Had you asked me a year ago if I would be willing to pay about twelve dollars a month to listen to my car radio without commercial interruptions, I probably would have said no. It’s not that I like commercials, but at the time I only listened to one station whenever I was driving. It was a commercial-free classical station sponsored by Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. The only problem occurred when I drove outside the station’s reception area.
But with my new car has come a new stereo system, complete with the commercial free radio programming. That is, the equipment is factory-installed; I do have to pay for the monthly service.
Already, I’m hooked. I can still listen to my classical station, but in addition I now have three other classical stations, all commercial free, to choose from. As well as an all-Elvis, an all-Bruce Springsteen, an all-Sinatra, a bevy of golden oldies stations (depending on which decade of the last century you consider golden), talk radio and even Howard Stern.
I can preprogram eighteen channels and switch from one to the other by pressing a button on the steering wheel. I haven’t heard a commercial in two weeks; and, no, I haven’t heard Howard Stern either. In fact, I’m toying with programming one conservative talk radio station and one liberal talk radio station for the coming presidential election, the better to give both sides equal time.
But then I might prefer commercial interruption after all.
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