Once upon a time, I listened the the radio all the time. First as a teenager, listening to the 45s they used to spin. Then, early in my marriage, I listen to WJR in Detroit most of the day. The shows were mostly talk shows but not necessarily political. I carried my little radio from room to room as I cleaned and did whatever the heck I did back then. No kidding, I think I listened to the radio half the day in the seventies. Even listened to Tiger spring training games. Not sure why I found it so enthralling or if I would should those shows return today.
Then WJR was bought by a right-wing consortium, and began introducting Rush and Dr. Laura and I turned it off. Today I listen to NPR off and on during the day and that's about it. I get my music from CDs and rarely bother to download music. I know I am out of step with the way music is listened to now. But I like change rather than the SOS.
Phil listens to two stations that play classical music most of the time.
Do you listen to the radio? If so, what? Is there anything on there I am missing?
28 comments:
Patti - I think before it was so easy to get whatever music one wants online, the radio was a big part of people's lives. Even more so before there was TV. I honestly don't listen much to the radio now. Too many annoying ads and I don't drive long enough distances to make it worth getting satellite radio.
I rarely listen anymore. Mostly when I'm in the car.
At one time, I listened to NPR a lot and that was where I heard and then spoke, to a call-in show, to one of my favorite crime writers at the time: Ian Rankin.
I used to listen to BBC News till a few years ago. Now I listen to FM occasionally for old Hindi and English songs. I tried listening to a million songs via a million channels on Internet Radio that I downloaded on my cellphone but the buffering was just too annoying, so I gave it up.
I get satellite radio now, with far fewer commercials and a much wider range of music. So yes, I listen most of the time when I'm in the car to it. I listen primarily to Ozzy's Boneyard, Liquid Metal, and Hair Nation, which play various forms of hard rock and metal.
eWhen Diane retired, she discovered National Public Radio. Now she listens to NPR about eight hours a day! I listen to the radio when I'm driving around, but that's about it. You certainly not missing anything on the contemporary music stations. Sports talk radio gets boring fast. Large swatches of the radio spectrum seems to be colonized by religious stations.
Only when riding in a car. Mostly NPR and some local music stations. Joe likes a lot of the pop music artists, but I can't stand most of what's considered "new" music. If Katy Perry or Kesha or anyone else like them come on I immediately change the station to something that plays older rock.
I find that I'm listening to more talk radio lately - Dennis Miller, Laura Ingraham on the radio and streaming Tammy Bruce on the PC.
Like Charles, we have satellite radio, and it's great. One of our favorite stations is the Old Time Radio channel, which broadcasts old radio shows. We also like the '50s channel. And there are several others we listen to.
Can you get satellite radio in the house? Somehow I thought it had to be in the car.
I listen much of each day either to my local (Seattle) NPR/jazz station or to my local listener-supported classical-music station. But while writing, I usually put on a CD or two. Or three, depending on the length of my task.
I cannot write with music playing. I almost immediately get some tune stuck in my head.
I'm another car-only listener and only to WAMU, one of the D.C. NPR stations. I used to love their bluegrass programs but they took them off the main channel and put them on satellite radio and one the internet and I'm too lazy to follow them now.
I listen to radio stations online. BBC 6 Music is a favorite and I'll sometimes tune into the other BBC stations.
I'll sometimes tune to Radio New Zealand. But, with the time difference, it is all talk shows and local news. I enjoy the accents and hearing people talk about local issues.
In the morning I listen to BBC World Service followed by Morning Edition on my local NPR station. In my vehicle, I just have the basic radio and listen to a variety of oldies stations--mostly 60s/70s stuff, but we recently got an 80s station. My husband's car has satellite radio--when I'm in his car, I like to listen to First Wave, classic alternative eighties music, the stuff they were playing on KROQ when I first moved to L.A. in 1980.
Deb
I don't do much driving. Most of my driving is taking the kids to school in the morning and that only takes about 15 minutes.
I'll flip around but mainly listen to ESPN radio on the way in. The other morning shows are too racy for me to leave on with young kids in the car.
Interesting how many of us only think of radio in the car.
Sad to say, I no longer listen to the radio either, other than while driving for the most part. For years I'd listen to the "oldies" station daily from about 9 to 3 - it was always on. But as they moved on by dropping the 50s and even early 60s and concentrating on music from the 70s and more and more from the 80s they lost me. I know they are trying to get a younger demographic as the boomers age but No Thank You.
