Do you listen to the radio? – Poll
Hello everybody!
We were hopping in a taxi the other day, making our way through town. It was a lovely day, a pleasant driver, however, “BBC Radio 1’s Hottest Hits Of The Week” was on the radio.
It did two things:
1. Remind us why we don’t enjoy mainstream radio
2. Make us think, how many people still tune in to the radio?
Don’t get us wrong, we’ll still tune in to the radio every once in a while, especially while driving. It’s usually either to catch up with the madness on the news or we’d be flipping between stations constantly hunting for some songs to sing along to. But it’s rare that we find a radio show that would beat putting on one of our favourite albums.
With the luxury of audio streaming these days and even thousands of very personalised online radio stations it’s hard to imagine a time when radio was the main form of audio entertainment.
However, we did a bit of research before this post and were surprised that although numbers have dwindled some since the 60s, traditional radio still seems to be going strong and is even experiencing some form of resurgence this past decade.
Interesting!
We’d love to hear about your habits when it comes to traditional radio. Do you still tune in to the FM airwaves, listen to your favourite DJs and learn about new music through the radio? We’d love to know as we find the subject pretty fascinating!
Feel free to expand on your answer in the comments, too! 🙂
[wpforms id=”144809″ title=”true” description=”false”]
Stay groovy,
Mona & Lisa
rarely I will listen to satellite radio while driving, but I almost always stream my own playlists driving or lounging at home. when the mood strikes me I will put some vinyl on the turntable. I don’t think I have listened to broadcast radio since the 1980’s.
I don’t own a TV so tend to listen to the radio a lot. Mainly Radio 3 (classical in the mornings, but also late night programs feature a diverse mix of jazz, world music and experimental music.
I love listening to music.
I also have an old Marconi. At the moment I can’t get many stations because it needs some repairs. But it has a nice old sound and makes all those crackling noises when tuning between stations like at the start of Wish You Were Here.
More so in the car but also via the PC and listening to overseas stations/programs and via internet radio too.
I listen to my local listener supported NPR station every day — for the music.
They play jazz, mostly, but they have other shows like Mountain Stage from West Virginia also, which is (very) different, and a favorite locally produced show of blues that is on every Sunday from 5-7pm US Eastern time called the Motor City Blues Cruise.
I get turned onto an enormous amount of great jazz, blues, and other things from all different time periods, that I would otherwise have no way to hear.
And I can hear it for free, anywhere, on the web.
http://wemu.org which is from Eastern Michigan University.
And sometimes I listen to the local classic rock station too, when I want to hear AOR music from the 60s and 70s. But all of those songs I already know.
Before I retired I spent many hours in my work truck at night. I could pick up a couple classic rock stations that broadcast shows by Alice Cooper, Nikki Sixx, Sammy Hagar and others. I loved Alice Cooper shows because he played songs more out of the main stream. His show introduced me to the Strypes out of Ireland and he would play a Slade tune once in a while. Good old Alice had some great stories too. Seen him live twice. More of a stage show than a music concert. I loved it.
Radio has always been a part of my lif I suppose. I don’t listen to commercial radio any more though. Before I left Liverpool I often used to listen to Billy Butler (Hold Your Plums), so it was nice to see him promoting MLT 🙂
When I lived in the U.S. I used to listen to WFUV in NY, where I actually did discover some good new (to me at least) music that I still listen to. Here in Australia I tend to listen to National radio, which has some good shows about books and the arts.
The one music show I do listen to consistently in Cerys Matthews’s Blues show on BBC2. She often has interesting old blues music that I haven’t heard before and occasionally has some good guests.
Interesting to read through everyone’s perspectives on this.
I definitely do not listen for the music, unless it is an eclectic station like CBC MUSIC (even though I am in the U.S.), which wakes me up in the morning. I miss Raina Douris but Saroja Coelho is good. She has followed Raina’s story-song format.
I love baseball, so the FAN 590 Toronto is my go-to station. Great coverage of the Toronto Blue Jays.
Today’s music however…nah.
This is an interesting subject as times change so fast. As a teenager in the early 80’s I would listen to the radio as much as possible. In the car the radio was always tuned to an FM music station. At home, I finally got a radio by my bedside and remember listening to Mr. Mister. I also had a small handheld “transistor” radio, but that was more for listening to soccer matches, especially during world cups. The earpieces were so bad though, that listening to music was not too enticing.
