Listening to the Radio

Yesterday I spent a lot of time on the road, taking 4 Sr. High campers to camp. Yeah, 7 hours roundtrip will wear on you. Mindy knows this and puts up with it: When driving, I prefer listening to talk radio more than music.

I listen to sports talk radio, and it causes me to think. I don't listen to everything, and I don't think that every sports talk radio show is appropriate for a Christian. Sports talk radio shows I enjoy include FSR's "Gametime React" with JT the Brick, and "The Third Shift" with Ben Maller. I enjoy the Dan Patrick Show. I absolutely love the "The Colin Cowherd Show" on ESPNradio.

I used to listen to and enjoy the Jim Rome show, but as the show progresses, it is pop culture/entertainment with a little sports sprinkled on top. I guess what it comes down to when discerning what I listen to is: If I can't play it in the car with my wife sitting present - I shouldn't be listening to it by myself. Period. If you're a Christian - you shouldn't be listening to the Jim Rome show, no matter how entertaining it is. It's crude and inappropriate in many areas.

Other shows annoy me, and are simply a waste of time. Shows like the Drive with Chris Myers disturb me because they are all about ratings, the hosts form no opinions of their own, all they do is take phone calls from listeners (letting them do the show), and they are always trying to be potically correct. Once in a while they will talk to an athlete, but they talk about the same topics for hours and hours, not forming any opinions, only moderating. Yuck.

My philosophy when it comes to radio talk shows is this: the fewer the hosts, the better the show. If you've got 2 hosts, 1 is usually annoying and just tells me that the better one isn't disciplined enough to have his own show. What are the most successful shows? Jim Rome. Rush Limbaugh. Colin Cowherd. Etc. Single hosts - hosts that take a stand, defend it and once in a while take a call from a listener.

I came to the point yesterday where I just had to turn the channel. I was listening to the Chris Myers show, and I realized, in the past 2 hours I haven't learned anything more than I could have learned in a 30-second update - and heard a lot of callers saying the same thing. That's a waste of time.

I turned the station to the FM dial and listened to some CCM, but after a few songs realized that I have problems with that movement and wasn't comfortable listening to it. I don't listen to secular music, so I found an NPR station, and in the remaining 1/2 hour I learned a lot and loved it because it wasn't time wasted!

How many 27-year-olds settle on National Public Radio for their listening enjoyment? Well, count me as one.