good vs. evil), how to bring repentent sinners into the fold, and the rise of the "swamp of atheism." There was a shout-out to Our Lady of Guadalupe, which was nifty, given how I learned about her yesterday.
• Catholic Answers Live: Another phone Q&A. Guess Catholics have a lot of questions going on inside their heads. This was a bit more interesting as it explored the church's seemingly conflicting stances on the death penalty and right-to-life. It also looked at the topic of "healing masses," where the afflicted are supposedly washed of their sins without a "true" confession.

Verdict: Not Catholic, not gonna bookmark it...but it was interesting hearing the Q&A given some lengthy thought.

Day 114: The Catholic Channel

My Best Guess: Start and end the day with contemporary Catholic talk radio, serving up guidance and inspiration through a variety of devotional programs for all people of Catholic faith

According to Sirius: With its modern talk format and open dialogue, The Catholic Channel focuses on Catholicism in the 21st Century, especially as it is lived in today’s world. The Catholic Channel addresses issues in the news and on the mind of the listeners, bringing a Catholic perspective to the world around us.

Curt's Rebuttal: I'm not just saying this out of fear of being struck down by lightning, but the paragraph above does a very clear and concise job of describing the channel. It sounds strangely open-minded...but I'd have to say that the programming I listened to was pretty damn open-minded and non-preachy.

Sample Playlist

• Speak Now, with Dave and Susan Konig: This was the show I started with on my morning drive, and it opened with the hosts talking about a segment called "What's the Worst Day You Ever Had," in which Susan describes a morning where she got a flat tire AND a $65 parking ticket(!!!). Later, they moved on to a fake interview with Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant. For some reason, their Plant impression sounded like an Old Jewish Man.
• Just Love: This program about ministry outreach featured an interview with a young woman who was a former nanny that became a paralegal through the help of Grace schools. Not sure if that was the full name or the proper name of the school, or what...and not sure if that transition was supposed to be a blessing or a curse.
• Across the Nation, with Bob Dunning: Bob told the story of Juan Diego and his run-in with Our Lady of Guadalupe, a supposed manifestation of the Virgin Mary. The appearance of Our Lady led to the establishment of a major Christian church just outside of Mexico City, while Juan eventually became a saint.
• Busted Halo, with Father Dave Dwyer: This show seemed to be focused on a younger audience, through its tone and flippant manner. It was pretty amusing as Father Dave had a lengthy conversation with one of the studio crew (she was Jewish) about the differences between their faiths.

Verdict: I have to say, I was very surprised. Of all the programming I listened to, there was none preaching the Catholic faith or conversion...they probably figured that anyone listening was already on their side. Instead, you just got some thoughtful and engaging talk programs. Still...as I'm not Catholic and can't see myself converting, I can't see myself turning here much. Would recommend it to Catholic friends, though.

Day 113: Sirius 1st Traffic and Weather

My Best Guess: From the Big Apple to the sunny shores of California, Sirius has the latest updates on traffic and weather that you can count on

According to Sirius: News you can truly use: Coast-to-coast weather forecasts and information, plus traffic reports for the top 20 most traffic congested metropolitan areas.

Curt's Rebuttal: Yep...pretty much covers it. Although calling out the cities as being the "most traffic congested" seems a bit insensitive.

Sample Playlist

• Well, this is a bit different. There were 10 different channels here, each delivering a four-minute traffic and weather report for various cities. No way I was going to spend an entire day with each one, given that I'd hear the exact same thing four or five times over again on the way into work, so I listened to one cycle of each. Got a little taste of eight cities on the way in, and twelve on the way back (some cities, like NYC and LA, had their own dedicated channels, while others had to share the dial with nearby towns).

Verdict: I don't spend a lot of time on the expressways of LA (I'm blessed that I only take surface roads on the way to work), so no real need to bookmark this. If I have to get somewhere downtown, though, I'll manually seek this one out...

Day 112: Road Dog Trucking Radio

My Best Guess: Keep on truckin', from coast to coast, as you and the rest of the Road Dogs out there tune in to the world's biggest trucker radio network

According to Sirius: Get in gear with the 24-hour channel just for drivers who keep America moving. It’s news, information and entertainment designed to lighten the load. Share your ride with fellow drivers and never lose the signal, whether you’re hauling cross-country or cross-town!

Curt's Rebuttal: Very impressed with what they had. I concede.