Fast forward to today, and I make every effort NOT to listen to the radio. In the car I have some CDs (MLT, Beatles, Queen) and that’s the default. For longer rides I use the phone’s playlists. I do not have Spotify, Pandora, iTunes, or any streaming service. All my music comes from my catalogue and from YouTube when I go searching for music. It’s fun to rekindle 70’s and 80’s music: Flock of Seagulls, Depeche Mode, Tears for Fears, etc.
Thanks for the topic, it’s interesting reading everybody’s answers.
With the amazing apps like Spotify and the Internet in the car I don’t have any need to listen to the “radio” when I can just hear the playlists of songs I already like (even if most of that music is over a half century old).
I’ve answered in the car all the time – when I’m not listening to The MonaLisa Twins, but I also listen to the local radio inside the house app. 1 hour a day.
I listen to the radio but it is almost always Sirius-XM. I spend time listening to ’60s on 6, ’70s on 7, Classic Vinyl, The Bridge, and the Beatles channel. I have heard MLT played on some of those stations.
Mostly to Radio 2 and Jazz FM.
Other than my alarm clock radio, I only really listen in the car and to Ken Bruce on Radio 2 around 10.30 each day to play “Popmaster.” Always good to beat the contestants.
With a smart phone these days you can access any radio station anywhere anytime you want and I love it although I still have a radio next to my bed which I listen to occasionally.
The Radio? Where is it? I don’t know they still had them! Even if I found one I wouldn’t find anything playing that I would care to listen to. Thank goodness for MLT!
Hi Ladies,
There are a couple of oldies channels I get to listen to when I’m not playing your music. Which is seldom.
One of the stations is syndicated from New York and One of the DJs is Mickey Dolenz of the Monkees!
I dont like today’s noise (it ain’t music to me)
I would much rather listen to your music or occasional radio. I enjoy it and get to sing along.
Thanks Ladies
Rick
I listen to the radio for selective programs such as sounds of the sixties with Tony Blackburn or sounds of the seventies with Johnnie Walker both on bbc radio two. I have to admit though for the last few months I have been on line listening to Boom radio which plays some great music and also is not afraid to play great album tracks. Well worth a listen.
Here in the LA area 95.5 KLOS has the longest running Beatles show “Breakfast With The Beatles” on air Sundays 9-noon PST. It’s fantastic! They have a facebook page as well
I stopped listening to radio because in my city most of the stations play rap and hip hop, which I’m not into.
I listen to Classic Rock while driving. it is a Corporate owned FM station in Portland, Oregon. This Company owns many stations throughout the US that cover many genres. Seattle, Washington has a similarly formatted station owned by a different Corporation with stations of many genres throughout the US.
The CD Player went bad in my Pickup but I have its replacement. Got a used OEM from a wrecking yard. My multi-function Stereo is packed away somewhere. I do listen to music through the Roku and the TV.
With the Virus Lockdowns, my driving has gone way down. Places I’d normally go are closed due to Forest Fires and other areas, services are closed. I am working on my 2nd tank of gas since 1/16/2020. Which has freed up money to buy your music.
When I was still running my Wholesale Nursery, we had the stereo tuned to the Classic Rock station all day.
No, I never listen to the radio anymore. By the mid ‘70s pop radio diverged pretty steeply from my musical tastes. Since then, I would listen to blues, jazz or classical sometimes when I was driving. I don’t drive any more for medical reasons, so no more radio.
I grew up on top 40 AM radio. It’s all we had. The DJ patter I loved as a kid just grates on me now. With streaming media it’s so easy to go to the genre you prefer (Sirius) or even program your own playlist. And no commercials. If I listen to any broadcast radio now it’s news or sports.
I have the radio on all day when I am doing my deliveries usually Wave 105 and also in my car The only show that I listen to at home is Tony Blackburns sounds of the sixties every Saturday at 6am on BBC Radio 2.
The only time i listen to the radio, is when i drive in my car. The rest of the time i use spotify, cd’s and mp3’s
I never listen to music on the radio. Most of todays is awful and so are the DJ’s. I have a very large collection of CD’s and LP’s, so i’m always listen to my own records.
