Radio podcasts – What to listen out for?

I’ve been a radio listener for many years. I’m even old enough to have delved into the shortwave world, listening out for “exotic” transmissions from various parts of the world; For example Voice of Russia and the Radio Netherlands Worldwide used to have a very active English fan base and their programs gave a view of those countries normally hard to penetrate for outsiders. During visits to Pakistan in the 90’s I used to listen out for Urdu programmes by China Radio International (their accents were terrible) and the Russians plus the occasional Door Darshan from India (Indo-Pak rivalry was at its height in that decade so satellite TV was frequently jammed). At home, James Whale kept me company during those nights of revision in the mid to late 90s with his humorous but sometimes bizarre shows (he frequently used to have Omar Bakri on, wierd).

Fast forward the noughties and the present day, the Internet has bought us information from all corners of the world but it seems we’ve not got enough time to absorb it all. Still, here are some of the podcasts I currently subscribe to, maybe it will inspire you to take some time out of your hectic daily lives and have a listen.

From Our Own Correspondent

I’ve been listening to this program for years now, although not always as regularly as I’d like to. Its been presented by veterans like Kate Adie & Owen Bennett Jones and is a digest of news stories picked up by BBC Correspondents across the world. Amazing BBC correspondents like Frank Gardner, Mike Wooldridge, John Simpson and one of my all time favourites which we dont get to hear much of these days, Mark Tully. The thing that’s kept me going on this program is the sheer detail and intensity of the topic dealt with by the foreign dispatch, sucking you into the situation as if you were present with them and compacting their gems into those chosen few minutes.

Friday Night Comedy

If you’re a fan of Have I Got News For You then you’ll enjoy this show presented by Sandy Toksvig which goes through the issues of the week from a humourous angle. The chemistry between the teams works really well and its a great tongue-in-cheek look at the current media stories. Its called topical for a reason, you know..

Money Box

Paul Lewis’s show about financial affairs is a must listen to anyone interested in consumer finance. He deals with topical issues on his show and doesnt shy away from getting the answers to difficult questions from the guests that are on. In particular he’s helped get greater coverage on the mis-selling of PPI and continues to be the real consumer champion.

What the Papers Say

If you happen to be away from the news for a week and need a round-up, this is the show to listen to. What attracts me to WTPS is how they invite regular columnists/editors from the big papers who then take a pop at the parties from their own political spectrum. Recent hosts have included Fraser Nelson, Mehdi Hasan, Kevin Mcguire & Andrew Rawnsley. The mock voices they use to read out the story add a spot of humour to the show leaving you with a grin!

You can get all the links for the programmes in podcast format here