Still Wireless
When I was a kid in Ireland, I lived in Dublin proper, so there were myriad options for entertainment – besides the obvious of just hanging around with your pals.
There were libraries, museums, theaters (especially at Christmas for Panto) and lots and lots of cinema. Oh, and of course there was TV, but to quote my father, “not in my house until there is something on that silly box worthy of the eye strain.” So, my window to the outside world was radio.
Our radio choices were limited. We had RTE, Irish radio with lots of music and cultural shows (boringggg), AFN (Armed Forces Network) the go-to place for rock and roll, and the BBC with lots of drama, soap operas and news.
Now I have cable television with channels I haven’t even tried yet, AM/FM radio where I can get my rock fix on at least ten local channels, DVDs, iPods, etc., etc.
If you told me years ago I would tune into RTE by choice, I would have said you were daft. But I do listen now to keep up with the home ground, and I listen quite often to the BBC for world news and their shows; each day there is an afternoon play with short dramas of all types.
There’s a point to all of this: One of the BBC Radio plays this summer will feature Torchwood and all its usual suspects. The story will revolve around the opening of the world’s biggest particle accelerator in Cerne, Switzerland. What a fabulous way to bring science and sci-if together. As well as my memories of daily radio show, and love of Torchwood.