I never listen to traditional radio anymore. In my opinion, American radio is 50% commercials and 50% terrible music or talk propaganda. No thanks. Most of my driving is longer trips as my wife and I travel North America in our RV. I will have podcasts and music playlists ready to go before we leave. For short trips around town, when we are home, we usually just talk.
Dear Mona & Lisa,
in the early days (60’s and 70’s), when I was a kid, I often listen to the radio. I lived in the GDR – nearby the border to Westberlin. Although it was not allowed to listen to Westradio (Radiostation RIAS:– Radio im Amerikanischen Sektor) we did it, only to hear the best sound in town. Every monday there was a broadcast called “Schlager der Woche” (Hits of the week), always the latest and best songs, voted by the listeners. Today you can’t forbid people listening their .favourite station but in the past it happened equally. It’s hard to believe but that was the truth in the former GDR.
stay groovy
Detlef
Sunday mornings it’s Breakfast with the Beatles, syndicated. Usually on the way home each night, a station that calls itself “The Dinosaur” 60’s and 70’s. I heard “Can’t Buy Me Love” one night a couple years ago, which made me go to Youtube for more Beatles, and came upon these two talents going by “The Monalisa Twins”!
Radio in the car is usually tuned into news or talk radio. There are still a couple of classic rock stations around here to warm up the car. All of the “top 40” stations sound alike. Occasionally I scan the dial hoping for a new breakthrough discovery. Ugh, I usually find at least two crappy stations playing the exact same crappy song. It all sounds the same.
I still can’t get over how many albums I can put on my phone.
I sound like my Dad?
JP
I listen to SiriusXm Radio while in my cars,mostly Beatles Channel,Classic Rewind,Classic Vinyl,60’s & 70’s.That is of course, when I’m not listening to the two most Beautiful,Talented & Groovy sisters I know.
I’ll tune in to local stations from time to time,for weather,traffic,and occasional baseball,and football games.
Have you girls picked up the companion book for the Let It Be/Get back film yet?
It’s Fantastic!! I highly recommend it for all Beatles Fanatics(like ourselves).
As Always Love & Hugs to Mona,Lisa,Papa Rudi & Michaela.????????????????
When I was a kid, we had the family radio, not much different from the one you have pictured. It was a staple in most homes even though TV had begun to replace the radio as the main source of entertainment. My first real radio experience was when my Uncle George gave me a transistor AM radio for Christmas. I messed with the dials with some help and just like magic, it actually did receive one channel!! I kept that radio for years. FM was almost non existent at the time. Every morning before school everyone listen to the same channel and the talk in school was about which new song was out. It was always a new Beatles song, or Beach Boys, and then some Motown songs caught on. Ive still got a lot of that vinyl but no turntable to play them on. Now I channel surf for some older songs on a few channels and if I don’t find something I gladly slip one of many MLT CD’s I keep in both cars. Through the years I do listen to some top 40’s music and give it a chance and of course the occasional gem comes along . Michael Jackson, Prince, Madonna, Brittney, and now an amazing talent Billie Eilish. I don’t dismiss any talent in any genre only because I may miss someone great. However with all that being said, you guys know where my heart is….. Im here now. Ill always love the 60’s and 70’s the most and when I say Im thankful for you, Mona and Lisa, for keeping this music alive and adding to it with your own originals which believe will one day propel you into places you never dreamed would happen. One day I hope to hear a MLT channel on Sirus! Until then I can’t wait for the release of you next LP which we know you are working hard on. Stay Groovy
I listened to a lot of “AM Gold” on my bike radio as a ten year old. I remember vividly hearing Lady Madonna for the first time and I’d never heard a piano sound like that- loved it! Now I have Sirius Xm in the car so I listen to the Beatles Channel or the Elvis channel; or I play Mona and Lisa through the car from my phone. I’m very certain someday there’ll be a MonaLisaTwins channel…
I picked this up a few years ago at an antique shop, yeah these are antiques now, because I use to have one just like it when I was 14, that I listened to in my room. Use to spend joyful hours lying on my bed looking out the window listening to wonderful 60s and 70s songs on the radio. Beatles, Beach Boys, Kinks, Elton John, Carpenters, Rolling Stones, Who, Guess Who….etc. This topic brings back wonderful nostalgia. Regular broadcast local radio isn’t what it use to be for me.
https://youtu.be/Aa9YmR8SdeA
I gave up on the little I listened to radio a few years ago, and that was several years after I gave up on radio music.
