radio 4. I don`t enjoy it any more

Used to listen to a lot of Radio 4 (and Radio 2), but now find myself listening to our local BBC radio station most of the time. When I was a student it was Caroline! The presenters on our local station are brilliant, lots of local news but also kept up to date with national and international affairs. Good interviews, local events, sport etc, would not go back to the national stations - except for Radio 5 breakfast show at the weekends.

You and Yours on Radio 4 from 12:15 to 1pm Monday to Friday is a really good consumer programme which I listen to whenever I can. It covers many different topics each day and you can learn lots of useful things.

R4 has gone downill I agree but R4 Extra is like a 'box of chocolates', a great selection to devour!

I rarely listen to the BBC these days. Humphrys is like an embarrassing uncle sitting in a corner holding forth and harrumphing at a wedding. I’m a news addict and use social media and 24 hour news coverage from different channels to get a balanced view of global issues. RT is good and covers news such as the uprisings in France which our government doesn’t want us to see. When I’m awake in the night I listen to LBC . Steve Allen can be amusing but is also soporific at times. He is the broadcasting equivalent of the Sun or Daily Wail

Radio 4, Classic fm or Magic every time

as it happened my retirement has coincided with changes at Radio 2 that has made it less appealing, so when Simon Mayo started at a new station SCALA last month I decided to change my listening habits. It is described as "classical music for modern times", not, I thought, something I would enjoy but for his sake, decided to give it a go. this week I bought a DAB radio so I could listen more easily and have been making an effort to have it on in the background whilst doing things in the home. It has opened up a new world of musical listening to me. still listen to Radios 2 and 4 and BBC local radio (York), but this has proved a revelation and good for me to stretch myself and improve myself

I used to.listen to Radio 4 quite a lot when my children were young and before I returned to work.An added interest was that a family friend was the Controller of Radio 4 at that time.-but I never forgave him for changing Woman’s Hour from the afternoon to the morning. Then much more convenient to listen in the afternoon.
Jenni Murray went to the same school as me in Yorkshire,but I did not know her as she was a few years younger. I haven’t listened to WH for a long time so can’t comment on how it is now.

I listen to Any Questions, and sometimes the comedy before it on Saturdays. Desert Island Discs if the castaway is likely to choose something I want to hear, but Private Passions on Radio 3 is much better normally. Radio 3 is the station I’m most likely to listen to. Classic FM is repetitive and there are the awful commercials, so I rarely listen.

All in all, radio no longer plays a huge part in my life. For news I prefer television, BBC or Channel 4.

Used to love R4 but listen to it less and less now. Still switch on to the Archers but it's been quite boring for a long time now and as for Woman's Hour I agree with many others on here it has become dreadful and I always switch it off.

People haven't mentioned Radio 3 evianers because the original topic is about Radio 4 and whether people do and don't still enjoy it.

I listen to Radio 3 often with the exception of more, let's say, "strident" opera and some of the more challenging music on Late Junction. The jazz programmes are on 3 are excellent. I'm not so keen on Classic FM because of the commercial breaks, the celebrity presenters and the repetitive playlist. For classical music with no talking at all I'll tune to the internet stations.

I'm still a fan of R4 and the world service when I can't sleep. I listen a lot. I can't receive R4 extra. Do I need a new radio?
My only grumbles are the repeats. I seem to hear start the week etc morning and evening. I said i listen a lot.
When has the comedy ever been any good?
I like the news quiz. SIHAC, The now show. GQT. Desert island discs. More or less. A good read. Some of the dramas. The Archers because it comes on.

No it's TV I'm fed up with.
What's worth watching?

Thank you Ladies for such an interesting post. I shall dig out my DAB radio immediately!

I don't like R4 much and agree that Woman's Hour is a total drag. But do like R4extra. I've downloaded this Sounds app but it's not very user-friendly. I-player is great, why are they changing from it???

I am extremely surprised no-one has mentioned Radio III.
We turn this on [here in France] for the 07.00 news and have beautiful classical music playing all day [unless we go out].
If and when [and that's a huge IF] we do relocate to UK, we shall definitely continue to listen to R3. And BBCIV TV to view.

Thank you for this thread, I have found it most informative. I used to listen to R4 for years when one day (about 20 years ago) there was a feature on Women's hour that made me so angry with the programme that I switched off the radio and never switched it on again! It's odd how one day something like that can happen isn't it.

However, my life is about to change again, and I think that a rapprochement with R4 is about due

I enjoy Melvyn Bragg's In Our Time and think MB does very a good job. His guests are experts in their field and could probably each fill a whole programme so he has to strike a balance between them. He asks (imo) intelligent questions to drive the discussion on and for clarification when things start to get too esoteric. The archive is fascinating. Where else could one find discussions on topics from the Abbasid Caliphs to the Aztecs via Animal Farm, Antarctica, AI, Aristotle, Asteroids and dozens of others - and that's just the letter A.

I listen to the Archers a couple of times a week, and find it really tedious now.

I find much to enjoy and some not to my taste on Radio 4. I used to love the Archers, but then they killed off Nigel Pargeter. That was it for me - haven't followed it since.

How is listening to Radio 4 old?

Today, I've listened to features on radical ways of meeting climate change, animal evolution and the technology of sound.

This evening, I'll be tuning in to hear about visualing black holes, overcoming antimicrobial resistance plus Front Row for what's going in the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music. (And The Archers which is well written most of the time and funny.)

How is that not keeping up to date Sydney2012? What is your definition of modern and fresh?

I do listen to Radio 4 all day if I am at home. Well- I say 'listen' but there are a lot of things that do not interest me.
I can't stand that woman on Women's Hour who is so'feminist' she drives me potty- I do like Jennie Murray.
I love The Archers- I even get it on my phone so I can lie on a Greek beach & catch up on it!
I like Brain of Britain & a lot of the comedy programmes & afternoon plays to do the ironing to.
The one thing I don't like is Melvyn Bragg who constantly interrupts his guests who know far more about their subject than he does!

OMG. Listen to something modern and fresh . Keep yourself uptodate. If you behave old you will be old.. The Archers for goodness sake !

Like Fountain pen I listen to Radio four extra and the old comedy shows, and plays. Also like LSB for phone ins on current affairs. Except for some of the Dramas I no longer listen to Radio 4.

The problem I find with the radio is it rarely goes beyond a certain level of mental challenge. So for young adults who are just learning about life for the first time it's very educational, but older adults don't really learn anything fresh. I have noticed that when there is a very learned studio guest on and he or she starts to explain something in depth and I am just beginning to get fascinated, the presenter always stops them and reminds them not to get too deep.

not the cost fountain pen, I use roberts re-chargeable and the charge runs down much faster with dab. FM lasts for ages

I stopped listening to R4 about 5 yrs ago after 40 years. Archers went a few years before that, again after 30yrs+ of listening.