The competition has a boorish disc jockey otherwise known as Howard Stern, but XM Satellite Radio has the refined nature of the 70th Masters Tournament.

That suits John Barrett just fine.

"Howard Stern and the Masters are not even on the same platform," XM's director for programming and production said Wednesday. "I'll take the Masters any day."

In cooperation with Westwood One Radio, which has exclusive rights to the radio broadcast of the Masters, XM will start broadcasting its first Masters today.

The coverage will be anchored by former PGA Rookie of the Year Mark Carnevale and Jay Randolph Jr. Tournament coverage starts at 8 a.m. on the network's regular golf channel, 146, which has been changed to the Masters Channel this week.

Carnevale and Randolph will air a pre-game show at 11 a.m., live coverage will start at 1 p.m. and Carnevale and Randolph will finish the daily broadcast for an hour after play concludes.

"We're really fortunate that we have some people who have a lot of passion for this," Barrett said. "With Mark and Junior, we've got guys who know a heck of a lot about golf."

The two radio giants signed a one-year deal to broadcast the tournament. Obviously, Barrett is hoping a new deal is struck before next year.

"We couldn't have done this without Westwood One," Barrett said. "The thing that's unique about this is there's no conflicting interest. Terrestrial radio is a lot different than satellite radio."

Along with the Westwood One contingent, Barrett estimates XM's broadcast crew will be about 30 people.

"This project is happening because XM is committed to getting more live sports on the air," Barrett said. "It doesn't get any bigger than this in terms of sporting events."

Reach John Kaltefleiter at (706) 208-2213.