Radio airs what they think we should listen to, when they want to air it, and I didn’t like what they picked. The web now allows us to listen to what we want, when we want … I’m not going back to radio.
Hi Gang!
I only listen to the radio in the car, I have a couple of stations I listen to, one is Classic Rock, and the other is an Oldies station.
Personally, I don’t care for today’s pop and rock music. Nobody really seems to know how to sing, there are no melodies, no harmonies and no intelligence in the lyrics.
Maybe, it’s just me or maybe it’s Mona and Lisa’s fault, as they have spoiled me.
I personally blame the record companies, they don’t look for unusual or rare talent, they seem to look for someone who fits into the mold of what is popular at the moment.
Then the producers go in and over produce everything, until you have an Album by an Artist which sounds just like the Album just completed by another Artist.
I guess I’m jaded, so I will stop here before I step on every ones toes.
Anyway, Love to all.
Gary Bergen
Once in a while but only for news. And then for only a very short time because there are WAY TOO MANY commercials. I’m not a fan of any current music, or any music past about 1979 to be honest. There are very few songs from the 80’s through today that I think are decent. Of course our Twins are the really only exception to that! I LOVE their stuff of course.
I’m a child of the 60’s so that era up to about late 70’s is my favorite period. Once disco came along (ICK!!!) I was done with most new music. And I hated the 80’s for just about everything. There were a few exceptions for music but not many.
Now get off my lawn! 😉
I usually have the radio going all day while I work from home. I only listen to two community radio stations though, not the large commercial ones with loud, shouty people, advert after advert, and DJs with huge egos. The community stations still use old fashioned volunteer DJs, play CDs and records, have few ads, and don’t compress their signal to make it as loud as possible.
I listen to the radio mainly for news, and we have a few really good programmes, that takes up important issues, but like you, i rarely do it to listen to music, because i can find very little of that i find interesting.
Only listen to satellite radio and mainly Beatles
Here in the States, it gets harder and harder to listen to oldies but goodies on the radio. Now I just throw on a CD by guess who? Of course Mona & Lisa!! Radio as with Labels have gone astray lately. My Grandson and I are starting to put together a plan for a You Tube site from my studio. It’s in the planning stage right now but I believe all of us that are getting older have got to keep the older Rock N Roll alive, to influence the younger generations of tuning into the best Music ever made!!!! These 2 wonderful ladies have given me tons of idea’s!!!! Stay Groovy and listen to Rock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I listened to oldies radio stations all the time starting in the mid-80’s, acquainting myself with all the hit songs from about 1955 to 1973. But when those stations started evaporating about twenty years ago, so did my interest in radio. I can go from one end of the dial to the other now and not find a single song I know, let alone enjoy.
These days I get by on the MLT jukebox, YouTube, and my old collection of cassettes and CD’s. (I just look at the cassettes. They’d probably snap under tension if I played them now.) My daily commute has turned into a time for quiet reflective thoughts. If I want to hear music while driving, I just sing. But for longer trips, I’ll still bring along a bunch of CD’s.
“When I was young I’d listen to the radio, waiting for my favorite songs. When they played, I’d sing along. It made me smile.”
Hello and great poll. I am very sad about the current radio stations in the USA. They all are owed by huge corporations and they play the same play list day in and day out. I do have a couple favorite DJ but they are far and few anymore. I do have XM radio and there is a bit more music and you can tune into any station that you like, for instance the Beatle Channel and the 60’s channel , 70’s and a station called the bridge that brings folk and laid back music from the 60 and 70’s. But I have radio at work to listen to during the day to catch up on any news or weather forecasts. But lately I have the Mona and Lisa juke box on at work and Listen in the car to the CD’S. I also listen to the radio to hear our home town teams The Pittsburgh Pirates baseball and The Pittsburgh Steelers Football or Pittsburgh Penguins Hockey when they are not on TV Years ago radio used to be fun and loved the DJ’S but in today’s world? The DJ’S Have their hands tied and have to play what the corporation tells them to play. Just my thoughts here , but thank god for the Mona Lisa Juke Box that carry’s me thru my day. Also I am not happy with some songs in today’s world with some really crude lyrics and worried for Maddie to hear some of this stuff and can’t believe they call it music.
