8 ms·

I can't remember the last time there was something actually worth listening to on "live audio". At the same time, not knowing in advance what the content will

I can't remember the last time there was something actually worth listening to on "live audio". At the same time, not knowing in advance what the content will be is sort of a killer for me...on-demand has a bit of social proof through reviews and comments, whereas live audio is sort of a crap shoot.

dmonitor 3y ago
NPR is still pretty fun to listen to occasionally.
- progrus 3y ago
  Fresh Air has become an audio tranquilizer for old black ladies and their old white “allies”. There is a clumsy attempt to shoehorn race-baiting into nearly every story, followed by a commercial for neuropathy medicine. I can’t even begin to imagine how one can have a positive reaction to that gruel.
- NotSuspicious 3y ago
  Sometime in the past decade NPR became unlistenable for me. I'm not sure if they changed or I did but I rarely feel I get anything out of listening to NPR other than annoyance.
  - jononomo 3y ago
    I was just talking to someone about this exact same thing yesterday and I also made the comment "I'm not sure if they changed or I did". For twenty years I consumed hours of NPR content per day and was even a contributor, but now I can't stand NPR.
  - Workaccount2 3y ago
    Seems like an unpopular opinion, but I am in the same boat. A few years ago I got a job where I could listen every morning again after a few years without. The virtue signalling was so intense that it came off almost like a comedy. To be fair though, I am talking more about the local affiliate station (WNYC) than NPR itself. However, NPR still doesn't stray far from the core demographics of their member stations.
- UncleOxidant 3y ago
  I was just listening to On Point they were talking about music's effect on physical health (heart rate, blood pressure, inflammation, etc)
- rat87 3y ago
  I listen to NPR all the time. Through my podcast app. Very rarely do I listen to them live (mostly if android auto is temporarily on the fritz)
- ComputerGuru 3y ago
  > NPR is still pretty fun to listen to occasionally. Agreed but with heavy emphasis on "occasionally." I grew up listening to NPR. It's not the same any more - and not just compared to way back when but even when compared to a mere ten years ago. The amount of (relatively subpar) content that is purely picked and broadcast for the purpose of showcasing <instance of behavior or existence of person meeting certain carefully selected bullet points determined by the political policy of the broadcasting station> makes the signal-to-noise ratio for non-agenda-sharing listeners rather poor. It's a real shame because there are such treasures on there that drown in the sea of subpar content picked only because it serves the agenda of the station in question, and doubly-so because the national NPR w/ independently run regional stations model is absolutely terrific for promoting local journalism.
- mcpackieh 3y ago
  I haven't listened to it in some years, but IMHO the best of NPR was the pre-recorded programs like Radiolab. Live segments were mostly just yammering, in one ear and out the other, nothing said in such segments has persisted in the conscious portion of my brain.
jjulius 3y ago
>I can't remember the last time there was something actually worth listening to on "live audio". https://kexp.org/ https://kexp.org/ >... whereas live audio is sort of a crap shoot. Crap shoots can be fun, though!

dmonitor 3y ago

NPR is still pretty fun to listen to occasionally.

progrus 3y ago
Fresh Air has become an audio tranquilizer for old black ladies and their old white “allies”. There is a clumsy attempt to shoehorn race-baiting into nearly every story, followed by a commercial for neuropathy medicine. I can’t even begin to imagine how one can have a positive reaction to that gruel.
NotSuspicious 3y ago
Sometime in the past decade NPR became unlistenable for me. I'm not sure if they changed or I did but I rarely feel I get anything out of listening to NPR other than annoyance.
- jononomo 3y ago
  I was just talking to someone about this exact same thing yesterday and I also made the comment "I'm not sure if they changed or I did". For twenty years I consumed hours of NPR content per day and was even a contributor, but now I can't stand NPR.
- Workaccount2 3y ago
  Seems like an unpopular opinion, but I am in the same boat. A few years ago I got a job where I could listen every morning again after a few years without. The virtue signalling was so intense that it came off almost like a comedy. To be fair though, I am talking more about the local affiliate station (WNYC) than NPR itself. However, NPR still doesn't stray far from the core demographics of their member stations.
UncleOxidant 3y ago
I was just listening to On Point they were talking about music's effect on physical health (heart rate, blood pressure, inflammation, etc)
rat87 3y ago
I listen to NPR all the time. Through my podcast app. Very rarely do I listen to them live (mostly if android auto is temporarily on the fritz)
ComputerGuru 3y ago
> NPR is still pretty fun to listen to occasionally. Agreed but with heavy emphasis on "occasionally." I grew up listening to NPR. It's not the same any more - and not just compared to way back when but even when compared to a mere ten years ago. The amount of (relatively subpar) content that is purely picked and broadcast for the purpose of showcasing <instance of behavior or existence of person meeting certain carefully selected bullet points determined by the political policy of the broadcasting station> makes the signal-to-noise ratio for non-agenda-sharing listeners rather poor. It's a real shame because there are such treasures on there that drown in the sea of subpar content picked only because it serves the agenda of the station in question, and doubly-so because the national NPR w/ independently run regional stations model is absolutely terrific for promoting local journalism.
mcpackieh 3y ago
I haven't listened to it in some years, but IMHO the best of NPR was the pre-recorded programs like Radiolab. Live segments were mostly just yammering, in one ear and out the other, nothing said in such segments has persisted in the conscious portion of my brain.

jjulius 3y ago

>I can't remember the last time there was something actually worth listening to on "live audio". https://kexp.org/ https://kexp.org/ >... whereas live audio is sort of a crap shoot. Crap shoots can be fun, though!