To wonder who cares about the activities of people phoning radio stations

[Gooseinthewood]

Why do radio presenters ask people where they are going, what they are doing etc? I barely care what my family and friends are doing this weekend, never mind Stacey and John from Worcester going up to Derby for a wedding.

I station hop because ADHD has blessed me with a short attention span so I do just turn it off before anyone suggests it.

I just wonder if there are people out there who excitedly tune into Radio 2 / Heart FM or whatever and turn the radio up, so they get to hear that Colin is off to work as a window cleaner today or Jayne met her husband in 1982 when working in Safeway.

I only listen to the radio to hear Steve from Bolton say he's not up to much today. Highlight of my morning

Oh god OP, this could have been written by me. I HATE with a passion radio phone ins, they're bad enough when they're a serious subject, so a debate about Brexit or PIP or whatever is bad enough but Sue and Barry are on the M1, they've got a brunch date at Little Chef with their 110 year old grand mother and its a special surprise, blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah

Shut up!!!

We play bingo on planet rock. Someone is usually working a shift or doing diy.

It’s to encourage people to interact with the radio station. The radio is on at my work for background noise, the talking segments are fine as I’m barely listening anyway

Its people singing (karaoke style) and kids that are the worst. I have to turn radio 2 off when that stupid kids in the car comes on.

I’m not alone! I rant about this a lot! Well, less so now. I’ve stopped listening to the radio!

I was literally thinking about this earlier. But I also listen to Jeremy Vine on R2 a lot and also wonder how so many people happen to phone in to share a story of the topic he’s talking about?! I wonder if it’s real or they just call for the fun of it and make it up…

I quite enjoy those segments 😂 I guess I'm their target market.

On the radio tonight Gemma Atkinson did a phone in of the weirdest things you’ve borrowed off a neighbour…. After “Tools” said his boiler was making a funny noise and his neighbour lent him a carbon monoxide alarm!!

I mean who bloody cares!

There's an off switch, I believe. Just put something else on if you don't like it

LBC is a guilty pleasure don't tell anyone. I absolutely love a phone-in, listening to the nutters, especially the right-wing ones and the conspiracy theorists. But all of them really.

I hate listening to radio djs. The absolute tripe they repeat over and over drives me mad. Dh likes it on occasionally luckily I am good at tuning myself out. At least Brian from Doncaster is better than the people hosting the shows. Just give me non stop music without the waffle.

I don't mind so much if its at least funny anecdotes
I like having the radio on, I don't want to switch it off, I just am pleased I'm not alone in not caring where a stranger is driving to.

I think it's historical. Not that long ago most people chatted with colleagues/neighbours and so on about what they were doing, now it's considered intrusive.

The radio is tricky, the DJ needs to create a rapport quickly with somebody they don't know, put them at ease, and create some content. Yes, its a bit cringy, I'm sure its actually often quite difficult for the DJs too!

I love listening to Absolute Radio. They have the best DJs by far.

I don't like any chat on a supposedly music station. I don't mind items on, say, Radio 4, but I can't stand inane chat about trivia. "And this afternoon, we're talking about our favourite crisps ...' - fuck off.

'Breakfast shows' are particularly bad for this. And phone-ins are as bad as the DJs.

And yes, I do use the off switch and play a CD if I can't escape the chat, but I like the randomness of music on the radio. I like the way a track can come on that I hadn't heard for a long time, and it sparks memories or unexpectedly lifts my mood, and you don't get that effect with your own CDs or playlists.

Sara Cox is really quite loud and ott in the morning. Suppose it makes me get up and turn on bbc breakfast and then get annoyed with Naga

Yabu.

It’s just chitchat which some people are interested in and some people aren’t.

Just as some people will be interested in your thoughts on the matter and some obviously won’t 🤷‍♀️

Me, too! I feel quite cut off from the vagaries of ordinary life these days. Since Facebook went impersonal, I'm almost limited to Mumsnet for the kind of random insights I used to get in the shops, on the tube, at work and down the pub. I get a little - very little, but that's point - warm feeling when Geoff tells the nation he's making cheese toasties for his kids.

I quite like them too. If I’m on a long journey it makes me feel less alone.

I can't listen to Jeremy Vine for this exact reason. His voice and (I hope) faux confusion over the simplest things, alongside his apparent passion to hear what Stan from Essex thinks about the Royal Family or whatever is just another level of pretending to be an ostrich in today's world. So many real things going on, then this is on prime time radio. Why? Some people must think it is spot on though as they have regular listeners who seem to love getting wound up by anecdata and speculation.

Oh god I’m so with you, I never have the radio on in the car anymore, I listen to podcasts I’m interested in or just music on Spotify, I cant handle the banal insincere radio nonentity of phone ins punctuated by music I wouldn’t choose. When I get in dhs car he listens to talk sport but puts on 6 music or whatever (which is also annoying but less annoying than sport on the radio).
I’m much happier with Spotify!

Yes this is my bete noir. It's beyond me that fully grown adults phone in to national radio to tell whoeveritiz that they're off on holiday to minehead, or they're out with the girls for a cheeky prosecco and a cream tea.
Why do they think anyone else would care?

Unless they're planning a murder and this is their alibi. In which case it would make sense ..

It’s cos everybody’s lonely innit bruv