Sample Playlist

• Freewheelin': On the drive in to work today, this morning show talked a lot about the horrible winter weather covering the nation, and the importance of chaining up your tires. Apart from this, most of the show seemed to be folks calling in about bad traffic conditions across the country.
• Truckin' with the Road Dog: Kind of an all-purpose variety program from truckin' music and "blue collar" comedy, to news reports pertinent to truckers and weather reports "custom made" for truckers.

Verdict: Alas...I'm not a trucker. If I was, I'd definitely bookmark this.

Day 111: Sirius Left

My Best Guess: Gather around the Sirius radio to catch intelligent and informative liberal talk programming, from some of the biggest names on the left-side of the political spectrum

According to Sirius: Coast-to-coast liberal talk featuring outspoken, unique, and entertaining hosts like Alex Bennett, Lynn Samuels, Ed Schultz, Bill Press, Thom Hartmann, Mark Thompson and more!

Curt's Rebuttal: That's pretty weak sauce, actually...I think the right-wingers did a more impressive job of promoting themselves...

Sample Playlist:

• Thom Hartmann: Here, I got to listen to "Brunch with Bernie," what seems to be a regular segment where they bring in Senator Bernie Sanders to answer questions from callers. Now, I have no idea who this man is, but he took calls on topics ranging from making Election Day a national holiday (so people could vote), unfair credit card practices, and reducing bans on imported vehicles (which sometimes have more fuel efficiency than domestic vehicles).
• Lynn Samuels: I tell ya, if all conservatives look at liberals as being this woman, no wonder they can't stand the left side of the political spectrum. The woman was obnoxious. I tried following what she was talking about, but it was tough...something about "Sensory Processing Disorder" and "George Bush's Finest Moments."

Verdict: I prefer to listen to something a little more "middle of the road," that doesn't focus on political views that tend to mirror my own. Sorry.

Day 110: Fox News Talk

My Best Guess: All the unbiased, fair and balanced reporting you know and love from FOX News, translated into some of the best, most even-keeled interviews and talk programs on your radio dial.

According to Sirius: From the Fair & Balanced news network comes opinion, news, analysis and listener call-ins, featuring pulse-of-the-nation hosts like Bill O'Reilly, Alan Colmes, Neil Cavuto, John Gibson and more.

Curt's Rebuttal: I think I get points just for consistently nailing the "fair and balanced" line with these guys. They make it too easy.

Sample Playlist

• Brian and the Judge: Got to listen to this talk program on the drive to work, which was a lovely way to start the day. The topic? Separation of church and state vs. removal of religion from the public domain. Definitely a fair topic to discuss, but when callers pretty much take an unspoken "as long as its Christian" stance, I get irked pretty quickly. Was interesting to hear an athiest call in and support Mormonism, but if I hear anyone else refer to themselves as "pro-family," I'm gonna do some damage. Like anyone is anti-family...get real. There was also a brief bit on how the latest intelligence report on Iran's lack of nuclear capabilities was (in one expert's opinion) politically fueled nonsense, but I had to turn off the radio before that got me downright angry.
• The Alan Colmes Show: Now, this was an interesting drive home. In the studio they had the owner of the "legalized brothel," the Moonlight Bunny Ranch...as well as a young lady who works there. On the phone they had a former prostitute who now ran a website and church called HookersForJesus.net. The sparks flew quite a bit.

Verdict: The second show made think that I might actually tune in for a Jerry Springer Channel on Sirius...but I refuse to give FOX News my ears for any reason other than this experiment.

Day 109: Sirius Patriot

My Best Guess: Yeeeehaw! Let's round up the best dadgum right-wing political talk and show those tree-hugging commies what REAL democracy looks like! GO BUSH!!!

According to Sirius: Coast-to-coast conservative: SIRIUS Patriot celebrates the red, white and blue with patriotic conservatives who aren’t afraid to tell you what they think. You’ll hear Mike Church, G. Gordon Liddy, Andrew Wilkow, Cam and Company from NRA News.com, Michael Reagan, news from the U.S Military from The Pentagon Channel and more!

Curt's Rebuttal: Oops, was my liberalism showing?

Sample Playlist

• The Mike Church Show: Mike's show on the way into work dealt with home schooling vs. mandated public education. I was agreeing with the notion that public schooling may not be best for everyone, but doing it because it isn't optimal vs. doing it because it's part of the left-wing liberal agenda doesn't sit well with me. The callers to his show were also fanatical home schoolers...which was a little weird.
• Cam & Company from NRA News: The president of the NRA called in about a shooting competition that he attended. Overall, this "evening drive" program was actually interesting to listen to, and focused a little more on the lifestyle of gun owners than on the politics of ownership.

