I Have Sirius Envy, but Stitcher Helps!

I'm talking about radio; specifically talk radio.  I don't have a SiriusXM subscription in my car, and probably won't purchase one.  NPR keeps me happy for the most part, with a mix of CD's and favorite commercial radio stations for music.  But I have wished for more radio stations that focus on my individual interests and have found that Stitcher is a wonderful source.  I discovered it while exploring apps on my smartphone and feel like I have struck gold.

Stitcher is like Pandora (music internet radio) in that you can select talk radio stations based on your own preferences and create your own station.  Then you can choose the particular program and podcast from your own station's menu when you are ready to listen. 

My own Stitcher station has a mix of programming about books, health, gardening, politics, writing, food, travel, and news.  When I go to my station, I can choose the program and the most recent podcast, or other podcasts that I may have missed.  I can also choose live radio by state or front page news.

I usually listen to my own station.  It was created by selecting programming from broad categories including Comedy; Business and Industry; News and Politics; Education, Society and Culture; Entertainment, Games and Hobbies, Lifestyles and Health; Local; Music Commentary; Parenting, Family and Kids; Science and Medicine; Spirituality and Religion; Sports; Technology; In Spanish; and World and International.  Many of these broad categories are broken down into subcategories, so that you can find just the kind of programming you want to put in your own station.

The problem may be that you will need to winnow your list down, there are so many choices -- but that's a good problem!  For example, there are about 40 programs about books and authors alone!

My radio listening has been pretty much limited to my car in the past, but now I am listening more often on my smartphone as I get dressed in the morning or work around the house.  I can also listen to my personal station on my computer through Stitcher's website.  I think that radio is pretty much like tv in that the deciding factor is the quality of the content.  Of course, "quality" is subjective, so if you want to listen to 18 hours of talk about sports or even just football, that's your call.  I can accept that, while I listen to hours of talk about books!

You might want to give Stitcher a try.  The smartphone app is free, so you could add it and explore the possibilities.  You can also download Stitcher to your computer through their website at  http://www.stitcher.com/home.php 

In future posts, I will tell you about some of my favorite Stitcher programs.

Happy Listening!
Annie