Local Radio

[Howyoudoin]

You feel almost obliged to support local radio (use it or lose it and all that stuff). I even generally tolerate the adverts, but they seem to be getting worse lately. Shrieking Virgin One ads, that f******* GoCompare ad and a whole host of car ads that try to get a 2 minute finance risk warning into 10 seconds.

The playlists don't seem to be all that diverse either. For example, we've had the Spin Doctors 'Two Princes' on regularly for about 2 years now and whilst it was ok in nineteen oatcake when it was released it's getting a little bit tiresome now.

But the thing that's is really twanging my brastrap just now is a movie soundtrack that someone must have bought as a CD for their car, taken it into their job at the station and left it lying around the office for one of the DJ's to pick up.

I refer to 'The Greatest Showman'.

Any boy are they playing it endlessly. And it's driving me mental.

Said album is currently No 1 and has been in the top 10 for the last year. https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/albums-chart/

I think the soundtrack is ok but it would probably annoy me too if they played it all day and everyday.

HYD

[bungeejumper]

You feel almost obliged to support local radio (use it or lose it and all that stuff).

I spend every night worrying about what will happen if they ever find out that I don't ever listen to any of ours. Will they send the boys round to re-programme my brain with a lump of wood? Will they surround my house with loudspeakers, Noriega-style, and drive me mental with the non-stop jingles from the local double glazing company? Will they stop all the buses and trains until I sign up obediently for the five o'clock traffic hour reports?

Naaah, not listening to the local radio is a victimless crime. All I have to do is lie if anybody should ever ask me, and then the advertisers will pay the broadcasters just as much as if I was telling the truth, and everybody would be happy.

One of the joys of freelancing is that you can listen to what the hell you like, or nothing at all. (At this moment I'm working to the strains of Herbie Nichols, who wrote Lady Sings the Blues for Billie Holliday, but whose 1950s bebop jazz was just too hard to play for most of the established bands, which is why you've never heard of him. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Herbie-Nichols ... B00008GQDJ. Bloody excellent.)

Errr, where was I? Oh yes, local radio. I did a stint at a Bristol company where the office tannoy blasted out local radio for nine hours a day. Absolutely mind rotting, I couldn't get a damn thing done. Abandoned the contract. Does that answer the question?

BJ

[AleisterCrowley]

I can't tolerate commercial radio - the ads drive me bonkers. They seem to be so frequent, repetitive, and looong
The 'humorous ones' are the worst, particularly after hearing them for the tenth time in less than an hour, like the pub bore telling the same weak joke in the bar over and over again

[GrandOiseau]

Slightly confused by the title of the post. Are we discussing "commercial radio" or "local" radio or maybe "commercial local radio". Of course commercial just = with adverts.

I don't know why but I've always disliked radio adverts more than TV adverts. Some TV adverts are a work of art or simply damned clever - and occasionally they are even informative. Whereas radio adverts seem to be none of these - ever. Another factor is I quite like the opportunity of the ad break while watching TV to go to the loo, make a cuppa or check my phone. That scenario doesn't seem to occur with the radio... a lot of the time I am driving for example.

And now with the streaming music services there is a temptation to just ditch the radio.

Local radio can occasionally be a welcome diversion from national whether it's BBC or commercial.

The wife listens to a lot of BBC R4 at the moment and as a consequence I've had a dabble. And it's pretty good spoken word stuff. Which leads me on to thinking of another modern day alternative to the radio - the podcast! A lot of them have adverts now but they aren't as bad and sort of skippable.

[kiloran]

Some TV adverts are a work of art or simply damned clever

That's half the problem..... designed by geeks or fresh graduates with a media degree who want to use the latest whizz-bang software to produce amazing effects but no idea how to convey a message. Half the time I have no idea what they are advertising (like the adverts "Be more dog").
Oh for the days of 10 second adverts which simply stated "Daz washes whiter"

--kiloran

[Peltiq]

Radio Paradise. An eclectic online rock radio station with very few spoken words and zero advertising. It is also vailable on Android and iOS.

https://new.radioparadise.com/home

Karen

[TUK020]

Radio Paradise. An eclectic online rock radio station with very few spoken words and zero advertising. It is also vailable on Android and iOS.

https://new.radioparadise.com/home

Karen

Peltiq
clicked on 'start listening' and it started up on Steely Dan "Don't take me alive" - Walter Becker doing his stuff on the guitar. It has promise!
thank you for the link!

[stevensfo]

I can't tolerate commercial radio - the ads drive me bonkers. They seem to be so frequent, repetitive, and looong
The 'humorous ones' are the worst, particularly after hearing them for the tenth time in less than an hour, like the pub bore telling the same weak joke in the bar over and over again

Even though it's 40 years since I listened to LBC as a student, I still have music and catchphrases from the bloody ads bouncing around in my head!

Steve

[AleisterCrowley]

I can't tolerate commercial radio - the ads drive me bonkers. ...

Even though it's 40 years since I listened to LBC as a student, I still have music and catchphrases from the bloody ads bouncing around in my head!

Steve

I listened to Plymouth Sound as a student (mid 80s) and can still remember the 'Kevin Cooper Motor Factors' ad...
There was also an ad that used 'Look Through Any Window' -double glazing?

