If you are an intelligent woman in your mid to late fifties which early morning radio programme do you listen to?

[Heroicghosts]

I've given up on Radio 4. I find it rather turgid. And BBC journalism in general isn't what it was.

I quite like Radio 5 live but all the sport puts me off!

I love LBC in the early evening (Eddie Mair) but don't care for Steve Allen's show.

I want proper news and informed debate (not phone ins - detest those!) but I suppose I find existing radio programmes rather "male"; I am tired of "heavy hitting" news delivery and having to be enthusiastic about sport when I'm not.

I like to listen to a morning radio programme as I go through my morning routines from about 5.50 to 8.30 am when I start work. Any ideas please?

Watching with interest. Always r4 but as you say, a bit male dominated. When r4 gets too heavy going I flick over to radio 6 music .....

Like you I'm not listening to Radio 4 as much as I used to.

However, I still enjoy Woman's Hour. I listen to the previous day's episodes on Sounds while I work out. The programmes that follow immediately after - e,g. Vaccinate the world - can also be interesting.

Radio 6. If I want news or information then I'll catch up on whichever of my podcasts have dropped overnight.

I try Radio 4 every day, but haven't been able to stick with the full Today programme probably for the last ten plus years.
I tend to listen to Zoe Ball on Radio 2.

I am totally hearing you op. I gave up on R4 a few years ago. I do like 5live to be honest but I’m a massive football fan and I can totally understand why you’d find the sport a bit much there.

So, for me, it’s either silence (I know, the horror! I’m a 24/7 radio girl!) or a podcast.

Sorry that’s not especially helpful but I wanted you to know that it’s them there radio types, not you, that’s getting it wrong.

I sometimes listen to Times Radio.

A little bit of Radio 4 while drinking my early morning tea. That's as much as I can manage as it makes me cross. Then over to Radio 3, which I find very calming.

I like Julia Hartley-Brewer on talkRadio in the mornings.
I definitely don't have the same opinions as her, but I do like listening to her rip apart government types

I’m a few decades your junior but I generally listen to Times Radio in the morning. LBC varies with the presenters (like Shelagh Fogarty, Eddie Mair and Iain Dale) but yeah the morning LBC is to not my taste. Used to be R4 without question, until the past few years.

However tiresome and annoying the Today programme can be, it’s still the best round up and exposition of the current news. I turn off at Thought for the Day, not just because I can’t stand it but because that’s when I generally arrive at work.
Farming Today (05:45 - 06:00) probably has the best interviews and analysis on the radio, but it’s a bit niche.

What about podcasts instead? I rarely listen to the radio any more.

1 & 4.
I can't listen to radio 1 until Greg James has stopped their stupid yesterday's quiz as it does my head in. Radio 4 for the first hour then music.

World service but am a news junkie

R4 sometimes but I do tend to zone out a little sometimes. 6Music and Absolute 90s whilst I'm in the shower.

Although I did put R4 on when I was in the kitchen yesterday abs got so engrossed I ended up muttering at the radio...

Very BBC loyal but it does grind my gears. Listen to Jo Whiley now in the morning via Sounds.

My absolute favourite morning radio show is Scotland Outdoors on Saturday mornings, the presenters are brilliant, it's both relaxing and interesting.
I usually listen to the Today Programme but keep having to switch it off but that's mainly the fault of our infuriating politicians.

Probably not want you want, but I catch up with the news online, between morning tasks, but listen to Classic FM. If I want to know more about a news item, I look at different reports online.

I was going to suggest World Service to the OP. I'm a Today addict and although I do shout a lot at the radio it's still the format and content I prefer.

I did think that Amos Rajan had injected a bit of much needed oomph into his interviews but he seems to have vanished from the programme. I know he got in a bit of hot water following historic tweets critical of the govt and anti-royalist (I think) but haven't heard he's been formally dropped. I hope not.

Thanks for all of the replies everyone! Glad to know it's not just me. Maybe we should form a collective and produce our own show ?

I'm a creature of routine and habit and like to listen to a radio show I feel "at home" with every day but there just doesn't appear to be a good candidate ATM! Thanks for confirming that BitOutofPractice!

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g Radio 4 makes me cross too!

I sometimes wonder how present middle-aged women are among the higher ups in radio. Or if they are present, do they feel pressured in to conforming with "what men want" in order to keep their jobs?

I am looking for some intelligent centre/liberal/left leaning news with an international/open minded perspective. Not woke or right wing but curious, well researched, able to embrace different view points, with interesting interviews that are rigorous without being heavy-handed.

I appreciate the suggestion Spotcheck but I am not sure I could stomach Julia Hartley-Brewer! I will check it out though!

And I will have a listen to Times radio too.

I listen to the World Service. It's good to hear a variety of stories from around the world. There are a variety of different presenters and it generally feels a lot calmer than the UK stations.

Another vote for Times Radio.

And Sunny Govan! But you have to be in Glasgow for that...

How early are you thinking? Nick Ferrari is on LBC from 7am and I don’t always (often) agree with him but he’s an outstanding journalist

My radio alarm comes on to radio 4 at 6am and I listen to the headlines as it gives me a good idea about what they are going to spend the show talking about. If they lead with partygate or any of this other trivial stuff I turn over to Tines Radio ( which I used to like but irritates me too lately) . I am on tube at moment and listening to a podcast which is actually much better and more relaxing!

Not exactly what you asked for, but the BBC World Service puts out two half hour episodes a day of their Global News Podcast which is good for finding out what’s going on in the world. I catch up later on in the day though, can’t handle the state of the world first thing!

Another vote for the World Service. (I'm 60 now but also listened in my mid-late 50s.)