Unique Old Time Radio and News Sources

[Kris^]

There's a saying that goes, "don't pick a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel."  Which means to me that publishers and reporters  are not immune from the very human tendency toward bias, prejudice, etc.  The same goes for broadcast media.  Which is a good reason why all our media and news sources should not be concentrated in the hands of a few people or corporations.  Or our media conduits, either -- Comedy Central is unavailable though Adelphia Cable (so my son tells me), and the Daily Show on Comedy Central is a major source of satirical political commentary.  (For some people, it is their MAIN source of political commentary, according to polls.)  Am I too paranoid to think that continual microsoft patches may one day "protect" me from more than just viruses?

When I was younger, I used to listen to shortwave radio for news, and listened regularly to the BBC World Service, Deutche Velle, and Radio Moscow, among others.  Now with the internet, there is no reason why anyone can't get at least two different viewpoints on the same story.  News.google.com is a good start.

Just my 2 cents.

[beemaster]

Kris:

I have always been a radio buff - started with AM stations, listening to WWE in Wheeling, WV late at night as the long wave stretched over the low frequencies in the late evening, moving on to shortwave and finally into Ham Radio in my teens - my prefernce was always shortwave bands in Ham: 80, 40, 20 15, and up toward the mid-range at 10 meters.

I listen to all those stations you mention and all the other great ones - Radio South Africa, CBC from Canada and of course Voice of America. What a picture these stations painted, their English Broadcasts filled with truths, half-truths and down right lies.

I had over 30,000 logged conversations on shortwave, grabbing the illusive 300 countries (which no longer is possible - there just aren't that many any more) and it was always fun learning and making use of radio-wave propagation.

Most (if not all) of those stations can still be found on radio of course, but now they have a home on the Internet as well. My favorite broadcast was AS IT HAPPENS from Radio Canada National' - their Journey across America celebrating Thanksgiving with various ethnic families was VERY enlightening.

Good point though: there are millions of News Sources today to choose from - people (by nature) are resistant to change and tend to stay with whatever source is comfortable and matches their belief system - it's only human nature.

[Kris^]

I remember late nights listening to pop hits on WOWO, Ft. Wayne, IN, as a child, the glow of the tubes from my Zenith tabletop as my nightlight while tucked warm in bed in north-central Pennsylvania.  It was one of the few stations then that would reach deep into the valleys of the Alleghenies.  As I got older, one show I enjoyed listening to every Sunday evening was a variey/request show called "Anythong Goes" on the BBC.  There was one time when they were receiving numerous requests for a song called "Little Blue Transistor Radio," but couldn't locate it.  It just so happened I had the song on a 45, so I gave them the particulars.  In return, I got recognition on international radio!

Anymore, about the only real radio entertainment I get is "The Prarie Home Companion" on Saturday evenings.  Even my music (which I enjoy more than anything else) I usually get from streaming internet or satellite.  There's more variety, and less advertising -- and less content censorship or programming to the interests of the greatest demographic group, like with ClearChannel and their ilk.  http://www.techwebsound.com/ tickles my fancy, for one.

-- Kris^
(Old Flower Child)

[beemaster]

Here are FOUR very good sites for broadcast radio - old and new.

http://www.radiolovers.com/ is a free site offering thousands of classic radio programs from the 30s,40s, 50s, and although there is a fee http://www.rusc.com offers an even greater selection of classic radio. You literally have 20 thousand hours of radio at these two classic braoadcast sites. The good part about having TWO sources of classic broadcast is that you will find some "missing broadcasts" on one site at the other site and visa-versa.

http://www.shoutcast.com/ is a streaming collection of thosands of live internet radio, mostly commercial free and at all bitrates and finally
http://www.scifi.com/pulp/set/set_classics.html which is the Sci/Fi Channel on TVs site with Modern made radio theatre including many selections from tales from the Crypt.

Great radio is a book for your ears - I'll sit back and listen to these over half the crap on TV any day - and NO I'm not an old fart either, I just have good taste   It's interesting to hear the Old Sci-Fi programs from the 1930s and 40s talking about "Way in the Future in the year 2000" We have a very different world then what it was THOUGHT to be like back then - nope, the Martians and houver crafts are circling the globe (yet) but CGI magic makes it so realistic that you swear they are.

The one thing that totally amazes me, there was LOTS of talk about computers and what they would do and couldn't do - but I have NEVER heard a sci-fi show YET that explained the INTERNET anywhere close to the impact that it has on every day life. No one saw the communication age coming, as NO ONE ever sees ANY AGE coming - makes you wonder WHAT AGE is coming next!!!!!

Give all these sites a try, you'll like them I'm sure.

[Kris^]

Thanks, John -- the links were great!  Even my 16 year old son has been enjoying them.  But then again, he never was much of a TV watcher.

-- Kris

[steve]

John, John, John,.............What age is coming next?.........Old age John, old age.....sigh
                                         Steve