Direct broadcasting by satellite (DBS) of television signals to the home has received much attention recently; in contrast, less attention has been paid to sound-only (i.e. radio) broadcasting from satellites. The paper reviews the present range of terrestrial sound broadcasting and explores the possible scope and technical feasibility of using satellites. Satellite broadcasting of sound programmes to receivers of all types, including portable and mobile, situated in national or regional areas, appears technically practicable, but there are problems to be overcome. The most significant are regulatory in nature; in particular there is no appropriate frequency allocation. Various technical details also require further study to produce a system of optimum performance, flexibility and spectrum efficiency.