Does anyone still listen to FM radio? Do you own a tuner?

[Dmitry]

I was thinking of picking up a beautiful McIntosh MR-78 FM tuner, and then took a step or two back. I haven't listened to and FM radio broadcasts in 10-15 years, aside from the car radio....

[Matthew]

I have a NAD C 420 that's pretty good, but honestly, FM radio is so bad, I use the tuner about twice a month. The quality of FM radio is very bad right now. How I miss the days of free-form radio.

[paul secor]

I have a good tuner - Onkyo T-9090 - not up to Mc standards, but good.

I used to listen to FM a lot in the past, but I find that there's less that I want to listen to these days. Also, I don't have an outdoor antenna anymore, so there are certain stations I can't get clearly on FM (WKCR, for one).

[porcy62]

No! There aren't serious FM stations over here in Italy, unless you love classical music, in this case you may tune your gear on Radio Maria, Pope's Fm station...if you don't mind about all that chatting against gays, abortion, divorce...between Pergolesi and Bach

BTW the tech quality of broadcasting is really poor anyway, a part Pope's station, a very strong emitter of radio waves. With some collateral effects like a higher rate of cancer in the neighbourough of its antennas. There are some investigations about it that are lasting from old time.

Edited December 15, 2006 by porcy62

[Hot Ptah]

I have a tuner and listen to FM radio regularly. We have some good jazz and other music shows here in the Kansas City area on public radio and community radio. I had not thought that they were better than other places.

[porcy62]

I have a tuner and listen to FM radio regularly. We have some good jazz and other music shows here in the Kansas City area on public radio and community radio. I had not thought that they were better than other places.

Why not in Kansas City, is the city of Count Basie and Bird, isn't it?

[JohnS]

Yes and yes. FM is fine in the UK and there's a little jazz to listen to.

[porcy62]

Yes and yes. FM is fine in the UK and there's a little jazz to listen to.

I vaguely remember I used to listen to something called Jazz FM, broadcasted in the evening when I lived in London 16 years ago.

[Hot Ptah]

I have a tuner and listen to FM radio regularly. We have some good jazz and other music shows here in the Kansas City area on public radio and community radio. I had not thought that they were better than other places.

Why not in Kansas City, is the city of Count Basie and Bird, isn't it?

It is, but that has very little impact on almost all of the residents of the city today--99 per cent of whom would not know a Basie or Bird tune if it was playing in the same room with them, and 95 per cent of whom could not pick a photo of Basie or Bird out if they were in a lineup of photos.

The public and community radio stations in Kansas City have some jazz programming. One station carries Marian McPartland's "Piano Jazz", which I still enjoy. The Kansas City public radio station has a regular, long time show devoted to "blues, soul, rhythm and blues, jumping jive and zydeco" (Chuck Haddix's Friday and Saturday Night Fish Fry, on 89.3 FM, which is a unique and excellent show by a host with a wealth of musical knowledge going back into the 1920s--hundreds of hours of it are available online at this point). There are other good shows. None of these have anything to do with Basie or Bird, or the Kansas City jazz tradition of the 1930s.

[Clunky]

Yes and yes. FM is fine in the UK and there's a little jazz to listen to.

I vaguely remember I used to listen to something called Jazz FM, broadcasted in the evening when I lived in London 16 years ago.

now call Smooth FM.... guess what it plays.......

[porcy62]

I have a tuner and listen to FM radio regularly. We have some good jazz and other music shows here in the Kansas City area on public radio and community radio. I had not thought that they were better than other places.

Why not in Kansas City, is the city of Count Basie and Bird, isn't it?

It is, but that has very little impact on almost all of the residents of the city today--99 per cent of whom would not know a Basie or Bird tune if it was playing in the same room with them, and 95 per cent of whom could not pick a photo of Basie or Bird out if they were in a lineup of photos.

The public and community radio stations in Kansas City have some jazz programming. One station carries Marian McPartland's "Piano Jazz", which I still enjoy. The Kansas City public radio station has a regular, long time show devoted to "blues, soul, rhythm and blues, jumping jive and zydeco" (Chuck Haddix's Friday and Saturday Night Fish Fry, on 89.3 FM, which is a unique and excellent show by a host with a wealth of musical knowledge going back into the 1920s--hundreds of hours of it are available online at this point). There are other good shows. None of these have anything to do with Basie or Bird, or the Kansas City jazz tradition of the 1930s.

I wrongly thought that Bird and Basie should have had an impact on tradition, something like what's happend in New Orleans, but actually they are complete different cases.

[porcy62]

Yes and yes. FM is fine in the UK and there's a little jazz to listen to.

I vaguely remember I used to listen to something called Jazz FM, broadcasted in the evening when I lived in London 16 years ago.

now call Smooth FM.... guess what it plays.......

Do they broadcast the girl and drinks too?

Edited December 15, 2006 by porcy62

[Hot Ptah]

I have a tuner and listen to FM radio regularly. We have some good jazz and other music shows here in the Kansas City area on public radio and community radio. I had not thought that they were better than other places.