Verdict: While I do think that listening to points-of-view that are contrary to your own can be entertaining and enlightening, the morning drive made me a little sick to my stomach. Pass. Also, they can't manage to keep their station logo in the same format as all the others. Boooooo.

Day 108: ???

Well, this is an odd one. I tuned to the station, and it was hard to read the logo...looked maybe like "ABC News" or something. But all day long, it just told me where else on the Sirius dial I could go to listen to various political news. Ah, well...wasted a day...kept hoping it would eventually switch to programming.

Day 107: BBC World Service News

My Best Guess: Get the latest world news and financial headlines from one of the most respected news sources in the world, the BBC...with BBC World Service News on Sirius

According to Sirius: News is central to all BBC language services. The BBC is renowned for its accurate, up-to-the-minute reporting of events happening around the globe, and legendary for its depth of analysis and impartiality of perspective. On-the-spot coverage is delivered by the largest worldwide team of news reporters with 250 correspondents reporting from 50 bureaus. Listeners can access compelling news and current affairs coverage with programs such as World Update, Newshour, and Outlook. For more information visit www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice.

Curt's Rebuttal: Well played, BBC. Well played, indeed.

Sample Playlist

• World Briefing: We got some basic news headlines on the way in to work, such as Putin's win in the Russian Parliamentary elections and how the British teacher in Sudan, who had been jailed for letting her schoolchildren name the class teddy bear "Mohamed," had been released and sent back home. After recapping several headlines in brief, they went on to focus more in-depth on the Putin story...kind of a nice approach to the news.
• Business Daily: Toward the end of my journey to work (and after work, on the way to the gym, as well), there was a story about how a merger between a couple mining companies in Australia was making waves. Not really sure why, though...
• The World Today: Although, technically, since I was listening to this around 8pm here in LA, this might better be named "The World Tomorrow." Anyway, more news stories, this time on a one-day miner's strike in South Africa, trying to get better safety conditions, as well as how a new U.S. intelligence report on Iran concludes that not only does the Middle Eastern nation not have any nuclear weapons, they have been dismantled for some time now.

Verdict: Well, I've already got BBC Radio 1 (although it is music), so don't want to overload on my British accents (as enjoyable as that would be). Besides, I'm not really sure why the picture to the left was used by Sirius as an associated visual for this channel...it's a little creepy, actually.

Day 106: World Radio Network

My Best Guess: With the latest in Korean news, and more Seoul music than Motown, it's all Korea, all the time...on the World Radio Network!

According to Sirius: Global Voices, Diverse Views, One Station: World Radio Network (WRN) is a unique news and information network offering coverage of world events taken from partner broadcasters and not filtered through a single news organization. WRN offers listeners diverse broadcasts from: Channel Africa, Radio Canada International, Voice of Russia, Radio Romania International, Radio Australia, RTE Ireland, China Radio International, Radio New Zealand International, KBS World Radio from Korea, Israel Radio and Polish Radio External Service from Poland and many more. The range of programs from WRN’s partners include news and current affairs plus award-winning documentaries covering economics, health, the environment, arts, culture, and music; reflecting the lives and interests of “ordinary” people. All the programs on WRN are produced by English-speaking journalists and production staff. WRN comprises a new world of information - a world without borders. This is the simple and unique vision of World Radio Network. For more information visit www.wrn.org.

Curt's Rebuttal: I don't know about all that. On the drive in to work, on the drive during lunch, on the drive to the airport during work...and the drive from the airport to home three days later...all I heard was Korean Radio.

Sample Playlist

• KBS World Radio (Korea): In the morning, the channel focused more on news stories, such as December's presidential elections (I'm guessing this is South Korea we're talking about...just a hunch) and how, in the international community, Korea has "an excellent credit rating" (so it can finally get a mortgage on that split-level ranch it's had its eye on, I imagine). In the afternoon, though...it was like listening to a high school or college talk station, with countdowns on the latest dance music, as well as quick descriptions of new movies being released in theaters during the upcoming week.

Verdict: Okay, I gathered there was more than Korean radio on here...but was surprised that I didn't stumble upon many. I may tune back in every now and then as a novelty, but can't think of anything I'd bump off my Top 30 to make room for this.