always listening in

Radio 4 now has it’s own downloads page listing all the lovely new podcasts.

• BBC - Radio 4 - Downloading and Podcasting

A great resource site full of links to everything to do with radio - and I mean everything.

• Radio HQ : Radio

Dualit, the folks behind those stylish fridges and toasters are launching a DAB radio and a pretty thing it is too.

There’s a full review over at Pocket-lint.co.uk.

Take a group of people, a classic movie and a microphone and you get Movies You Should See.

In the latest episode of the show the group talk about one of my favourite films - the Princess Bride. The self confessed movie geeks offer some really good insights into some cult films. Well worth a listen.

• Simply Syndicated - Movies You Should See

Following dosser’s advice I spent a lovely 1/2 a hour in the bath on Thursday evening. While I was in the bath Count Arthur Strong played out the final part of his 2 show run on Radio 4.

After the response I got to the last post I wrote on the Count I felt I owed it to the commenters to give him a second chance so I fired up the BBC audio player and listened again over breakfast. Well over breakfast is perhaps exaggerating - I got about 6 minutes in and couldn’t stand it any more, turned off the computer and tuned into Home Truths (which is saying something as I’m sure you’ll all agree Home Truths is a pale shadow of the John Peel era show). So back to the point - I stand by my original post - I can’t listen to Count, I really can’t, I tried but it just makes me feel really uncomfortable hearing his sneering weird comedy.

Times Online is following in the footsteps of the Guardian and launching a comedy based Podcast.

Commenting on the podcasts, David Baddiel said:

The podcast is a great medium for me and Frank: it’s new, direct to fans, interactive, and doesn’t require us to look good. From that point of view, the only World Cup double-act more suited to it would be Ronaldinho and Peter Crouch.

I’m looking forward to it.

• Baddiel and Skinner launch first World Cup podcast - Sport - Times Online

I found myself in the unfortunate position last Friday of having nothing to do. I thought ‘I know I’ll turn on the Radio’ - I listened to Radio 1 for a while, then XFM, then GWR, then Bath FM. The one thing they all had in common? “It’s party night on [insert station name here]”.

I don’t know about you but if I’m in alone on a Friday night the last thing I want to hear is the latest uplifting party tunes from some overly excitable DJ. I want something chilled and relaxing, not something reminding me that I’m really sad and want to stay in on a Friday.

This got me thinking, how many people actually listen to these kind of shows? So I asked people I know in the industry. And guess what? Almost nobody. Between 6pm and about 8pm, before people go out, listener figures are pretty good. After 8 the figures take a nose dive; nobody is listening. I can’t seem to figure out why they insist on running these shows after 8 rather than playing something a bit more laid back.

• Does anybody out there have an insight?
• Do you listen to Friday night “party” radio? (Is anybody actually going to admit to this?)
• Leave a comment

The Reith Lectures are one of the highlights of BBC radio broadcasting.

In this year’s Reith Lectures musician and conductor Daniel Barenboim discusses the interplay between music and society.

Broadcast: Fridays at 9am, 7 April to 5 May. Best of all they are going to podcast it.

• BBC Radio 4 - Reith Lectures 2006

The Mighty Boosh have just announced another Bristol date to their sell out tour. Nothing has been announced on the Boosh website but the Colston hall are listing the event.

If the last set of dates are anything to go by they’ll sell out pretty damn quickly so get ‘em while you can.

Saturday 15th April @7.30pm at the Colston Hall.

• Colston Hall - The Mighty Boosh