English, baby!

Talk Radio

Date: Jul 31 2007

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

Sixty years ago, before the advent of television, families used to gather around the radio at night. There were radio shows that told fictional stories with characters, like comic books you listen to. But radio shows like that have essentially disappeared and radio is now devoted to either music or talk radio, which usually includes news, advice or discussion. Listen to Marni and Mason talk about what they listen to on talk radio.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Marni

Mason

Marni: I am a talk radio addict. I really think so. And in fact I find that my record collection…I’m not buying new albums as much as I’m coming home and turning on talk radio.

Mason: You know it’s funny that you even say that because I just started listening to NPR a lot and this going to sound stupid, but I don’t consider NPR talk radio in my head. Because to me talk radio is the annoying talking heads like we’ve got Lars Larson, or those Rush Limbaugh people.

Marni: Political talk shows where people call in and vent, Dr. Laura...

Mason: To me, NPR is like radio news. They are talking, yes…

Marni: Technically I think it is talk radio, aside from music. So there are different formats, there’s, you know your Dr. Laura, which is advice…

Mason: To me though, talk radio is the reason radio’s going to survive because I’ve got music on my iPod.

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Discussion

Marni finds herself listening to talk radio more and more often. Mason listens to NPR, or National Public Radio, a leftist, commercial-free radio station that usually broadcasts news. He says he doesn’t think of NPR as talk radio because he usually associates the phrase with loud, right-wing, obnoxious wackos like Rush Limbaugh.

Marni briefly mentions Dr. Laura, an advice show on which callers ask a mental health professional to help them with their problems. Mason says that he thinks as more and more people listen to music on digital media, talk radio will be what keeps radio alive.

What sort of radio programming is there where you live? If you had a talk radio show, what would it be like?

Comments

Sunyka111

France

I like.

oblaco848

Russian Federation

I like radio!

farzane_skysgirl

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

its a good way of learning i prefer this kind of learning

victor25

Moldova, Republic Of

Radio where you can listen just to music is a joke, it is not a radio. A real radio should inform and have debates and to be impartial or unbiased. That kind of radio is a real radio, in rest is just a joke :)

carlosbertholdi

Brazil

Well, I've never listen to radio in my whole life, I mean the actually radio, AM or FM. I've stopped watching TV too, since I started to learn English, because I can't get any channel in english. But I listen to on-line paranormal radio sometimes, it makes me laugh because just the craziest stereotype kind of American people call in, with all sorts of paranoia in their minds and I also listen to lots of podcasts.

wasimr_bat

Bangladesh

It's pretty rare i listen to radio. sometimes while way back to home i turn on radio in my car. But the radio i listen is a combination of talk radio and music radio.because both talk show and music come alternatively.

setayesh

Afghanistan

this lesson is great thanks english baby

setayesh

Afghanistan

I seldom listen to radio ,I prefer to watch tv or spend time on searching through the net. In the past ,radio revolutionized means of communication that were available at the time ,when it was mass-produced and was affordable by all people.also it really brought something,people would spend time together listening to radio programs such as news,story,music,….also helped educating people a lot and deliver information to different places.
Moreover.it brought people closer to each other and tried to make the world a better place to live.
Now with a lot of new technology and interesting instrument, some people specially young people less use of radio.
Radio in my country have a varied programs and must popular between middel-aged.

meenal

India

redio is the best

naazia

Pakistan

good lesson…I also like to listen radio.

Creamy

Ukraine

hello everyone!i’m so happy that i found a time t come back hear again.i had the best holidays in my life,and now i could really say-life is really so beautiful,nice,good and unbeliveable:)So I thing that radio and usually music is things without it our life woiuld be borring,and not so romantic!!!!!!!!!!!All my life is full of music and I thing music as lot,as i can and have time t do it.You now I thing music allways radio and fill that I’m the happynest,the righest girl in all the world.I am tring to say a wishes to all my friends and repeat again and again that i love all of tham and that thay are the best pressent that my fault present me.Lisen music and be Happinest one in the world.Write me everybody i would try to be a good friend for everyone of you!!!!!!!!!Allways your Maryana-Mary-Charry:)Good Luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!