Pesky Government Announcement!

Here in the UK you pay a mandatory extorsion called a television licence to watch basically rubbish and never ending reruns, So why would anyone expect it to be any different for radio.

Dave/SOD,

Yes, ok they are relatively inocuous, but try hearing it every 20 or 30 mins or so after a while one becomes first innured to it, and then secondly, absolutely fed up of it. That's what really gets me, the repeats, repeats, repeats, repeats. Something like the Chinese Dripping Water Torture. Which may be rather apt considering where it all started, and looks like it's kicking off again.

Mike E.,

I have very mixed feelings about the TV Licence. I haven't paid it for two, or is it three years now due to my age, but I note that the BBC wishes to bring it back. One part of me says No, scrap it, but then another part says, but what will replace it? Do we actually wish to have the BBC channels smothered with adverts? Frying pan & fire springs to mind here. As it is, we have a habit of recording anything we are interested in, and then fast forwarding over the ads, that is, as long as the DVR keeps working. But the trouble is, if we miss something on the programme schedule and find it later, then we might end up suffering the ads. And yes, I'm well aware that the ads pay for a lot of the present programs but overall, I have those very mixed feelings.

Peter G. Shaw

I have no intention of paying for the TV license when it is re introduced for us oldies. I have already removed my TV aerial and disconnected the aerial and distribution amplifiers. There is now no RF tv signal in the house. I am also in the process of blocking live streaming URLs on my 2 laptops which have internet capability. Anything to do with the BBC is already blocked and I am working my way through all the other sites I can find. Hopefully I will soon only be watching non BBC catchup sites, for which one does NOT need a license. Oh I cannot watch TV on my smart phone because I don't have one. I expect to be harassed by the license authority, but they can get stuffed!

In the workshop I have a CD player and listen to a lot of heavy metal. (appropriate for a metal mangling shop)

Edited By Anthony Knights on 18/06/2020 07:59:49

Get yourself an internet radio or listen on your computer or phone. There are several US stations that are funded by public subscription so almost continuous music and no adverts.

B

I don't know how anyone can concentrate with music playing.

Brian

.

I’m bewildered, Peter

I gave up listening to Classic FM because I found the Commercial Advertisements so intrusive

... Is there something even worse in the style of these important Government Announcements ?

MichaelG.

So who would pay for advertising on Classic FM?

I do listen in the car and at home and am staggered by the incompetence of who ever sorts out the adverts.

You can often hear 10 seconds of an advert followed by a few seconds of another and then back to the original. Sometimes with comedy results.

I wouldn't have thought this possible in this day and age but Classic FM seem to be able to do it again and again.

I have felt the frustration of Peter Shaw long before the Govt announcements started.

I got sick of hearing the joyful singing of "The Claims Guys" and then was horrified after the deadline to find that you can claim if your bank mis sold you investments. They also ran adverts by several charities for free will writing which coupled with the cancer care adverts caused my wife and I to dub it Classic Death M.

I have nothing against any of these and am not against adverts and announcements but there are many things that need to be advertised and much that should be announced Just not the same things every half hour.

Now listening to Prime Music

David.

If you get a radio with a TV type remote you can use the mute button

A radio with a mute button. Isn't that called a

First of all, I only listen to ClassicFM in the workshop. SWMBO makes sure of that!

Secondly, I'm not about to pay money for additional audio equipment to be used only in the workshop. See my previous post on this, and note that I can only receive VHF FM on this radio.

Thirdly, I do go through phases whereby the radio never gets switched on.

Fourthly, generally speaking, when I'm in the workshop, I can ignore the other ads. In any case, there seems to have been a change recently as the ads seem to have diminished. It's just that this blasted government ad starts off with "This is a government announcement." And then goes on to say you must do this, you must do that, you must not do this, you must isolate for 14 days if we tell you. And quite frankly, after the fourth, or fifith, or tenth time of hearing it I find it extremely annoying.

Fifthly. And this is perhaps more important than any of the above. I do not have a smart 'phone. Neither does my wife. I do not want a smart 'phone. I cannot understand why people appear so frightened of being out of contact for more than a few minutes. And, whilst I am on about it, I neither need nor want internet access 24/7. Actually, that last sentence is not quite right, but I can't express it any other way. I do have internet access 24/7, but on my computers, and if I'm away from home, then ok I'll do without until I get back home. FWIW, I do have a bog standard basic mobile 'phone which spends 95% of its life switched off. Indeed, I only carry it with me when I go out as a means of assisting the emergency services if I collapse whilst out. If I was to say that my monthly bill averages about £2 per month all in, perhaps that puts it in perspective. (Incidently, I took advantage of a special offer some 20+ years ago which is why my contract is so cheap.) Which makes a mockery of the attempts to track & trace. Blue tooth? What's that? (Ok don't answer, I do know, but it's showing what I think.) Email addresses? Ditto. I've no doubt these people can find out what my mobile number is, and my many email addresses, but I don't give them out willy-nilly.

