When I was a kid, I remember my father had a police scanner and an old radio next to his bed. He often worked the night shift and would have to sleep during the day – the radio and scanner would help lull him to sleep.
Though I always wondered how a bunch of people talking and squawking radios could put someone to sleep. They have the opposite effect on me.
I also never thought I would ever become a fan of talk radio. It always seemed so weird to me that people would actually tune to a radio station where other people just talked. What about music? Isn’t that what radios were really for?
Without any intentional thought, I gravitated to talk radio. I used to read the papers but I’d always get upset and pissed off when I read them. I tried watching the news and it had the same effect. It seemed that the papers and the newscasts were more interested in getting a rise out of people or alarming people than they were in reporting the news – whatever the heck that’s supposed to mean. They should probably call it the ‘bad news’ because that’s all I ever got from those sources. In fact, I found that I would become depressed if I read or watched that stuff too much. Still, I wanted to know what was going on in the world.
I’m not sure how it started but I think it was a few years ago when I was working with the prop making guys. I had to cover the phones, while I did other work at my desk. Since most everyone was out in the warehouse making cool things I was usually alone in the office.
So, I turned on the radio – for some reason the only good reception I got was on am talk radio stations – so I started to listen to it. And shortly, I began to really love it. The talk radio folks would take the news of the day and analyse it, question it, discuss it with callers. It was really kind of cool because I got a multitude of viewpoints on the same story – which made me feel that I really understood the topic and could discuss it intelligently with others.
I am one who loves to talk, debate and discuss, so apparently talk radio was right up my alley. I never called in, because I was at work and also because I really preferred to listen. It was almost like hanging out with a good friend, rather than working alone in an office. My day flew by as I listened and did work and answered the phones.
But then I changed jobs. Haven’t listened to talk radio since because I can’t listen to the radio in a doctor’s office. I can’t really listen to it while driving, because I have to pay attention to driving and other drivers and I don’t know, it’s just not the same.
But I miss it, I really do. I miss the fact that I could get the news without having to read yet another thing. That I could listen to a dialogue without having to contribute to it and learn something, find out about something. I still miss it.
In fact, I miss my old job and I think talk radio is a big reason why. I haven’t really listened for about 6 months and I feel so out of touch with the world and the news and world events. I miss it because I’ve lost a lot of blog fodder by not being able to listen to it. Somehow my world is a little smaller because talk radio isn’t in it.
Must get a job that has talk radio as a perk. I don’t know what I’ll do in 2008 if I can’t follow every minute detail of the candidates and shenanigans – this could get serious. 😉
How about you? Do you listen to talk radio?
WC
Anita Rodgers Mystery Writer 
i’ve don’t listen to talk because, well, i don’t really listen to the radio and all news gets me riled up. i listen to my music or my husband’s jazz records.
i am a very opinionated person anyway, i don’t need extra inspiration. i tend to become furious.
My dad was a deputy sheriff and we used to listen to his scanner when he was off. It was cool, the cop talk and codes, knowing my dad was a part of that. i still have that radio.
Wow, that’s interesting about your dad. I think my dad always wanted to be a cop – he had the demeanor I thought to be one. But he was only 5ft6, so I have a feeling he didn’t meet the height requirement.
WC
LikeLike
I used to listen to talk radio, however I became disenchanted with it because most of the talk radio hosts were very one sided and gave a very myopic view of current events. I got to the point where I did not enjoy their influence.
Good story.
I think like anything you have to switch around and listen to all different types to get a well rounded view. Although, my favs were always the libertarian types.
WC
LikeLike
I do, and i can listen while I drive! More so than at work. I’ll flip around the music stations and when they’re not playing anything I like, I go to the NPR station, that comes out of Dallas.
TV really pisses me off, when they try to tell me how I should feel, like “This next story will just break your heart…”
Hey Lolly!
I agree, the tv news seems more about getting a predetermined response than in relating the news.
WC
LikeLike
Have you ever heard of the talk radio host Tom Liekus? Try to listen to this jackass for a little while. He’s a real piece of work.
No, can’t say that I have. He may not be syndicated out here. Jackass, eh? I love to listen to those. 😉
WC
LikeLike
I feel the same way. When I was in sales and always in my car, NPR was always ON. Now, I’m sure the people who have to be around me on a daily basis are glad that I no longer have the chance to listen, I gab enough about random things already. (You understand) Anyway, wanted to say don’t know if you have an iPod or not but you can actually download NPR podcasts and listen whenever you want, just carry them with you.
