Siriusly Speaking

Okay, I'm over the storm. I tried listening to my favorite late-night "sleepless in Bahflo", radio talk show Coast to Coast AM only to find that WBEN was still in storm mode. Give me a break! Granted, the power outage and damage are major. However, what can be done about it in the middle of the night? Yes, the closing lists are long but you'll run them the morning. On the overnight, break in if/when needed and get back to our regularly scheduled programming. Because my walkman's radio reception was so poor during this storm event, I invested in a decent quality wind-up radio that also runs a light. If I lose power again, I can listen to more responsible programming and/or use the light to read by.

Thankfully, I'm a Sirius radio subscriber. I'll definitely re-up. My unit has a sleep timer for when I'm ready for bed and I'm extremely sick of local radio. My major reason for hooking up with Sirius was Howard Stern. When he's not on live, I delve into the hundreds of channels available. Although I've had it for 10 months, I don't think I've scratched the surface. Here's some of my musical favorites:

• The David Johansen Mansion of Fun (Fridays 3-9 pm EST) on Sirius Disorder, Ch. 24 I try not to miss this show--he plays any and everything, it's exceptional!
• Little Steven's Underground Garage, Channel 25. Who knew Bruce Springsteen protege and Sopranos cast member Steven Van Zant was so cool? A solid DJ line up provides great music.
• Boombox, Channel 34, cool electronica. This is where I first heard Rhymefest featuring Kanye West and "Brand New". Don't forget to make room for the S.O.V., Lady Sovereign that is!

I could keep going but it suffice it to say that local radio's purpose is to cover local news and serve as a conduit during an emergency. The latter is by default, most people don't have battery operated TV sets. If they did, the reception would be awful. Nonetheless, when I look for cool tunes and national/international news, I look to Sirius.