Morning View

I was woken, as is usually the case when Himself isn’t in town, this morning by the radio alarm.

I should probably point out that I am not the most tech savvy person in the world, I do not yet own an iPod (although I am about to cave) and nor do I understand the fascination with iPads, Kindle Readers or indeed word processing, give me a pen and paper any day. Yet my radio alarm is the height of sophistication. It connects to my non existent mp3 player, it has multiple alarm functions, but the point of my buying it initially was to indulge in digital radio. I love being woken up by the radio, it’s a far friendlier way to wake up than the obnoxious beeping of an alarm clock but it must be said I desperately miss my UK go to radio stations of choice, BBC 6 Music and Radio 4.

Having worked in student radio, and having donated more hours of my life than I care to remember to reading OffComm rules about broadcasting in the UK I can safely say that Irish radio certainly has the ability to grate on me a little. I have found a couple of stations that will keep me up to date with the news, and entertain me during the day, but breakfast radio: Yuck.
Until recently I was being awoken by the radio alarm, and then getting up and switching on the laptop to BBC 6 Music. In the words of a friend I continue to fear the loss of Keaveny, Laverne, Bacon, Adam (and even Joe) to the likes of James, Moyles and Fearne effing Cotton. I can’t stand the radio for retards approach that Radio 1 have recently adopted, and I just can’t quite fathom the switch to Radio 2. I remember Chris Evans when he was a Radio 1 DJ; and despite my eternal respect for Limerick’s finest, Sir Terry Wogan, things will I fear never be the same. I’m too young for Radio 2, but too old for Radio 1. The blogosphere is a wash with “Save BBC 6Music” posts, go and read them, they are probably far more eloquent that I could ever be.

This post has a different purpose. I wanted to flag the presence of RTE’s 2XM digital channel. Although not 6Music, I think for morning radio it is of some quality. There is no talking, and no news at 7:00am, which quite frankly, when I’m in my pre caffeine daze, will do; I’ll catch up on the content of The Today Programme when I get to work thanks!

Digital radio is still relatively new in Ireland, but the offerings of the national broadcaster RTE cannot be reasonably ignored. 2XM broadcasts a wide range of music, from Monday evening Bluegrass to a show donated entirely to indie record labels. It’s a brilliant start, but that is just it. It’s a start, and its not going to get me very far, other than giving me the impetus to get in the car, and get going, given I can pick up Radio 4 LW (old school) on the car stereo. 6 Music proves the potential that stations like RTE 2XM have, all I’m really asking for is someone to talk at me just a little bit in the morning. Evening programming is all good, but by 10pm my attention span goes about as far as a 30 minute instalment of mindless chewing gum for the brain TV. All I’m asking for is someone with a modicum of intelligence, a news bulletin and the usual good music in the morning. Either that or Shaun Keavney to move to Ireland…

Am I missing something? Or should I just bung a CD on of a morning and stop compaining?