The Radio

I like listening to the radio. Most people listen in the car, which I have done, but I often keep it quiet in the car to focus on the road. Thusly, much of my radio listening happens at home and in other places. I don't listen to too much music on the radio. I did kind of like indie 103.1 here in LA, but they're just online now. I like very particular music. It tends to be older stuff, so most of the stations wouldn't think of playing it. The oldies stations could play it, but seem to prefer playing Roy Orbison and such too much to consider a broader range of classics.

Therefore, I generally listen to talk and news radio, putting me at odds with my father. I enjoy NPR, whether it's the weekday soft-spoken news and analysis, or the more entertainment-centric weekend fare such as Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, Prairie Home Companion, and This American Life. I don't just listen to NPR, though (indeed, I can't bear to listen to them during pledge drives). If I'm inclined, I'll listen to Coast to Coast with George Noory. It would be quick to call it a UFOs and conspiracy theory program, but they have a pretty good variety of subjects. It's often not credible, but I try to be open, and it's always entertaining.

I like news radio, as I said. I prefer KFWB here, which used to carry Dodgers games, but now is devoted to news only. The other ones are ok, too. It just comes down to enjoying their old-timey jingles, promos and such. KABC, which now carries the Dodgers, is good for that too. Sports radio interests me only occasionally, though I used to listen to EPSN radio exclusively. I listen to the Dodgers radio broadcast if I'm at the game or away from home. That's about it.

I used to have XM radio. I could give Satellite radio another try in the future, since I could have the programming from XM and Sirius, but could just run into the same problem of not getting enough use out of it. The radio is special, even now. There's a certain quality to it that hasn't diminished with the availability of so many other forms of broadcast media. It can be so very intimate. There's just you driving and the host of the show next to you as your car barrels down the highway in the night. I wonder what it's like to listen to the radio overseas. I've heard that there's still a sort of pre-television bent to the radio programming in some places. Maybe I could get a shortwave radio. Maybe that would be weird in this day and age.