Editorial: Celebrity war on pay radio

Sunday, Dec. 18, 2005 | 7:28 a.m.

In a sure sign that the times are a changin', Bob Dylan is joining an expanding cache of celebrity DJs on satellite radio.

The singer-songwriter who provided an anti-establishment musical score for a generation of Baby Boomers has a contract with XM Satellite Radio to host a weekly radio show starting in March. Dylan will select the music, give commentary, banter with guests and answer listener e-mail on the hourlong show that will air on the XM station that features "deep album cuts."

It's the latest volley in XM's war with Sirius Satellite Radio, which signed shock jock Howard Stern to host a show that starts Jan. 9. The companies are in an all-out battle for the same audience -- listeners who are willing to shell out $50 for equipment and about $13 a month for dozens of radio stations that offer specific types of music on each station and are mostly commercial-free.

In addition to signing Dylan, XM has programs hosted by Steve Van Zandt of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, Tom Petty, Quincy Jones and Snoop Dogg. In addition to Stern, Sirius has signed on-air agreements with Jimmy Buffet and Eminem.

About 5 million people subscribe to XM, its company officials said in recent newspaper reports. Sirius, its representatives say, has about 2.5 million subscribers. Both companies expect to grow.

The popularity of MP3 digital music recorders and TiVo, which digitally records television shows, illustrates that people eagerly embrace opportunities to customize their entertainment.

Cable television has proved people will pay for entertainment they used to get for free, if it offers programs they can't get elsewhere. But whether that will work with radio remains to be seen. Neither XM nor Sirius has turned a profit since their stocks went public in 1994 and 1999, respectively. But the line, it is drawn.