Favourite stations / programmes?

[D.Finney]

I like Radio 4, on FM and LW, World Service, Classic FM, also Friday night programmes on Radio 2 and certain things on Radio 3.

[Phil G4SPZ]

I see that lots of people have mentioned BBC Radio 4. I have developed a "15-minute theory" about Radio 4 - no matter what time of day you tune in, within 15 minutes you will either have become interested in what's on, or an interesting programme will have started. Sorry, sports fans, but I'm excluding the coverage of cricket on LW! I'd happily pay the licence fee for Radio 4 alone.

For my pantry transmitter source, Radio Dismuke streams 1920s and 1930s music 24 hours a day. In terms of hours listened, it's by far my favourite station, but as it's only available via the internet it may not count!

Sunshine 855 (855kHz, Shropshire) puts out a nice mix of 60s and 70s music.

['LIVEWIRE?']

These days my listening is mainly to Classic FM, Radio2, & Radio4 Extra, plus R. Oxford & BBC CWR at times. I don't listen to internet radio that often, and seldom to other commercial stations. That having been said, if there weren't a large number of radio (& TV) companies, there wouldn't be so many jobs in broadcasting at all levels (if this comment isn't too OT!) It would also be interesting to read comments from forum members in the USA, where, of course, the majority of broadcasting has always been sponsored.

[Jonster]

There is a temporary radio station on air at the moment which I am involved with, Steam Fair FM for the Great Dorset Steam Fair near Blandford Forum in Dorset on 87.9FM until 3pm on Monday 7th September. It is an 'oldies' format with music from 1955 to 1990 and a presentation style and jingles similar to the original 60's pirate 'Radio London'. It has a good quality 128k internet stream which you can find at http://www.steamfairfm.com/listen which sounds great on a pantry transmitter!

[johnmarshmanagain]

As to jsbhavsar's post just above, I've been rescuing a multi-band Invicta from '46, which had suffered badly from the attentions of Scottish mice. With it and a garden wire I can pick out the various pirates around 6.2-6.4mhz, mainly dutch though one or two more local, and on the trawler band just off the end of mw there are a couple more examples playing the same folksy pop ! They also occasionally pop up on the mw slots recently abandoned by the dutch broadcasters. No approval of same to be inferred, though this is the fave listening of the moment around twilight

[stevehertz]

On FM: BBC R2, BBC R4, BBC Radio Stoke (just for Stoke footy matches), sometimes Smooth Radio.

On MW: BBC Radio5Live - more and more so these days.

On LW, sometimes BBC R4 just for the 'fun' of listening to long wave.

What I do miss however is a station that is directed at me in the way that BBC R2 was about twenty years ago. These days a lot of the music played on R2 would be best suited to R1 (yes, it's my age I know..), and some of the presenters are too laddish or gung-ho (Chris Evans springs to mind, I can't listen to his show in the morning). I used to listen to Planet Rock, but although I like rock music of all kinds, it was generally too 'metal'. So, I'd like a Radio 2 that has presenters more of the Jeremy Vine, Ken Bruce and Tony Blackburn kind, and that played more mainstream 'pop' music - not dance/house/X-Factor music.

I really do like Radio5Live though, it's kind of like R4 but without the plays.

[mole42uk]

I quite like the Home Service on my wireless and the Third Programme too sometimes.

[G6Tanuki]

Originally Posted by johnmarshmanagain

As to jsbhavsar's post just above, I've been rescuing a multi-band Invicta from '46, which had suffered badly from the attentions of Scottish mice. With it and a garden wire I can pick out the various pirates around 6.2-6.4mhz, mainly dutch though one or two more local, and on the trawler band just off the end of mw there are a couple more examples playing the same folksy pop ! They also occasionally pop up on the mw slots recently abandoned by the dutch broadcasters. No approval of same to be inferred, though this is the fave listening of the moment around twilight

Similar here: these days my AR88 spends a good proportion of its warm-time tuned to one such station.

On VHF, it's a Roberts R606 tuned to Sam FM or Jack FM for my supply of old-time 80s/90s music. [My VHF pantry-transmitter is generally fed 'streamed' content from one of the trance channels on www.di.fm or for intellectual value, Bloomberg.com]

[wireful3]

My favourite station is Radio4 mainly because when i turn on, the decision as to whether to continue listening is easy. If it is outside my interest I find it quite acceptable to turn off with no annoyance. Local radio during the day has a different effect there is a variety that must interest somebody at any one time but not everyone all the time. It means having to wait for the good bits and I feel cheated if I don't like the immediate offering. I feel I must listen to a lot more stuff that doesn't interest me till there is something I like.