Why not in Kansas City, is the city of Count Basie and Bird, isn't it?

It is, but that has very little impact on almost all of the residents of the city today--99 per cent of whom would not know a Basie or Bird tune if it was playing in the same room with them, and 95 per cent of whom could not pick a photo of Basie or Bird out if they were in a lineup of photos.

The public and community radio stations in Kansas City have some jazz programming. One station carries Marian McPartland's "Piano Jazz", which I still enjoy. The Kansas City public radio station has a regular, long time show devoted to "blues, soul, rhythm and blues, jumping jive and zydeco" (Chuck Haddix's Friday and Saturday Night Fish Fry, on 89.3 FM, which is a unique and excellent show by a host with a wealth of musical knowledge going back into the 1920s--hundreds of hours of it are available online at this point). There are other good shows. None of these have anything to do with Basie or Bird, or the Kansas City jazz tradition of the 1930s.

I wrongly thought that Bird and Basie should have had an impact on tradition, something like what's happend in New Orleans, but actually they are complete different cases.

It is a sad thing that they are not better known and appreciated here in Kansas City. I think that many people vaguely know their names, as they do pitcher Satchel Paige, another Kansas City historical figure, but the 1930s Kansas City jazz is not very popular here now. Very regrettable.

[porcy62]

It is a sad thing that they are not better known and appreciated here in Kansas City. I think that many people vaguely know their names, as they do pitcher Satchel Paige, another Kansas City historical figure, but the 1930s Kansas City jazz is not very popular here now. Very regrettable.

Strange enough for a country that is so young, compared to old Europe, having short memory.

[sidewinder]

Yes and yes. FM is fine in the UK and there's a little jazz to listen to.

I vaguely remember I used to listen to something called Jazz FM, broadcasted in the evening when I lived in London 16 years ago.

now call Smooth FM.... guess what it plays.......

It started off so promisingly back in the early 90s - half-way decent progressive jazz coverage and an excellent magazine. Only trouble was you had to live in the London area to receive it. Now in the days of the internet it's 24/7 R&B and loads of Kenny G/Boney James etc etc in between the mindless adverts. Miraculously though a strange survival from times past - 1 hour of Campbell Burnap mainstream jazz on Saturday evening (very good I might add) ).

There's rumours of a new jazz station franchise imminent - maybe they will get it right this time.

[Hot Ptah]

It is a sad thing that they are not better known and appreciated here in Kansas City. I think that many people vaguely know their names, as they do pitcher Satchel Paige, another Kansas City historical figure, but the 1930s Kansas City jazz is not very popular here now. Very regrettable.

Strange enough for a country that is so young, compared to old Europe, having short memory.

It's not a question of short memory. Most of the people here just don't like jazz when they hear it.

[porcy62]

It is a sad thing that they are not better known and appreciated here in Kansas City. I think that many people vaguely know their names, as they do pitcher Satchel Paige, another Kansas City historical figure, but the 1930s Kansas City jazz is not very popular here now. Very regrettable.

Strange enough for a country that is so young, compared to old Europe, having short memory.

It's not a question of short memory. Most of the people here just don't like jazz when they hear it.

Well, here in Rome most of the people don't like, or don't know, 'minor' artists, like painters, or musicians, or film directors, but cultural institutions or the city council promote their works, or preserve it, we feel it as culture's heritage. We can't leave everything to the laws of the economic market. Otherwise we were doomed to Britney Spears or George Michael.

Edited December 15, 2006 by porcy62

[Neal Pomea]

Interesting point about memory.

I understand that when Harry Smith released his Anthology of American Folk Music in the mid-50s, the music on it was considered old-time, almost ancient, even though some of those recordings were no more than about 20 years old at the time. We seem to have lost a lot of memory in a short span in that instance!

Now, I am not saying that today Count Basie is considered "old time" the same way Uncle Dave Macon was in the 1950s, but Walter Page's Blue Devils or Bennie Moten's orchestras probably are. Some call it cartoonish music. Fine with me, I love those old cartoons! Hooray Kansas City!

On the topic of FM, I hear it every weekend. Here in the DC area we have great shows, many kinds of music! But I mostly hear those shows on a boom box in my kitchen, so I can't help with picking out a tuner.

Edited December 15, 2006 by It Should be You

[andybleaden]

the new uk jazz digital radio station is coming on air on christmas day and is called Thejazz. Sounds like it might be worth a listen.developed by the people that created classic fm so not just smooth stuff I hope.

check internet for details

as for fm I love it

still have a really good fm tuner and outside aerial that when bbc radio 3 gives decent strength transmission is astonishingly good

[jazzbo]

Yes, I have a tuner so to speak, I have a B&O receiver in my second (living room) system. After my friend Dave stopped doing his weekly radio show a while back I've not listened to the radio much at all. Sometimes I'll put on a classical music station, sometimes I'll listen to the UT station if it has interesting music going. Really a small percentage of my listeing time.