A survey conducted by The Media Audit shows that only .5 percent of all adults listen to satellite radio. The survey was conducted in 87 markets and sampled 117,737 respondents. Of those participannts, only 571 adults over the age of 18 said they listened to satellite radio in the last seven days.

In breaking down the data, Media Audit points out that while the total number of satellite customers is surprisingly low, over 73 percent have household incomes exceeding $50,000, 63 percent are men and 55 percent have a college degree. While it is often assumed that a younger demo is among the early adopters of most technology, satellite radio is the exception. The Media Audit survey found that 76.1 percent of all adult listeners are over 35, with 48.5 being 45-years-old or older. The largest number of satellite listeners is in New York City, with 76,000 people reporting satellite radio use. That, however, only represents .5 percent of total residents. Satellite only surpassed one percent in six markets, with no markets reporting penetration of two percent or more.

"Satellite radio is competing with a product that is distributed free, and that's a heck of a price disadvantage," Bob Jordan, President of International Demographics, the market research company that produces The Media Audit. "Making satellite portable is the easy part. Building the audience and selling their numbers is the tough part."