scrubbedexpat097

NPR all the way.You get a bit of everything.

I love listening to Frank Deford on my way to work Wednesday mornings..

dinosaur

Frank Deford

Have disliked him for as long as I've lived in the States due to his condescending views on footie.

Otherwise agree NPR provides the best US-produced radio content. However, overall, it doesn't come anywhere close to the depth of programming on R4.

Scouse Express

Here you go.......alas poor Alan has gone to that great Radio Station in the Sky.

His style; Less of the B.S - more of the music

Jim.

Jensmate

NPR is fine but the good programming is primarily news focused and in tiny amounts (7-9am, 12 -2 pm, 5-7 pm) interspersed with vast amounts of orchesteral music or opera.
Define good?
Lots of radio drama, comedy, books, reality-based programming, gardening programs. Radio 4 for the US.

farmerwife

Not all American radio is so bad....... Garrison is still great and on NPR every week.

http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/

A must listen for me

scrubbedexpat097

He makes me laugh.....


Garrison Keillor

When I have to work Saturday afternoons I listen to Prairie Home. I always tell myself not to because I find his voice annoying but some weird magnetism to this show draws me back everytime...........

Manc

that's the same effect "Beadle's About" had in the UK.

scrubbedexpat097

Right.

evoal2003

Didn't they just give you the JohnJay and Rich breakfast show thats hilarious.

Gezza

Lack of comedy?

Have you heard any of their black "screaming" preachers?

Seriously, I enjoy Radio4 comedies i.e "Just a minute" or "Sorry I haven't a clue", but in my humble opinion, BBCR4 have a rather consistent and well defined "anti-christian" focus, which in recent years I have found pretty predictable and off-putting.

I also like everything about US and forgive my cowboys their cheesy radio.

Steerpike

For good radio here, there's NPR. They have a mixture of news, interviews, etc. I always found Radio 4 boring. Are you looking for 24 hour radio drama? I enjoy "A prairie home companion" but I wouldn't want it more than once a week. For music, of course, there is Sirius/XM (Satellite) - hundreds of channels commercial free.

For similarly good TV here, there's PBS. While British TV is of a high standard, the sheer quantity of TV here (assuming you have digital cable, or satellite) virtually guarantees that there is 'some' good stuff available at any time. We watch tons of good science, nature, history, documentary and other programming on channels such as History Channel, Science Channel, Discovery Channel, and - of course - the various PBS channels out there.
You do have to 'search' for these shows, but - they are out there. On UK TV, by comparison - the quality is high but, if you want a 'nature' show you may be SOL and have to watch a documentary, or whatever.

simongb

I also prefer American TV to British TV. There is always something to watch. I do prefer certain shows on Brit TV (the Royle family and Benidorm, for example), but on the whole US TV has more quantity. US radio is dreadful. It's painful to listen to. I paid $100 to have XM installed in my car. I just couldn't stand the same old 80's songs on the radio. I guess many people (the locals) don't have anything to compare it to, so they don't know it's bad. I have been in the UK a lot this year and I love Radio 4. It's just the best. NPR is the closest thing to R4, but does not come close in the quality of the shows and the depth of the debates/news etc. I do listen to R4 and Radio Manchester on the internet when in the US. This helps me feel connected. Now, if only the BBC iplayer would work outside the UK!

tamms_1965

NPR is only part of public radio. Each individual station chooses which national (and international...BBC World News is carried a few times a day on one of the locals here) programs to carry and what their local music/talk shows will be....they're mostly run by colleges.

Thydney

Don't you mean SERIOUS?

another bloody yank

I believe you answered your own question. The other part of the equation is that commercial radio stations (as well as TV) exist for one purpose and that is to sell advertisement. They are not there to provide quality entertainment/information or anything else, any programming is just bait to get listeners to stay on that station long enough to hear the commercials.

Garrison Keillor's nose breathing makes me want to smash the radio. He has some good music every once in a while but the rest of his show is so painfully boring it makes me want to drive into a bridge piling for a little exitement.

And why does the audience love that powdermilk biscuits thing? If it's some kind of joke, I don't get it.