In Praise of a Radio

Recently, my old Sony Walkman radio died. I went to a department store to look for a replacement.

The sales clerk was mildly amused by my request but did help me find one. There, among shelves displaying snappy new MP3 players and iPods, was a tiny area devoted to radios. I picked up a Walkman---which looked almost exactly like the one I was replacing. I guess, not too much effort had gone into developing a refreshed version of this dying product.

That’s too bad.

I like my radio and would rather listen to it rather than an MP3 player when I exercise in my gym. I am not a Luddite---not at all. I own all the gizmos, iPad2, iPhone and all that. However, the radio provides me with something thse other products do not.

First, there is a friendly voice guiding me through the music I listen too. I generally listen to the Western Classical music, and the short summary provided by the announcer gives me useful context and enriches my knowledge base. An MP3 player does not do that.

Second, no matter how large is my library of music, I can not match what a radio station has. So, I listen to selections I would not have otherwise encountered if I were attached to listening just my collection on an MP3 player.

The most important reason I like a radio is the word “like”. By definition, the stored music on my iPod is what I have liked. That means I would not listen to something I have no knowledge of and, therefore, has no preordained “like” associated with it.

How can I prevent my taste from stagnating if I do not explore something new? With a radio, it is just the matter of moving the dial---so to speak. I can listen to anything I want, and then decide if I like it or not. If I wish, I can always down load the best of that new “like” on my iPhone. Yes?

Radio---what is not to like?