[ten0rman]

Sometimes I'm glad that my hearing has taken a turn for the worse. Most music now is a meaningless jumble of high-pitched noise, and speech tends to be unintelligible. Result is that I don't listen to anything. I do use subtitles on the box when they are available, but otherwise I don't bother too much now.

I don't recommend hearing loss by the way, it is now causing me problems when using the telephone, which is rather ironic for a retired telecomms technician is it not? But believe it or not, that is the only major disadvantage I've found.

But going back to ads, especially on the box. I either go to the toilet, make a drink, or (most likely this) go channel hopping. One can usually find a channel that's not on ads even though a lot do seem to synchronize their ad breaks.

Cheers,

ten0rman

[Slarti]

But going back to ads, especially on the box. I either go to the toilet, make a drink, or (most likely this) go channel hopping. One can usually find a channel that's not on ads even though a lot do seem to synchronize their ad breaks.

In this house we either watch everything recorded, or use the live pause for 3 or 4 minutes to jump the ads.

Slarti

[ten0rman]

Slarti,

We do have a Humax (BT badged) T2100 (I think it is) recorder which was originally bought to replace a clapped out settop DVR working to an ancient CRT analogue only TV. Unfortunately, the two were slightly incompatible, so a replacement TV was also bought, and of course it had its own digital tuner so no need to use the Humax as a tuner. As a result, it requires a deliberate attempt to use the Humax as a recorder, so it's not surprising that it doesn't get used that much so we've no other way of skipping the ads. Apart from anything else, herself doesn't know, and won't take the trouble to learn, how to use the Humax so it boils down to me and frankly I can't be bothered, hence the channel hopping or whatever.

But otherwise I agree with what you are saying.

Regards,

ten0rman

[Gersemi]

Slarti,

We do have a Humax (BT badged) T2100 (I think it is) recorder which was originally bought to replace a clapped out settop DVR working to an ancient CRT analogue only TV. Unfortunately, the two were slightly incompatible, so a replacement TV was also bought, and of course it had its own digital tuner so no need to use the Humax as a tuner. As a result, it requires a deliberate attempt to use the Humax as a recorder, so it's not surprising that it doesn't get used that much so we've no other way of skipping the ads. Apart from anything else, herself doesn't know, and won't take the trouble to learn, how to use the Humax so it boils down to me and frankly I can't be bothered, hence the channel hopping or whatever.

But otherwise I agree with what you are saying.

Regards,

ten0rman

Eh? Obviously I respect your wife's lack of technical knowledge (I'm a bit of a technophobe myself), but once someone more technically minded has set it up it's no more difficult than operating the TV.

Set the TV to the Humax input. Leave it there always. When you want to watch TV turn TV & Humax on. You are now watching TV via the Humax. Chose your channel via the 'Guide' just as you would on the TV. If you want to record something in the future press the record button while in the guide (on our remote that's the big OK button). That's all there is to it. Obviously the hard bit is step one - but once someone has done that you never need to change it.

[swill453]

Why would you even plug the aerial into the TV, when you've got a Humax with more features?

Scott.

[AJC5001]

Why would you even plug the aerial into the TV, when you've got a Humax with more features?

Scott.

So that, when your Humax box tells you that it needs to change channels so it can record the latest episode in the series you haven't even started watching yet, you can switch over to the TV and continue to watch whatever you are viewing on the current channel.

Adrian

[swill453]

Why would you even plug the aerial into the TV, when you've got a Humax with more features?

So that, when your Humax box tells you that it needs to change channels so it can record the latest episode in the series you haven't even started watching yet, you can switch over to the TV and continue to watch whatever you are viewing on the current channel.

Of course. I'm just so used to my 7-channel Virgin box.

Scott.

[swill453]

Of course. I'm just so used to my 7-channel Virgin box.

Sorry I meant 7-tuner.

Scott.

[AJC5001]

Of course. I'm just so used to my 7-channel Virgin box.

Sorry I meant 7-tuner.

Scott.

But Virgin is a cable service, so doesn't have an aerial anyway.

Unless there is one left over from before the cable system was installed.

Adrian

[ten0rman]

Gersemi,
What you describe is what we used to do when we first got it, but that was when we had a non-digital CRT tv which wasn't fully compatible with the Humax.

Now that we have a digital box, we seldom use the Humax unless there's something like forthcoming British Best Drives (or similar - Sat 20.00).

But anyway, who do you think'll have to set it up, and then explain it, explain it again, and again, and ag.. - It's a damn sight easier to not bother because I'm simply not prepared to spend hours trying to explain it all. I mean, Mrs T. still talks about No.4 or No. 5 on the washing machine - we haven't had a washing machine with program nos for at least 18 years! Mind you, she soon picked up how to change the tv onto DVD, but then it was something she wanted to watch!

Idlitis rules. Ok?

ten0rman

ps Said Humax box also has BT TV on it. Plus other stuff like catch up. We never use it, so my telephone bill will be reducing when it comes up for renewal.

[swill453]

Sorry I meant 7-tuner.

But Virgin is a cable service, so doesn't have an aerial anyway.

OK, it was shorthand for being able to record 7 channels at once.

(but I got it wrong, it's only 6)

Scott.