And stay off my lawn!
Oh, I do occasionally turn on the all-news station for the headlines, weather and/or traffic.
Jeff M.
First, Patti, yes there is satellite radio in home. Sirius has an in-home pickup you can hook right into your existing sound setup or a full radio w/speakers thingie.
As for me:
I grew up with radio, I remember my mother listening to shows like Arthur Godfrey while doing housework. In the evening my parents listened to news, music and popular shows. My brother and I both listened to radio drama in the afternoons or evenings. I have a small loaf of bread sized radio with a white Lucite dial that glowed at night. I listened to westerns and adventure shows. Sgt. Preston of the Yukon was a favorite.
As O got older I listened to top 40 stations, at home on a transistor and in the car. By the time I was in college I was listening to both classical and jazz stations in L.A. and Long Beach, CA both FM stations.
By the time I was out of college (1969), my listening was all over the map, rock, classical, jazz and NPR. I used to listen to "All Things Considered" every night driving home from work. I also listened to NPR on weekends, especially Garrison Keillor. But mostly it was the classical station KUSC I turned on as soon as I came home at night.On weekends I often listened to rock or jazz stations.
Now? Satellite radio in the car, but also the local classical and jazz stations and Oregon Public Radio. I also listen to my iPod in the car for longer trips.
In the house, I only listen to radio for sports events - especially baseball, which just seems to sound better, feel "right" on a little radio, and the announcers seem less annoying. I also sometimes listen to radio on the computer or even on the iPhone.
I just have a little radio. No set up. But I could probably use my computer. Nice review, Rick. I remember my mother listening to House Party every day. But I don't remember ever listening to radio drama.
And baseball is great on the radio.
Yes, the definition of what are "Oldies" continually changes.
I love radio. I listen in the car, and I stream stations over the internet. None of it for music, though.
Never at home; rarely in the car. Maybe is there's an NPR program on I like, or a ball game. I don;t even listen to much music in the car anymore. It's a nice, quiet time to think about things.
My earliest recollection of hearing radio was my mother tuning in to Kate Smith when I was about four. As a teen I listened to the top 40 stations constantly. Now, I only listen while driving; one local talk station and three oldies rock channels, with a touch of NPR tossed in.
There used to be a good oldies station here, KBSG. "We don't talk over the music," they swore. And they didn't--at first. Then they blabbered over the music, then they stopped playing songs from the fifties, and then they became a talk station. Pfui!
You have to wonder how all those radio stations can stay in business based on what we've heard here.
I always listened to the radio at night while reading. All those 50,000W clear channel stations that boomed in after dark: WJR, WCCO, WGN and WMAQ from Chicago, KMOX in St. Louis, WCCO and KSTP in the Twin Cities, KOA Denver, KSL Salt Lake City and one is Omaha/Council Bluffs whose call letters I can't remember. It was mostly easy listening music or some interesting call-in shows plus the occasional baseball game. Now I never listen as all you find is terrible talk. In the morning I listened to CBC. Now I never turn on the radio in the morning and occasionally listen to CBC in my car where the radio is usually turned to a nostaglia station. For several years I did freelance sports reports for the top-rated station in my city. These days I never turn on that station that is full of talk.
Not much choice here in the desert. KUSC does classical 24/7, but there are so many replays of old favorites, you ache for something you've never heard before. I'd love a good jazz station. There's too much talk on NPR.
Magnificent post. I appreciate this. Your composing capability is so high. It is useful data, I wish so. Carry on. Have a large day.
I listen to satellite radio every morning while getting ready for work mostly the baseball channel on a XM receiver I bought at Wal Mart
Patti, just remembered - I used to listen to my little transistor radio under the pillow at night. For some reason at night you could pull in far away stations and one I listed to when I could find it was CKLW in Detroit (actually Windsor, Ontario)! The song they were touting (don't ask me how I remember this after nearly 50 years but I do) as the next big hit was one I hadn't heard in New York at the time, but it did go on to success and you still hear it today - "(Just Like) Romeo and Juliet" by The Reflections in 1964.
God, we're old.
Jeff M. (from the geezer bus)
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