Transmission1

We were having a discussion at work and it turned out most people never listened to broadcast radio preferring to listen to their own music or podcasts. They stated most stations broadcast constant rubbish which has no interest to to them. How about you lot ? I have been doing a little bit of listening from home on DAB radio to mainly Talk stations whist doing other things and occasionally on the commute to radio 4 Longwave ( soon to end ) as it gives a good signal whilst mobile ( FM signal here is not the best due to the Terran)

Quite a few during the week.
Heart 70's, 80's 90's 00's. Radio 2 - odd occasion Radio 1. Greatest Hits Radio. Capital. Pulse.

Pretty much all the time. Day starts with the shipping forecast on Radio 4 followed by Farming Today, then the Today programme. Thereafter, there is usually something else on somewhere, especially in vehicles. Only the BBC DAB multiplex in these parts, so generally always on analogue FM as even BBC DAB gets annoyingly choppy in places. Usually only switch to music media when the presenters get annoying.

In the north here, we used to have Moray Firth Radio which was a true independent, but has now been swallowed up by the Bauer / Rayo / Greatest Hits network and has simply become a transmitter outpost for the south of Scotland stations. So that rarely gets listened to these days as its all "Glasgow this, Glasgow that" Otherwise, it tends to be Radio 2, which at least recognise they are broadcasting to the whole of the UK, and not just a 50 mile radius around the studio.

I believe Droitwich 198 longwave will close on Saturday morning at 0100h and so the last transmission should be the shipping then the pips. I'll be listening on my Roberts R200 1960s tranny that I used to use a lot.

I say used to, because now that Times Radio is on the 'net. I don't have to listen to the agenda-filled crap from the Today Program or just about everything R4 puts out - even the dramas and documentaries. Or the sodding music they add to everything. If I want to listen to music I will. If music is there I'll be listening to that and not to the content whether I want to or not. I can live without the otherwise superb audio the BBC achieves. They know how to use a mic and compression when necessary - contrary in particular to GB News and to a lesser extent Times.

I like a bit from LBC and GB News - they being left and right wing - for a bit of balance. Times Radio are what R4 should be, was, but now isn't. They are a bit London-centric but so is R4. Used to listen to Today and the PM Program every single working day, now almost never.

Mostly use the TV during the day when at home to listen to radio stations, being a smart wifi one it has an app for 100's of so no shortage of what to listen to.

KILLERPARSNIP wrote: 12 Jun 2026, 16:36 We were having a discussion at work and it turned out most people never listened to broadcast radio preferring to listen to their own music or podcasts. They stated most stations broadcast constant rubbish which has no interest to to them. How about you lot ? I have been doing a little bit of listening from home on DAB radio to mainly Talk stations whist doing other things and occasionally on the commute to radio 4 Longwave ( soon to end ) as it gives a good signal whilst mobile ( FM signal here is not the best due to the Terran)

I have to agree with "... most stations broadcast constant rubbish...". That said, commercial radio broadcast is (IMHO) more about the entertainment than the music, in the same way as TV is more about the entertainment than the information. I consider most of the TV broadcasts as chewing gum for the eyes, while most of the Radio broadcasts are chewing gum for the ears.

For me, I (for the most part) only watch TV to learning about something. Even the quiz shows can be informative (I NEVER watch the live b/cast; rather I record it so that I can FF through the s**t that comes with the entertainment aspect. The 1% Club is a prime example).

Since the very sad demise of John Peel, it's seldom that I hear any commercial radio that is worth my time.

The subject is one of personal tastes like most things. Radio has been around a lot longer than TV and has entertained and informed generations - and continues to do so in its own way.

Remember that for those of us who are radio operators, when we key our mics to talk, we're members of the bigger worldwide family of broadcasting and continuing the essence of radio in our own little ways.

I leave Radio 2 (on DAB) playing all day for the budgies, and listen to the Radio 2 live stream when I'm at work. It's the music I remember from back in the day.
Still miss Simon Bates' "Our Tune" though. Sad me!!!

You know, it tickles me how on the one hand, radio aficionados are sometimes hell bent on trying to keep the hobby stuck in the 1950s, but in the next breath, confess to using DAB, streaming, Freeview (digital), TV (digital by default....) smartphones and social media. The same folk that dismiss technology such as DMR as "not being radio - its just the internet....." choose to get their news and entertainment 'audio' digitally and/or over the same internet.

Reminds me of when a few years ago, the local repeater group started conducting their discussions over MS Teams and not over their own repeater!

Also reminds me of the days when we had 3 TV stations (take them or leave them) and a handful of receivable radio stations. To this day, I still really just stick with the radio stations that come down an antenna, rather than over the internet. In the North here, that's still a handful of stations, and getting less as LW and MW stations fall by the wayside!

The whole point of broadcasting was to expand horizons, by exposing you to different things. Most of the people who are so happy with only hearing their own music are in a very short tunnel. To make their own music choice, they used what they had been exposed to up to the point the streaming services came along. In your own bubble, how will somebody know they like metal, or old punk, or jazz, if they have never ever heard it? It’s a killer to alternate music. My car threw a fit and all my DAB radio channels vanished on a long journey, bar smooth country. I thought I hated ye ha country music, but I liked every track they play. Due to a mistake, I now listen to that all the time. Too much individual choice sounds great but actually constricts what you like. Some of the radio 4 stuff is so boring but then a little gem of info creeps in and you learn something. It’s the old school thing. Breadth vs depth. A little of everything to see if anything sticks, or just English and maths? Then we complain nobody wants to be doctors or engineers any more?

I remember it being said that the British taste/direction of popular music was so inventive because there weren't specialised stations playing only one type/genre and so all were exposed to everything. You could take a bit of this or a bit of that, add your own ideas and come up with something new. That didn't happen so much the US because their stations were type-specialised - if you liked one type it was easy to listen to just that.

I don't listen BC much. Maybe 2-3 hours a week while in car.
Ignoring the content of the broadcast audio is so over-compressed and flat which makes it unpleasant to listen.
I do not watch TV either. For many years. It's utterly cr@p.
I prefer to listen "oldies" streams over the internet.
Chris