Background music I find a problem, Classic FM would be fine but the announcements that seem to occur between every item rather spoil the effect. Radio3 is different, when I listen I feel I have to give it the respect of my full attention - very strange. Perhaps it is just me as I don't find a need for background music.

Things must have changed a lot since the introduction of commercial radio and many stations. I saw a Radio Times from years ago where the programmes were listed in detail. What sticks in my memory was a classical concert where each item was listed almost like concert programme. There was a selection of two stations I think- Regional and National.

['LIVEWIRE?']

I tend to Listen to Classic FM on weekday mornings, sometimes from around 8.00AM till midday, sometimes for a shorter time. Mostly it's on as 'background music', which perhaps isn't the best way to listen. Recently I found an internet station called, IIRC, 1.FM (nothing to do with BBC R.1) which plays 50s & 60s tracks 24/7., which I sometimes put on as background music, otherwise my listening is still Radio 2, 4, and local/regional via R.Oxford, Coventry/Warwickshire, and Gloucestershire on VHF/FM, plus 4Extra on DAB, mainly for the old-time sitcoms.

[clay shooter]

It's radio 4on the way to and home from work for me and dare I say planet rock on dab in the evening while I am playing in my workshop, or radio two when it's the blues or folk programs on

[KeithsTV]

Mainly Radio 4 in the car. At home it's Radio 4, local station Pulse 2 on DAB or occasionally Radio 2. At weekends in the morning its RTE 1 on LW.

Keith

[peter_scott]

Lots of mentions of stations not so many programs:

I listen to the Today program and I listen to In Our Time and The Infinite Monkey Cage. The latter usually on podcast.

As to stations other than R4 I listen to Classic FM or R3 in the car if there is nothing that interests me on R4. I listen to various jazz internet stations and also Radio Dismuke.

Peter

[SiriusHardware]

For me, Radio 4 - especially in the car which is where I do most of my radio listening.

Radio 4 still has the knack of taking almost any subject, no matter how apparently mundane, and making it seem interesting for half an hour.

A while ago, they devoted one such half hour slot to a program about the history of the ampersand ("&").

Another program was about the role of musical sound effects in comedy. The programme was called "Wha....wha... wha........whawwww".

[Sean Johnston]

For me, it's Radio 4 (LW) and World Service (DAB) mornings and early evenings; Radio 3, especially Saturday Jazz; RTE1 (LW) for Sunday Miscellany; Radio Scotland afternoons (culture show, Janice Forsyth); Radio 2 Saturday mornings; occasional LW and MW French channels, and some shortwave, too, when I can get the schedules right: NHK, Radio Australia, Radio Romania, Radio France International.
Usually listen on Murphy A92 and Philips B3G63A.

[ms660]

The Mike Raven Show....Ah..those were the days.

Lawrence.

[Bazz4CQJ]

Am I unique in making extensive use of internet radio, and relaying via a pantry Tx? I believe there are over 2000 stations available - all without interference, fading etc, etc, and that includes most of the BBC stations.

Being nocturnal, I listen to US Public Radio stations a lot as well as CBC1 in Toronto. But the very best of the best is www.softclassicrock.com which plays sequential tracks completely free of DJ's or advertisements, and streams 128kbps MP3 with 44.1kHz sampling - so sounds really pretty good on my Roberts 83. Happy Days.

B

[peter_scott]

Originally Posted by Bazz4CQJ

Am I unique in making extensive use of internet radio, and relaying via a pantry Tx? I believe there are over 2000 stations available - all without interference, fading etc, etc, and that includes most of the BBC stations.

No, you're not alone and 2000 stations is probably an understatement. That said I don't do the re-transmitting. Unfortunately I suspect that the BBC view internet radio as a nasty competitor to their DAB service. I find that regardless of whether listening at home or abroad the BBC internet service appears to suffer more short outages than other internet broadcasters.

Peter

[gary_crutchley]

Hi all,

On MW I like Absolute Radio, and on FM I usually stream the internet feed for Abs80s, Abs90s etc to my Murphy U502 from a mobile phone.

Also on MW I find Radio 5 a good listen, and in my home it has the lowest level of interference of any of the stations I tune into.

On LW Radio 4 is also a favourite with me.

Like some of the others who have posted, I have always listened to a lot of radio. These days I find that it is often difficult to find quality TV programming, but quality radio is still relatively common.

Gary

PS: I really want to get an AM Pantry Tx, preferably one that I don't have to assemble. Can anyone supply one please?

[michamoo]

I guess i am on my own here in liking phone in type radio programmes. So I do listen to a lot of LBC now it's national on DAB and Freeview, am looking forward to the new Talkradio launching in a few months time.