Who listens to radio 4?

I became addicted to radio 4 when it was the Home Service! My mother had the radio on all day. I loved Children’s Hour . Now, like many of you, I am always turning it off because the style of interviewing on news programmes like ‘Today’ is sooo confrontational. Since Emma Bartlett took over Woman’s Hour, instead of an interesting hour of varied listening it is more often than not her ranting on, subjecting poor interviewees with such onslaughts of hostility the off switch is activated more times than not.
I do however learn lots of amazing facts from the station, it still informs and educates but in pandering to younger voices has lost its character. This year’s Reith lectures were fascinating.

I really enjoy R4. It has really interesting an challenging programmes. This morning I listened to a really interesting programme about global population growth, which is now not caused by excessive births but by increased longevity and the problem that will cause.

Did you know that India's birthrate has just dropped below replacement level, and with the exception of sub-Saharan Africa, almost every country in the world has a falling birtgrate and that a catastrophic drop in owrld population is possible by the end of this centuy?

Like others, I find a lot of the humour very unfunny, the drama far too worthy and I haven't listened to the Archers for years, it just got far too worthy.

Best listening is just after the Today programme and in the afternoons and after 8.00pm.

I have given up on Classic FM and moved to R3, which is actually rather good fun these days, at various times it has included folk music, musicals and other music genres in its programmes. It has also extended my classial music knowledge.

I agree with the bulk of the posters; Radio 4 has declined steadily in the past ten years, in a patronising attempt to woo younger listeners. Today is ruined by the bumptious Nick Robinson and Emma Barnett has done the same for Woman's Hour; the plays and comedy are generally dire. I listen to 'In our Time' (Melvyn Bragg) and some of the books and serials,but not The Archers, and PM with Evan Davis.
Sad.

I listen more to stories on Youtube now.

I like most programmes especially from our own correspondent , the numbers prog with Tim Hartford, Just minute, I’m sorry I havnt a clue, Archers, afternoon plays and the recent short plays by John Finnimore. Had me laughing out loud. I still enjoy Woman’s Hour.
Always interesting and informative I have learned a lot over the years.

Gardeners Question Time only, often on Sounds when I’m out walking.

I am surprised how few of you mention any of the really interesting, informative and deep thinking programmes R$ runs.

Looking at today's schedule, I listened the Rethink programme on demographics and wrote about it above. Then was out and missed the rest of the mornings output, until You and Yours, and the lunchtime news programems, everything until the Archers. Radio news is so much better than televsion or online news and so many radio programmes look behind the news.

I will have the R4 back on at 3.30 for the Food Programme, followed by programmes on the composer Ralph Vaughan Williams followed by one on Sikhism then every programme until the Archers at 7.00. I will probably also listen to two of the evening programmes.

There is so much on R4 and I would be lost without it

Yes, I've become disenchanted with 4 too. Found radio Scotland quite by accident and am currently enjoying that. We'll see.....

Not as much as I did say 10 years ago I dip in and out when I'm WFH but always listen when I'm sorting Dinner to the Archers.
I tend to go via BBC sounds and listen to Woman Hour, occasionally I listen to the daily play, but recently they are a bit bonkers.
I'm more Radio 2 and Virgin Radio.

I used to listen to R4 all the time. I find lots of the programmes are repeated. I do listen to R4 whilst doing a jigsaw for a couple of hours. I enjoy some of the plays but recently they seem rather weird. I often listen to something before falling asleep. Sadly Women’s Hour isn’t a must listen to now. I do use podcasts to catch up on things.

I agree with what M0nica has said and I have enjoyed the programmes she mentioned, but I do find the comedy ones (except HIGNFY !) are dire. Especially those after eleven at night. The dramas all seem to be very weird. I am hoping that R4 is just finding things difficult in these circumstances and that it will improve eventually, but I’m not convinced.

I am just not sure who the target audience is. The better programmes are the older established ones, which have already been mentioned. I've no problem with them being kept up to date and some of the newer programmes are brilliant, I love the "Sideways" and "More or less" series for example but some are dreadful and so are the presenters. Radio is all about "communication" and some are just not good communicators! I'm spending more time picking through podcasts but perhaps this is what the controller of R4 wants???

I do find one advantage is that R4 'clumps' programmes, so I rarely listen between 10.00 - 12-00 or between 2.00 - 3.00 or 6.30 - 8.00. any other time I stand a good chance of an interesting programme.

I just need to glance at my watch to know whether it is worth turning on or not.

I used to listen to the Today programme every morning whilst getting ready for work and always found that very informative but, now I'm retired, I only tune in occasionally and find that the presenters have changed and I'm not so keen. Now I listen to either podcasts or via the iPlayer app for specific programmes of interest, such as the Money Programme or drama serials like Elizabeth Gaskells's Cranford. I avoid anything that claims to be "comedy hour" because it's invariably dire. The iPlayer app - Sounds, is excellent.

I’ve always listened to Radio 4 on the drive to or from work or shopping and sometimes on long trips, but I always have an audio book on hand if it gets boring. World service is good too.

I love 'Just a minute'

I often listen to Radio 4 during the day and have it on when I go to bed until I get up in the morning. Yes, I sleep with it on. I don’t like silence and music makes me sad.

I have never listened to Radio 4, I love Radio 6 Music. It’s DAB radio, which I don’t have in my car, so if I’m driving I put on old early 2000 Trance CDs. But in the kitchen when I’m cooking, it’s Radio 6. Robert Plant (ex Led Zeppelin) had a programme before Christmas, and it was so good.

I love 'Just a minute'

Me too MissAdventure but it's not as good for me without Nicholas Parsons.

I can’t find “Cabin pressure” on R4 that Foxie mentioned-anyone else?

I've just checked Newquay and it's "not currently available" on either live radio or on Sounds catch up..

I like From Our Own Correspondent. I listened to The Archers for 40 years but stopped as I found some storylines silly and not really true to life. However I appreciate the difficulty when writing about one village and its inhabitants whilst trying to keep the original farming theme.

Used to listen to a lot of radio 4, and bits of radio 2 back in the 70s, but I migrated to local radio in the mid 80s when our town got its own BBC radio station. Still listen to it and have it on for most of the day. Good local and national news coverage and topics of local interest. The presenters are brilliant, live locally and know the area really well.

I love Desert Island Discs and listen on BBC. I'm in California and listen to KGO which is a talk radio station in San Francisco. I also listen to true-crime podcasts.

I listen to R4,especially in the kitchen. I try to listen to at least some of Today programme every day and mostly enjoy what's on ,apart from The Money programme which depresses me as hate chat about finances and I can't stand Melvin Bragg so always switch off In Our Time. I catch up with The Archers on BBC sounds.