What is the point of the radio when you have a CD player in your car?

Seriously. I swear I am the only person who never listens to the radio. I don't see the point of not controlling what you want to hear while driving (or doing anything). FM Radio is full of egocentric DJs, repetative playlists, and commercials.

I know that this isn't the case with all FM stations, but the thing that bothers me about most radio stations is that, sometimes, DJs or station owners are paid "through unoffical channels" by record companies to play the lastest single from "pop band A" or "emo band 4" in heavy rotation. This leaves almost no room for other bands to make a legitamate debut. I'm not saying that I hate popular bands for being popular--I just hate the shady nature of some FM stations (and the music business, but that is a different thread).

As slightly mentioned above, I don't see how anyone can enjoy the radio because of the constant commercials. Hearing FM radio commercials is like having 1,000 pop up ads activating at the exact same time. Not only are commercial breaks too long, but the same commercials (usually played in the same order) are played in every break!

That and the radio station has to remind you that you're listening to X station you are tuned in on countless times a day. A common radio promo goes like this (fake radio station name will be called WSUK):

"*whoosh noise* You are listening to W[the W gets repeated about twenty times, and every time it gets repeated, the letter is pronounced faster and faster] *radio song clip here* S *radio song clip here* U *Radio song clip here* Kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk."

Sadly, this "short" promo is longer than their short commercials.

Now, this is what ALWAYS baffles my mind. I can't count how many times I have seen people with hundreds of CDs (or somewhere around 50) in a CD case, or scattered all over their car...but THEY STILL LISTEN TO THE RADIO MORE THAN THE CDS THAT THEY PAID MONEY FOR.

This would be like buying the most expensive car in the world, customizing it, and proceeding to take public transporation everywhere. Hell, even if every CD you own is burned, why would you take the time to burn those CDs (yes, this even counts if you listen to nothing but radio songs)? The whole thing is pointless.

I know what you are thinking by now (besides the fact I made this too long). If I am so dead set on choosing what I listen to as an individual, wouldn't it be stupid to cut myself off from the radio because I might let a band I like slip by?

Well, I have a solution to all of that. I either download an album of a band I am interested in listening to (let's face it, you don't need FM radio to hear about a band anymore), or I go to cdnow.com (or wherever) and check out some samples. If I like it, I'll buy it when I have the chance.

I can't be the only one who thinks FM radio is pointless. To close this, I list a few points why listening to what you want while driving is much better than flipping through the same three radio stations you truly hate, but you don't want to admit it:

*There is never a time where a song comes on that you don't want to hear (I'm not stupid, I know there are tracks on CDs that you don't like, but those can be skipped which beings me to...)
*You can't skip songs on the radio
*You're a safer driver because you aren't spending more than half the time fiddling with the radio controls to find the same boring, generic song that you heard an hour ago
*You never have to hear some jackoff stroke his/her ego between every single song
*Your songs are uncut and uncensored
*As said before, no commercials
*Listening to what you want when you want it is always better

The only radio I've ever been crazy about is XM Radio, since you can explicitly choose what type of music you want to listen to (the channels are sorted by decade, genre, etc.), there's such a variety of songs that you can listen for days and not hear anything repeated, there's an ample supply of songs you'll think it's a crime you'd never heard before, and there are little to no interruptions by DJs or anything else.

Yeah man, satellite is fine by me. My thread is mainly about FM radio. I forgot to mention that! Thanks!

Really? With me its the opposite: I'm the only one I know who still does listen to the radio every now and then (admittedly anyway).

I never could figure out this "radio" thing.

I dunno, i have older cars so FM radio is all i have for music. Other than..*shudder* radio disney >_>

Uk has crappy radio stations, except for 1xtra and some of the pirate ones. I just listen to tunes on my comp :)

I was in traffic when the space shuttle landed earlier this year and had to listen to it on the radio. Quite exciting:rolleyes2

I haven't listened to the radio in years, literally. It sucks.

I listen to the radio all the time. My job involves delivery, and none of the work trucks have a CD player. However, I often listen to the radio in my cr as I only own about 4 CDs and they tend to get old after awhile.

I agree with most of your points about the radio, I just would rather have that then total silence, I guess.

Radio is good for news or information in general, not for music.

I don't have a CD player in my car, but I like listening to the radio. We must have good stations around these parts.

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Originally Posted by Dreddz

Uk has crappy radio stations, except for 1xtra and some of the pirate ones. I just listen to tunes on my comp :)

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Pirates? o_o YARRRR!

When I bought my CD player I specifically wanted one that had a good radio along with it so that I could listen to my favourite station. Of course, it still turned out to be not so good, but whatareyougonnado.

