Rogerzilla's quick guide to UK radio

[rogerzilla]

I have carried out extensive research over Christmas, and these are my findings.

Radio 1: You're under 20 and don't really like music.  Who told Fearne Cotton that she had a radio voice?
Radio 2: You've slipped into middle age.  Soon you will have turned into your own parents.  Actually, it's Radio 1 from the 80s.
Radio 3: If Radio 3 plays a concert and no-one tunes in, does it make a sound?
Radio 4: People showing off how clever they are about subjects like lesbian haddock and Victorian interior designers.
Classic FM: Unchallenging, lots of Andre Rieu and his Johann Strauss perm.  Adverts mostly aimed at coffin-dodgers.
BBC local radio:  Obsessed with third division football.  Wishes it were Radio 2.
Provincial commercial radio:  Playlist of five songs*.  Double glazing adverts.

This has been a public service announcement.



*two of which are by Rihanna

[Afasoas]

Roger,

What of Radio 1 Extra, 5 Live and Radio 6?

All got to be worth a mention!

[Basil]

Mrs.B calls Radio 5 "Radio Bloke"

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

Radio 6 is for pseuds.

[Biggsy]

Radio 6 is on digital only and Roger doesn't like digital radio (especially "dire" DAB).  He'd like some of the music, though.

Radio 1 has always played a lot of really bad music.  (That's not comment on the types of music).

[Afasoas]

Radio 6 is for pseuds.

What are pseuds?

[Biggsy]

I've forgotten what "pseuds" means.  Actually, Radio 6 is for people who love pop and rock, with the odd bit or programme of the challenging ends of it.  It's as simple and innocent as that.

Radio 2 is (supposed to be) easy listening (with a small ee and ell).  Personally, I find it hard to listen to music and DJs that bore my ears off.

My dad has Radio 3 on a lot, so it has at least one listener!  "Modern classical" plink plonk tuneless and rhythmless crap gets turned off, though.

[Wowbagger]

I am not Biggsy's dad and I listen to Radio 3.

So does Herbie Goldberg.

[Andrij]

I had Radio 3 on earlier, but now listening to 4extra.

[andrewc]

3 & 4 here usually.

[L CC]

Provincial commercial radio:  Playlist of five songs.  Double glazing adverts.

The famille boab plays 'countdown to Rihanna' where before the radio is turned on to KISS FM we each guess how many songs till we hear the carribean crooner do her thing. Even Mr Smith can play along, despite not recognising her work, as it's always a number less than 10. It whiles away car journeys, anyway.

[Charlotte]

What are pseuds?

Pseudo-intellectuals, I'd imagine.

I'm mainly a Radio 4 girl.  Although I'm fairly sure I'm missing out on all the:

lesbian haddock

[LindaG]

So I'm a pseud who's into lesbian haddock and Victorian interior design.

Well I've been called worse I spose 

[Basil]

This lesbian haddock thing.  Any good?

[LindaG]

Gently simmered in cream with a poached chicken embryo it's marvellous Basil.

[Fab Foodie]

Jazz FM .... NICE 

[Zipperhead]

TSF Jazz, all the waffle and adverts are in forrin' so I can ignore them.

[padbeat]

Radio 4 and 6 here.

Whichever one I was listening to last tends to stay on until it annoys me, then I switch to t'other. You and Yours, Moneybox, Any Answers, Tom Robinson, etc.

Radio 6 I think caters for those of us who used to read the NME and listed to John Peel. Jarvis Cocker and Craig Charles are both excellent at introducing me to new (and sometimes very old) stuff, and when I was cooking the Christmas dinner a couple of years ago I had an education in good reggae. Informed, educated and entertained I was.

[LEE]

I skip between R2, R5, R6, Absolute and various podcasts.  There's no need to tie yourself down to one or two stations, there's good stuff all over the place.
That's the beauty of iPlayer and web radio.  Most PVRs record digital radio, so you can listen at leisure.

[Jaded]

Staying in someone else's house over Christmas I heard "Excerpt from a Teenage Opera" on the radiogram. It was like an out of body experience, transported back to the school sick bay. Radio 2 is a Tardis. I've scratched it off all the dials at home.

[Notsototalnewbie]

So I'm a pseud who's into lesbian haddock and Victorian interior design.

Same here, although the Today prog is the only thing I really bother with on Radio 4, and sometimes the news quiz. I wouldn’t make any pretence to being intellectual whatsoever. Also sometimes 6Music disappears up its own fundament (eg, at one point on Xmas Eve which drove me to listen to cheesy Xmas songs on Magic instead) and tries to be too weird/clever at which point I have no problem turning it over.

I have slightly more varied tastes when listening through my phone at work because that doesn’t have DAB, only FM.

The dog listens to a lot of Radio 4 when we’re out, though. She must be well up on what’s happening with The Archers.

[Valiant]

I like the shipping report.

Radio 4 has to be used in the hall, otherwise time flies. I kid you not.

[helen_miles]

Radio 4, for the people who think watching QI means they're intelligent.

This year's most listened show was I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue wasn't it? i used to like that but it's just turned in a parody of itself, so many lazy in-jokes 's no actual show any more.

I gave R2 a listen over the holidays. The entire commentary by the 'DJ' at the time consisted of endless letters read and 'shout outs' to the listeners. Again, no actual content. So yes, Radio 1 from a few years ago. Though that might be R1 now for all I would know.

I tuned into R5 a couple of days ago and the show was a 2 hour phone in, the main theme being cancer stories. Not exactly what I call 'entertainment'.

[Tigerrr]

I have switched to DAB and discovered the joy of R4Ex - the best bits of radio from years past. Brilliant - plus there is Planet Rock which is a channel specially for 50somethings. Rick Wakeman and chums playing music I like for the days before Oasis and the collapse of things.
DAB is really good. Some excedllent stations on there ands teh sound quality is about a million times better than analogue.

[Tigerrr]

The book show on R 4 is very good - whenever it comes on in the car the whole family join in doing 'book show voice'.
It's a special way of speaking in which you have to really over-emphasise certain words, the use of nouns as verbs, and incorporate references to the text, the Novel as form, and writerly stuff that only exists in literary review. All done in either posh breathless 'I did Eng Lit at University' or mockney 'I am real, a bit right on, but also went to uni (actually it was a poly)'.  Its a gem.