In late September 2001, XM Satellite Radio was introduced to the market, followed by then-competitor Sirius about four months later. The subscription services promised higher quality audio, uncensored content, no commercials, and a much wider programming variety, which in 2006 included the most prominent talk radio personality in the country, Howard Stern—exclusively on Sirius.

At the time, many considered satellite radio an innovative, high-tech improvement over AM/FM radio. But technology marches on, and now the idea of radio beamed into the car from space is not as compelling as streaming custom or curated playlists from the internet.