Satelite radio vs. terrestrial radio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Satelite radio vs. terrestrial radio - Essay Example These things grew a bit lax as time went on, and after the invention of the video cassette recorder, nothing was ever the same. Before, choices in films were very limited. Whatever was on the marquee was the entertainment for the evening. Now, not only do we enjoy greater selection, but also have the freedom to watch certain parts of a film over and over again, making sure we miss nothing. How does this compare to the differences between satellite and terrestrial radio? Although presently, satellite radio is too new to really look upon with the 20/20 vision of hindsight, we do have the freedom to speculate about the future. In his book, James Wood says that â€Å"Every new medium of information has made advances on the previous generation of technology and in so doing has established new values, created an awareness of increased potential, and thereby stimulated a greater demand. †¦we will take a look at exactly how the radio evolution has effected our society both now, and make projections about its effects upon the future.† (James Wood, Satellite Communications and DBS Systems.) There is more to â€Å"terrestrial† radio than how it is broadcast. Terrestrial radio’s disadvantages are many: it is lower in both availability (some areas which are mountainous are the most challenging) as well as sound quality, its programming provides much less variety; because it is free, it necessitates more commercials, and because it is available to the public, it is subject to much more government regulation and censorship. (Wikipedia, under â€Å"satellite radio.†) But do these disadvantages necessarily outweigh its arguable superiority to satellite radio in terms of its cultural value? Are some of them truly disadvantages? True, terrestrial radio offers less in the way of variety, but this fact may be a plus. Terrestrial radio is LOCAL radio, something that satellite radio never will be. Yes, the choices in music are less diverse, but they