I have a few stations that I almost never have any complaints about. I like to listen to the personalities and I actually do like to hear someone talking on ocassion and hear some songs that I don't happen to have.

*There is never a time where a song comes on that you don't want to hear (I'm not stupid, I know there are tracks on CDs that you don't like, but those can be skipped which beings me to...)
Once in a while a song will come on that I really don't like, but it's a small inconvenience.

*You can't skip songs on the radio True, but I can press one button that will give me another station for the duration of that song.

*You're a safer driver because you aren't spending more than half the time fiddling with the radio controls to find the same boring, generic song that you heard an hour ago
I never fiddle with my radio controls because I have only a couple of staions that I listen to and I rarely have any complaints with them to have the need for fiddling.

*You never have to hear some jackoff stroke his/her ego between every single song
Depending on the personalities, but I like to listen to the ones on my station because they make me laugh.

*Your songs are uncut and uncensored
The station I listen to most does not censor or cut songs.

*As said before, no commercials
Again, it depends on the station. The station I listen to has commercials geared towards it's audience and they're more funny than annoying.

*Listening to what you want when you want it is always better
Sometimes I get bored with everything I have and like something different.

Leeza pretty much covered it all. I like the radio, especially XM. I really appreciate my cds, but it's nice having a bit of variety once in awhile, not knowing what's next. I also get to listen to some stuff that I normally wouldn't have been exposed to. It's an all around good experience for me. :monster:

I only listen to ESPN Radio - the specific genre of music I like just doesn't come on anymore. I have an mp3 player that I can connect into my tape player, so I use that.

If I get tired of the CDs I have on hand, I'll listen to an '80s station. If I don't want to listen to that, I turn my radio off.

The only radio I want to listen to is NPR for Car Talk.

I can't remember the last time I ever listened to the radio on purpose.

*There is never a time where a song comes on that you don't want to hear (I'm not stupid, I know there are tracks on CDs that you don't like, but those can be skipped which beings me to...)
Once in a while a song will come on that I really don't like, but it's a small inconvenience.

--But most of the time I find that there isn't a song that I like on any station. I am not picky when it comes to music, but most stuff played on the radio is so lifeless to me.

*You can't skip songs on the radio True, but I can press one button that will give me another station for the duration of that song.

--See above.

*You're a safer driver because you aren't spending more than half the time fiddling with the radio controls to find the same boring, generic song that you heard an hour ago
I never fiddle with my radio controls because I have only a couple of staions that I listen to and I rarely have any complaints with them to have the need for fiddling.

--Well, most people that I have seen use car radios frequently seem constantly mess with the controls. I guess you are one of the few exceptions!

*You never have to hear some jackoff stroke his/her ego between every single song
Depending on the personalities, but I like to listen to the ones on my station because they make me laugh.

--Yeah, radio personalities can be funny sometimes, but if I put on the radio to listen to music...I want to listen to MUSIC!

*Your songs are uncut and uncensored
The station I listen to most does not censor or cut songs.

--Well, if you listen to stuff that isn't "offensive" I can see how what I said doesn't apply to you or anyone else in your position. That's fair.

*As said before, no commercials
Again, it depends on the station. The station I listen to has commercials geared towards it's audience and they're more funny than annoying.

--Once again, the commercials are frequent. I don't care if every commercial is hysterical. I put on the radio to listen to music, not to be told what I should buy. I'm a grown up. I am capeable of making my own decisions.

*Listening to what you want when you want it is always better
Sometimes I get bored with everything I have and like something different.

--Put in a different CD. I listen to many different types of music, so that's why I never need to listen to the radio. Every time I am in someone else's car (because that's honestly the only time I ever hear FM radio) I hear the same crap every time. There is ZERO variety of music selection on the radio. You rarley hear me say "'X' song is overplayed" because I don't decide to put it on constant rotation all day.

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Originally Posted by kikimm

Leeza pretty much covered it all. I like the radio, especially XM. I really appreciate my cds, but it's nice having a bit of variety once in awhile, not knowing what's next. I also get to listen to some stuff that I normally wouldn't have been exposed to. It's an all around good experience for me. :monster:

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You're not listening. I only have a problem with FM radio. XM radio is great. However, not many people have it yet. I know that it is rapidly growing, but most people listen to FM radio. As much as I like XM radio, I still have a problem with not controlling what I want to listen to, I admit. But it cuts out all of the other crap that I despise about FM radio.

And I already explained in my original post how I expose myself to different stuff without sitting through FM radio.