And finally. Concentration. Maybe I'm lucky, don't know, but I find that I can switch off from extraneous noises if I need to, that is until something particularly intrusive arrives. Another point is that the radio is only on quiet - mustn't disturb the memsahib - and easily gets drowned out by the noise from whichever machine I'm using.

And, I suppose, another finally. How else am I going to hear the delights of Soave, si'a il vento, Ave verum, or the Pastoral Symphony?

And with that, toodle pip,

Peter G. Shaw

Peter +1

I cannot remember when I last listened to a radio, at home or in the car. Certainly do not have a radio in the workshops.

100% agree. Radio is too much of a distraction when trying to contemplate life, the universe and everything as we olduns do in our sheds. In fact I have no idea when I actually touched the knobs on a radio or tv last.

I have more than enough to think about other than listen to the rubbish turned out by todays media. Long may the world pass me by. Apart from the garden I have not been out of the house since the start of lock apart from the monthly trip to the chemist which I do to keep the car moving.

regards

I have started listening to classic FM but admit the ads are a PITA, our local radio 3CR is now complete dross, just Covid related ad nauseum, I thought Brexit coverage was bad but the pandemic coverage is in a whole different league.

Tony

Being a Son of the Broad Acres I'm with Mr. Shaw all the way, with one exception: I have all my favourite music on a spare workshop computer which plays in shuffle mode. I got rather fed up with hurling stuff at my late Fathers wireless set, in annoyance with announcers, pundits, interviewers or whatever. 2 reasons for that, firstly the varnished case was getting damaged and secondly it took ages to find the stuff which would ricochet off it.

And before you ask, Peter.. made in Grassington, reared in Mytholmroyd.

I empathise with Peter's difficult listening problems, me too.

Doing computer work at the dining table I find it helps to listen to music. Not all will do: Jazz drives me mad, as does tiddly pom, pom, scrape, scrape classical, Rap, Disco, Opera, Gregorian Chant, Harsh Noise Wall, Elevator Musak, Folk, Country & Western, and UK Garage. (Many honourable exceptions apart!) Even worse, drama, adverts and news completely destroy my concentration.

Not so doing physical jobs the workshop. There I can listen to the spoken word. Unfortunately still no coconut because intermittent machine noise spoils the programmes!

Technology saves the day. I have an MP3-Player with earphones. I pre-load it with a selection of music, drama and whatever else I want to listen to. My choices, when I want to listen to them, that can be paused, and no adverts. No-one will fix broadcasting for us but it is possible to dodge the worst. It's what the young folk do...

Dave

I would agree with the OP that repeated Government announcements would be annoying, but rotating multi -horsepower machinery and sharp and pointy tools require my full uninterrupted attention at all times. They might not function quite as well as they once did but I've still got all the bits of me that I started with and intend to keep it that way 🤞so no radio at all in my workshop.

Trevor

10ba12ba,

I know Grassington fairly well because MemSahib insists on dragging me there at times. (Actually all she really wants is for me to pay for things. Such is life.) If and when the restrictions are lifted, there is a very good chance we may take the caravan to Esholt Lane Caravan Site in Gargrave. Also used to visit The George Inn at Hubberholme. That was before we got married.

Mytholmroyd. Cragg Vale. Coiners? Calder Valley. Hebden Bridge. Heptonstall. Hardcastle Crags. Gibson Mill. All places I've been to occasionally. Also Ripponden Con. Club for the Boxing Day Dance - now that's going back a bit. I was born (depite what some people say) in Halifax although the parents lived at Stainland. Attended Elland Grammar School. Family trips as a sprog might be up and around Baitings both before and after it was built, then to The Derby Ram was it? I forget. And then down to Mytholmroyd via Cragg Vale. And back home via Tuel Lane and Sowerby Bridge, onto West Vale and up to Sowood. In those days it was a bit of an adventure, especially in a side-valve Ford Prefect with a 3 speed box, vacuum wipers, and cable brakes.

Eh lad, tha's started something now tha knows.

Peter G. Shaw

Blimey lads! I've been wondering what's brought on all this mithering? However, it's becoming clear now that it all has its origins in Yorkshire - so that explains it .

Stay well chaps,

Rod (a southern softie, born and bred)

Ah'l tell thi wot our Rod, It's good to get thi mind of of all these goings on, tha knows.

Peter

I have to admit to having an old cd player / radio in the garage / mancave but it is set on FM for my local radio station. this is usually set on the local presenters programmes at a regular time every day & volume is set loud enough to provide background music. I can also claim to have selective hearing ( ssh; don't tell SWMBO ) so when I have my eyes & hands on the lathe / milling machine my brain goes into radio silence so I can only predominantly see & hear what the machines are doing. So apart from catching the main news items every hr on the hr it suits me fine.. .