# Radio listening habits: Do you listen to one station or do you station-surf? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 22, 2002, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-listening-habits-do-you-listen-to-one-station-or-do-you-station-surf/110353 "2002-05-22T19:20:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![WSLer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a6a055/32.png) [@WSLer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WSLer)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-listening-habits-do-you-listen-to-one-station-or-do-you-station-surf/110353/21 "2002-05-23T03:48:47Z")
Mostly listen to rock/classic rock stations, thou I do try and catch The Don & Mike Show, either live or on tape delay. I will also listen to adult contemporary/Top 40/jazz, so I think my musical tastes aren’t as snotty as some posters here. Fortunately “alternative radio” seems to have died out, thou it didn’t suffer the painful death it deserved. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-listening-habits-do-you-listen-to-one-station-or-do-you-station-surf/110353/22 "2002-05-23T15:43:24Z")
One station all the time. It’s DC 101. I usually only listen to it in the morning when I wake up. In the car it’s usually CDs. On rare occasions I will listen to the radio and I may skip stations if I’m looking for something, usually news or traffic. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-listening-habits-do-you-listen-to-one-station-or-do-you-station-surf/110353/23 "2002-05-23T16:34:53Z")
Before/After work, weekend days driving alone: NPR (there are two her I flip back-&-forth between) Any day after 8pm: Jazz stations (sometimes classical) When my wife’s in the car with me: Classic Rock \ ---
**Author:** ![auntie\_em](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@auntie\_em](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auntie_em)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-listening-habits-do-you-listen-to-one-station-or-do-you-station-surf/110353/24 "2002-05-23T17:27:34Z")
I have a 10-disc changer in the trunk. Solves all my car music worries. However, if I’m driving a different car (say, a rental) and am forced to listen to the radio, I’m a die-hard surfer. And I HATE those times when you surf and surf, and finally settle on a song you like so-so (say, “Dog and Butterfly” by Heart), and then when it’s over you start surfing again, only to happen upon the very END of a song you LOVE (say, “Funk #49” by The James Gang). Pisses me the hell off. ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-listening-habits-do-you-listen-to-one-station-or-do-you-station-surf/110353/25 "2002-05-23T17:55:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by auntie em \* > \*\*I have a 10-disc changer in the trunk. Solves all my car music worries. > > However, if I’m driving a different car (say, a rental) and am forced to listen to the radio, I’m a die-hard surfer. > > And I HATE those times when you surf and surf, and finally settle on a song you like so-so (say, “Dog and Butterfly” by Heart), and then when it’s over you start surfing again, only to happen upon the very END of a song you LOVE (say, “Funk #49” by The James Gang). > > Pisses me the hell off. \*\* _The worst!_ I think if someone invented a computerized auto-scanner that scanned your radio station and basically told you what was on each station, voice-controlled, what have you, that would make a mint. Thankfully, Mrs. CaptMurdock is usually very tolerant of my channel surfing, and since I have “repeater” buttons near the top of my dash so I don’t have to take my eyes off the road to switch stations or crank the volume, she’s doesn’t worry (too much) that I’m going to wrap the car around a phone poll trying to find some classic Ozz-ay. I occasionally switch to the AM band, but most of the rightwing talk radio guys made me livid. Not a good place to be behind the wheel. So I tend not to stay with them too long. ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-listening-habits-do-you-listen-to-one-station-or-do-you-station-surf/110353/26 "2002-05-23T22:48:32Z")
I surf, a Lot. Til i find a song I like. Then I surf til it happens again. ---
**Author:** ![easy\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/eb8c5e/32.png) [@easy\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/easy_e)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2002, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-listening-habits-do-you-listen-to-one-station-or-do-you-station-surf/110353/27 "2002-05-24T03:38:35Z")
On my ride (~30 min) home, I was in radio heaven. I kept finding songs I liked, and as soon as one was over, I’d find another, and near the beginning, too. It’s crazy the little things that make your day. I know the great radio karma wheel will spin again, and I probably won’t be as lucky for a very long time. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2002, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-listening-habits-do-you-listen-to-one-station-or-do-you-station-surf/110353/28 "2002-05-24T03:42:21Z")
With a Grundig 400 shortwave radio and a Select-Antenna, I’m a DXing fanatic. ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2002, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-listening-habits-do-you-listen-to-one-station-or-do-you-station-surf/110353/29 "2002-05-24T05:48:19Z")
My two main radio choices around here are KQXR 100.3 “The X” (alternative rock), and KJOT 105.1 “J-105” (classic and contemporary rock). Each of these stations plays a few sucky songs, though, so whenever this happens I switch to the other station. Quite often it seems that their commercial time slots are in sync with each other, though. :rolleyes: My third choice, when this happens, is an all-classic rock station. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Frink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Mr.Frink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Frink)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2002, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-listening-habits-do-you-listen-to-one-station-or-do-you-station-surf/110353/30 "2002-05-24T06:18:26Z")
Chicagoland checking in here…my station-flipping (in order of preference): [ul][li] **WBEZ** –Our local NPR affiliate[/li][li] **WLS** --AM talker…besides Rush it’s not as right-wing as most AM-Talk Radio (they recently dropped Dr. Laura…thank Ja!)[/li][li] **WCKG** –Our FM talker. A younger male-skewing talk station…Howard Stern in the mornings. It’s a lot like Los Angeles’ **KLSX** (jeeze I miss Conway & Steckler!)[/li][li] **WGN** – Chicago’s perennial #1 station. Definitely aimed at the geriatric market. But their midday guy–Steve Cochran has ‘hipped’ the station up more recently.[/li][li] **WXRT** –Our “Adult Album Alternative” station. Very good playlist. It used to be the last of the commerical stations that still allowed it’s DJ’s to pick their own music. But those days are gone. Still one of the better music stations in this market.[/li][/ul] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radio-listening-habits-do-you-listen-to-one-station-or-do-you-station-surf/110353.md?page=1)