Example: I heard a lot about The Mars Volta. I really got sick of people talking about them all the time, so I checked out their songs through the internet. It turned out that I loved them, and I listen to them frequently these days.

I find that if there is a band out there that I like, I will end up hearing it no matter what. The band can be underground or as big as the Beatles--I will end up hearing it. I haven't listened to much radio in the last decade, but my music collection continues to grow (with much variety)--and FM radio has played no part in it on a personal level.

You wanted to know what the point of having a radio in a car was and we gave you our points, but each to his own I guess, Sephex. :)

Putting in a different CD is still a CD that has been played over and over so something totally different and not knowing what comes next, as kimmin has said, is sometimes just what is needed.

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Originally Posted by Sephex

*Your songs are uncut and uncensored
The station I listen to most does not censor or cut songs.

--Well, if you listen to stuff that isn't "offensive" I can see how what I said doesn't apply to you or anyone else in your position. That's fair.

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Most of the stuff I listen to is offensive, but yes, on ocassion they will play a clean version of a song and then have the next song be uncensored. Doesn't bother me because it's not like I haven't heard the uncensored song a million times before.

I listen to a station that rarely plays a song I don't like, and during commercials I switch to a similar station. Radio saves money and CD-switching time.

99% of the music I listen to doesn't come on any radio station, which is interesting since I listen to about 99% of the musical genres.

Im seriously considering buying Siruis just for Howard Stern

There are some absolutely awesome radio stations in my country. Concert FM is brilliant - classical, baroque, opera, jazz and contemporary music, as well as deep and meaningful artist interviews and documentaries. It combines great and meaningful music with loads of historical and musical info, and it's totally commercial-free thanks to state funding.

National Radio is similar, but focusses on a wider range of music and information, as well as being one of the country's leading radio news providers. None of the hype or bulldust that pollutes TV news or newspapers; it's also the only place you'll find a real documentary these days.

On the commercial side of things, there's Radio Hauraki, which used to be a pirate station but turned legitimate, and plays nothing but classic 70s and 80s rock - Metallica and the like. Nothing else.
Not my favourite station, but good if you like that kind of thing.

For me, listening to the radio can be a great way of broadening your interests. With CDs, you know who or what you're gonna hear. With the radio, there's a chance you'll discover something new.

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Originally Posted by Del Murder

I listen to a station that rarely plays a song I don't like, and during commercials I switch to a similar station. Radio saves money and CD-switching time.

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People switch CDs? I have been listening the the SAME CD for the past 8 months and before that the same CD for....1.5 years or longer.

FM radio is complete . If I want a funny radio personality I turn on AM radio or switch over to NPR. Why? Because those people are actually good enough to talk for hours on end without becoming stale.

AM RADIO!!!!!!!

I usually listen to Fresno's local rock station in the morning while I'm on my way to school. Or, at least, I did until they replaced it on Monday.

I'm sure you've probably heard of this guy, Sephex, since apparently he's #1 in Chicago. Some homeboy named ManCow, and it's TERRIBLE. Needless to say, I find myself more reliant on my own music than I was before at that time of day.

And yeah, while I'm workin', I usually switch between my CDs or KRZR or, if it's there, whatever games happen to be on the sports radio stations.

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Originally Posted by Fresno

I usually listen to Fresno's local rock station in the morning while I'm on my way to school. Or, at least, I did until they replaced it on Monday.

I'm sure you've probably heard of this guy, Sephex, since apparently he's #1 in Chicago. Some homeboy named ManCow, and it's TERRIBLE. Needless to say, I find myself more reliant on my own music than I was before at that time of day.

And yeah, while I'm workin', I usually switch between my CDs or KRZR or, if it's there, whatever games happen to be on the sports radio stations.

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Yeah, ManCow used to be cool untill his ego became bigger than the moon. I remember this one day he said government helecopters were spying on him at his apartment. That's when I stopped listening to him (this was years ago when I listened to that show when I had an office job). Which reminds me, I forgot to mention that talk shows are fine by me too, not that I listen to them in the car much. But I reserve that for AM radio these days.

I don't have a CD player in the family car, but if I did... :p

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Originally Posted by Hawkeye

Im seriously considering buying Siruis just for Howard Stern

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Same

FM Radio is frickin' terrible, especially in my parts. The absolute crap they call music that is top 40 pop is totally overplayed, and the mindless banter, and stupid jokes the local DJs say here is unbelievably stupid. I find myself wondering "Who in the hell enjoys this?"

I agree with every thing you said in that first post, Sephex. All I ever listen to is my CDs. Ever.

They don't play the stuff I listen to on the radio around here, either.