For Digital Radio to Compete With Satellite, It Needs to Think Outside the Jukebox

(National Public Radio is offering its member stations five programming streams for their second channels, including classical music, jazz and the three services WAMU is using. The classical, jazz and FolkAlley streams feature DJs; the other two are pure jukeboxes.)

Hip-hop station WPGC (95.5 FM) devotes its second channel to gospel, using programming from its corporate sister station, Heaven 1580 (but the digital station is not simulcast with the regular AM station, so Washington listeners end up with two choices of gospel at any hour).

Country WMZQ (98.7 FM) calls its digital channel of classic country hits "Q2," which plays a set including Crystal Gayle's "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue," John Anderson's "Swingin' " and Elvis's "Kentucky Rain." Q2 has no DJs and no announcements of what songs you're hearing.

The only digital pop station on which I've heard signs of life from a deejay is Hot 99.5's "Digital FM 2," which bills itself as "the new music channel" and plays a mix of hip-hop, rock and pop not dissimilar from what airs on the parent station, but its songs haven't yet made it to the top of the charts.

DC101-HD2 is the unhosted, harder version of its parent rocker, emphasizing new music, which makes the lack of information about what you're hearing particularly frustrating.

The switcheroo now playing out on Bonneville's Washington stations, moving its all-news WTOP to the former home of classical WGMS and shunting that station over to where modern-rock Z-104 used to be, remains upsetting to many listeners, and the company's digital programming only compounds the confusion. The new WTOP (103.5 FM) has a digital second channel of classical music called WGMS-2, which offers full works of a much more interesting quality than the brief excerpts and light pops that dominate on WGMS (104.1). But the Deep Tracks Classical approach is marred by the lack of announcements or even text telling listeners what they are hearing. Eventually the station plans to put its excellent all-vocal music service, Viva La Voce (now heard exclusively online), on the second channel at 104.1.

Also yet to debut are an adult alternative format on 94.7 The Arrow, the classic-rock station; a program of ballads and love songs from 97.1 WASH, the light-rock station; and talk shows aimed at women on the very male WJFK (106.7).

Digital radio is an inconsistent offering in its infancy; several stations described here mysteriously go silent for hours or days at a time. Others suffer from dropouts in which the sound vanishes for a disturbing second or two every few minutes.

But if you were thinking about subscribing to satellite radio solely for a broader variety of music, digital radio might offer a cheaper and reasonably satisfying experience. On the other hand, if you're smitten by satellite's other offerings, including the unmatched selection of sports, more thinly sliced music niches (blues, classic jazz, old-school soul, chamber music, show tunes) and unusually creative radio -- drama, movie soundtracks, live performances, artist profiles -- satellite has nothing to fear from broadcast's new venture. At least not yet.