A History of the World

[ardcarp]

...in 100 objects is being re-run on Radio 4

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00r2hky

I found this series and its superb presenter Neil MacGregor most absorbing first time around. Listening to the first episodes again tonight helped put life, the universe and everything into even better perspective, given our present woes. I think all 100 programmes are probably available on 'Sounds', but it's good that steam radio is bringing them to our attention again.


Can anyone make the pictures for this series on the BBC website actually work?

[DracoM]

Cold not agree more.

[richardfinegold]

What is steam radio?

[ardcarp]

What is steam radio?

A metaphor. Old fashioned terrestrial FM that you listen to as it's being broadcast.

[DracoM]

Wasn't it a term for ANY radio? Esp MW back in the day............?
Affectionate but expressing some sense [ not really? -shock horror!!] that it was a bit dithery and doddery?

[ardcarp]

The days of so-called' terrestrial' broadcasting are probably numbered. The younger generation seldom look at (for instance) The Radio Times to see what's on. Their viewing is entirely from YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hayu and various platforms including occasionally the BBC and ITV i-Player. It's just a question of when the latter stop sending out stuff using old TV aerial technology. After all, hardly any of it is 'live' anyway. Even if there's no wifi, iPhone packages nowadays come with such vast amounts of data that streaming films 24/7 doesn't seem to be a problem.

[richardfinegold]

The days of so-called' terrestrial' broadcasting are probably numbered. The younger generation seldom look at (for instance) The Radio Times to see what's on. Their viewing is entirely from YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hayu and various platforms including occasionally the BBC and ITV i-Player. It's just a question of when the latter stop sending out stuff using old TV aerial technology. After all, hardly any of it is 'live' anyway. Even if there's no wifi, iPhone packages nowadays come with such vast amounts of data that streaming films 24/7 doesn't seem to be a problem.

Have you explored digital radio? Seems to be a never ending variety of live fare and no weather related interruptions

[Serial_Apologist]

The days of so-called' terrestrial' broadcasting are probably numbered. The younger generation seldom look at (for instance) The Radio Times to see what's on. Their viewing is entirely from YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hayu and various platforms including occasionally the BBC and ITV i-Player. It's just a question of when the latter stop sending out stuff using old TV aerial technology. After all, hardly any of it is 'live' anyway. Even if there's no wifi, iPhone packages nowadays come with such vast amounts of data that streaming films 24/7 doesn't seem to be a problem.

Nevertheless it is "live" in the sense that people will be listening to whatever is on at the same time; one loses that sense of being part of a community all experiencing the same thing simultaneously, which is not to be had by way of iplayer or youtube. One muses of these aspects of belonging in an otherwise individualising society once they are gone.

[teamsaint]

What we think of as terrestrial broadcasting still has a huge reach, enormous power, and isn’t going to disappear any time soon.
The BBC ( and ITV/C4) sets agendas. Anything it covers gains very great traction, even down to local TV news stories. The multiple other other channels ( in the broad sense)disseminating news and information take their lead , their stories and their info from them, so that many of us are accessing BBC content almost by proxy, not necessarily reflected in official viewing or listening figures.
I think the power of the “terrestrial” broadcasters should be underestimated at our peril.
It feels a lot like the so called death of the print book, which has turned out to be an opportunity to distribute content in a variety of ways simultaneously, but in which the release of the hardback version of the print book is still the key moment.

[johncorrigan]

...in 100 objects is being re-run on Radio 4

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00r2hky

I found this series and its superb presenter Neil MacGregor most absorbing first time around. Listening to the first episodes again tonight helped put life, the universe and everything into even better perspective, given our present woes. I think all 100 programmes are probably available on 'Sounds', but it's good that steam radio is bringing them to our attention again.


Can anyone make the pictures for this series on the BBC website actually work?

Thank you, ardcarp. I have the book which I love to go through and I made CDs of the series years back to listen to in the car. Neil MacGregor can do no wrong in my book. Did you ever listen to his series on Shakespeare's restless world? - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b017gm45
I didn't know much about Shakespeare, but this series of programmes completely opened my eyes. I picked the CDs up in a charity shop and it is well up to MacGregor's usual high standards.

[ardcarp]

I hope no-one thinks I want terrestrial broadcasting to disappear...I was just being a prophet of doom. I love Long Wave radio because it has such a long reach. You can pick up R4 halfway down the French coast, all from a single transmitter in Daventry, central England. Also you can get the Shipping Forecast up to 200 miles offshore for the price of a transistor radio. The alternatives are a somewhat outdated system called Navtex (which also uses radio waves) or the extremely expensive satellite technology.

Going back to my original point, youngsters use their phones for everything. I think even a digital radio set would seem a museum piece.

I like SA's point:

Nevertheless it [terrestrial broadcasting] is "live" in the sense that people will be listening to whatever is on at the same time; one loses that sense of being part of a community all experiencing the same thing simultaneously, which is not to be had by way of iplayer or youtube. One muses of these aspects of belonging in an otherwise individualising society once they are gone.

I would add that when it really is live.....sport, news, choral evensong (!)...there is something very special about it. Does anyone remember the 'buzz' of That Was the Week That Was? Hard to imagine the risk taking these days.

And johnc. thanks for the tip about Shakespeare's Restless World. I see they're on 'Sounds'. Something to look forward to!