Bill and Maddie Isenberg Huge Fans from Pittsburgh PA USA
The only time I really listen to the radio is waking up to it, at a certain time, and I have it set on a station that I like the Morning show hosts, athough they do once in awhile slip in some oldies,but tge music is mostly hew mainstream stuff I’m not particularly fussy on and there’s a couple of other radio stns, for same reason locally that I once in blue moon listen to, and if I’m in the car with family and friends, whatever station they have it on, I listen or CD they put on …lol…
I will say that growing up in tge 70s/80s in particular , the radio stns were better organized and more geared to playing a mixture or being a specific kind of radio stn, to be honest, I preferred tge golden age of radio from away back when, more variety, not like how it is now….I’m speaking in general, and perhaps locally too somewhat. Why I can recall calling in to one stn to request songs and then in awe hearing myself (call was recorded) on the radio with request or the DJs saying my name /song request on air was cool, I even went as far one time to go to this fave stn at the time to keep the cute DJ as on tv and billboards around the city , his face was seen in radio stn promo photos…lol… I still once in awhile go out , well, pre Covid times I had, go out to see the Morning Crew of radio stn I wake up to when they have live on location somewheres to say Hi and gave photo taken with them. That 8s my extent of radio listening these days… I have Spotify, MLT Club Jukebox, etc for my radio needs now…. the old boombox/ghettoblaster TapeCassette/CD happily collecting dustbunnies nowadays as the ol reluc sits on a table…????????
Hey, an interesting topic ladies!
In Vancouver growing up we use to have a very diverse and interesting line up of radio stations on both the AM and FM. We had the usual top 40 pop/rock stations, but also jazz, hard rock, oldies, new age, classical, beautiful elevator music station, western etc…But over the last 20 years a broadcast group (name escapes me) pretty much bought up all the radio stations and in their infinite wisdom decided to convert them all into top 40 pop stations, with a smattering of all news stations. They all sound the same piping bland top 40 current junk into the airwaves. You could probably take a 5 minute sampling and play it in a loop and no one would know the difference.
Up until about 10 years ago there was an excellent AM station that played awesome classic rock and 60s and 70s music and lots of other interesting and unique programming, even old radio dramas pre-TV, which was the last hold out, until the Borg assimilated it into the collective top 40 pop station mold like the rest of them. 5 minutes of top 40 current music followed by 7 minutes of advertisements. So nowadays I only listen to the CBC (Canadian Broacast Corporation) which is the Canadian equivalent to the BBC, which offer some interesting news, science, cultural, and indie music programming. On weekends late at night they hook up with the BBC, DW, and many international sister stations from around the world to provide interesting local and international news/science programming I enjoy. I occasionally scour the internet radios for classic rock/oldies music stations, but it’s mostly CDs or vinyls and your awesome MLT Jukebox and Youtube channel!
I listen to my radio in the house more than watching tv. I can hear it as I move about the house doing other things. One of my favorite things to do is to go for drives, so it is always on in the car, plus here in America, new cars don’t always come with a CD player, my newest one did not despite being an expensive car. But my wife and I like to go for long drives and I call it “ pretty girl in a pretty car listening to good music therapy “. It makes me happy. I mostly listen to satellite radio in the car but I will listen to local stations too. But I am a Boomer, so I grew up listening to radio, starting with little transistor radios that I would hide under my pillow to listen to when my parents thought I was asleep. Old habits die hard I guess. If I had the money, I would buy and operate a radio station. I think my programming would draw some followers as I have some eclectic tastes , and I would feature the MonaLisa Twins too, of course.
The Beatles channel in the car otherwise I don’t listen to the radio.
Sirius XM Beatles channel while driving. Still hoping to hear one of your covers there! Mostly short trips, so chances are limited. I used to listen to local oldies fm station at work, and got local news that way, but since moving to a different building, reception is horrible, so CDs are always on, and dominated by MLT!
I used to listen to the Beatles channel on Sirius XM. But, ever since I discovered the MonaLisa Twins, I haven’t listened to any radio stations in the last year. I just pop in a MonaLisa Twins CD. There you go girls, You beat the Beatles!
I only listen in the car and seems like I’m always changing stations. I usually just play the MLT jukebox.