Nope, no Ipod. Have I mentioned I’m technologically challenged? Also, something about listening to rebroadcasts of radio shows don’t do much for me. But still, good info if I ever join the 21st century. 😉
WC
LikeLike
Talk radio? Umm, no thanks.
No worries, I won’t force it on you. But I have to say that I’ve noticed even on the mainstream music stations there’s a whole lot of talking going on. Like everybody wants to be Entertainment Tonight or something.
WC
LikeLike
I listen to talk radio a lot myself. I even remember the older days listening to “programming” on the radio with my Great Grandmother when she played shows like Amos N’ Andy, and other shows that were very interesting. I remember a lot of “story” shows in that era. But I like the fact that the Radio Airwaves aren’t dominated like the TV News Broadcasts and Print media are by the left, though they are working overtime trying to figure out how to squelch that…….. steve
Hey Steve,
Yeah, tv news is so homogenized, plasticized and wrapped up in a pre-determined wrapper that I can’t stomach myself. As to domination of the airwaves, sponsors will be the final say in such things – they won’t sponsor shows that don’t have a following, regardless of what anyone thinks. And it seems most of the people grumbling don’t have much follow through. 😉
WC
LikeLike
I’ve yet to find a talk-y radio station where the callers have an IQ higher than their shoe size. It always seems to be either people arguing incoherently about football or vehemently stating unfounded opinions about social issues always starting, for some unknown reason, with “At the end of the day…”. Give me an intelligent talk radio and I will listen…I might even call in and inflict myself on the masses 🙂
Hey Tanya,
I agree, a lot of the callers are dense – but sometimes that’s part of the fun. 😉
WC
LikeLike
i don’t get into talk radio much. it bothers me how the deejays think their opinions are the only ones that count. i usually end up yelling at the radio and changing the station 🙂
LOL hon, I think yelling at the radio is the idea. They want to make you care about the issue, so they piss you off so you’ll think about what you think of the topic. Clever, eh?
WC
LikeLike
Yep, most certainly do listen. I found your comments interesting because I really enjoy talk back radio and I have just come back from 10 days away visiting another part of the country where my hosts didn’t have the radio on at all. I really missed it. I must however, state that the commercial radio stations generally leave me cold. I can’t stand the ads for a start, but the level of the discussions just can’t compete with the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) I listen mostly to the local station where the discussion is varied and they also have regular guest experts. I have rung in and asked questions about my Will, I have given my opinion on marriage, battery hens, feminism, local environmental issues to name a few. I am entertained, moved (sometimes to tears by the bravery and honesty of some callers), I am amused mightily at times and at times moved to such anger – one time about an animal story. I was so incensed I was talking to the radio presenter while walking along the street to a meeting. I enjoy listening to other people’s opinions – I think it broadens one’s own outlook. Sometimes friends ring to continue the discussion if they have heard me. I enjoy the daily quizzes also. The other ABC station is a national one and is more ‘professional’ – really fascinating topics presented really well. I guess the difference is that the local presenters are more ‘chatty’ and you get to know their different personalities and sense of humour. Some of them are really good at playing devil’s advocate so that you get a broad spectrum of a particular topic. Anyway, you get the drift – I’m an Aussie who likes talk back radio and was pleased to find your site and comments.
Hi Dawn!
Aussies always welcome here – some of my best blogging buddies are from Oz. You said very succinctly the very reasons I enjoy talk radio. You can run the gamut from entertainment to really deep emotion and I agree completely, it does broaden your views by listening to the views of others – even if you don’t agree with them. I think it’s good to keep an open mind and listen to what other people are thinking and believe. It can only result in a more broadened and enlightened view in general.
Thanks for coming by and please come by again.
WC
LikeLike
Annie, Dawn is my Mummy! Now she’s fallen in love with you too! 🙂
Hey Simonne – aw, that’s sweet. I had a feeling she was connected to you somehow – I don’t know why, but I did think so. 🙂
WC
LikeLike
Really? Wow, you’re clever!
Maybe…I think though there was something about the email address that made me think so. Or heck, maybe I am psychic. 😆
WC
LikeLike
i listen to podcasts and certain cbc segments of the talk radio variety … vinyl cafe storytelling and … i guess i do listen to talk radio only i hadn’t really thought about it until now …
It’s funny how we get a certain idea of what something is and then don’t think we participate when we really do. I think that talk radio is like television in a way, there is a lot of crap out there but now and then you find a jewel and it’s worth the hunt.
WC
LikeLike