Can one still buy a decent radio?

Internet radio

But if I'm working on my computer, how can I also use it as a radio, r1? Sorry if that's a dumb question....I'm old.

Surefire brand, what does that cover? I would maybe look at Consumer Reports.

R2 You can do both. You can just have the stream playing in the background or in a different browser tab, I would think.

Omg I can’t believe I’m reading response 1-4!

[quote]Is there just too much internet interference to get decent radio reception these days?

That's not the cause. Everyone gave up on quality broadcasts years ago, maybe 2 decades ago. All they have on there is right wing talk mostly, foreign language and Fox style news. Quality is not important to them because revenues are low. It's never going to get better, the golden age is pretty much gone. FM is now what AM was when I grew up, static reception, crap content.

What R4 said or you can buy a separate internet radio receiver, that looks like a regular radio but uses your wifi to play internet radio.

Here ya go, OP! Maybe Santa will bring you one.

OP, You can do your work and still have an internet radio by getting one of these.

Although it also has a CD player, I have only used it for FM radio. And it is fantastic.

OP i’d suggest purchasing an Amazon Echo device. You can simply ask Alexa to play almost any radio station in the world and she’ll instantly do it. You could listen to many different NPR feeds via Tune-in. And depending on the model, it’s affordable and the sound is excellent.

You also have Jeff Bezos listening to you masturbate to ass-fucking man porn daily. But so what, really.

Go to Audacy.com - you can stream the radio stations through your browser as you work. They will come out of the speakers on your computer - so for better sound get a Bluetooth speaker - Ikea has a decent one for 80 bucks. I can also stream from the Audacy app on my phone / iPad to the Bluetooth speaker in my apartment without involving my laptop.

I don’t like the idea of a smart speaker listening to me all day - so I just use a “dumb” Bluetooth one

I had an internet radio, but I didn't like it. It was just an Android device attached to stereo speakers with a lot of crap ads and apps and had to be plugged in or charged. I just want to turn something on and turn it off.

Dear god, since windows 7 you’ve been able to open multiple tabs on a browser. Tune in NPR, and let it stream in the background. Do you have a smart phone? Pair it with a Bluetooth speaker and listen all day. Who would buy a radio?

r11 has said what I was going to post so I will just second that recommendation. I also like it because I can put on music and say 'echo, one hour (or whatever amount of time) sleep timer and it will shut the music off.

I recently bought a Panasonic Portable AM/FM Analog Radio, Battery Backup, AC Powered, Silver (RF-2400D) for $25 from Amazon. Works perfectly, strong reception and no static at all. My old Grundig radio that cost $100 always is full of static and weak reception on the same radio stations. Many days it is unlistenable. The Panasonic is old school, no frills but works great.

OP does your poor reception radio have an antenna plug or connection, Amazon has many antennas for radios much cheaper than buying a whole new radio.

Radio reception depends on how close you are to the radio station antenna, anyone here claiming their radio gets great reception won't matter if OP lives a greater distance from the radio station antenna.

Tecsun is excellent. CC Radio (google the company) carries excellent products.

Just remember that you get what you pay for. No $25 radio is going to do it for you.

But if you are listening to NPR, you can almost certianly get your local NPR station (like WHYY in Philadelphia) streaming on the internet, and just have it playing on a tab while you go about your work on your desktop or laptop.

OP is adorable

Best to stream via an app like TuneIn Radio. I steam live radio channels from different countries through this app on my Sonos speakers, but like others have said, they have commercials. Broadcast AM radio is indeed mostly sports, preachers, right wing talk radio, and Mexican music. FM is hit and miss.

Another app

So many great suggestions (plus the expected DL shade)!

Keep them coming....I'm processing them all.

OP lost me at NPR

I have an old Grundig. Works perfectly, great so7nd.

I miss the old “sound” of AM radios I listened to as a kid in the 80s and 90s. At night when they turned up the transmission, you could get legit radio stations. I have an old AM radio, but nothing is really worth listening to now. Now I listen to this one of the same radio stations on an app. They play 80s radio pop, so it’s very cool when feeling nostalgic.

R27 The only station I can still find worth listening to like that is WSM-650, the Grand Ole Opry station. But, even its signal doesn't seem as strong anymore, so I listen on their app.

I am stating the obvious but Internet Radio requires connection to the Internet. That may be your only option if you are in the boonies with no decent broadcast signal though a good antenna might help. Even the best radio needs a signal but any decent radio should get good reception and selection in a reasonably urban area. Do you have some local interference like a nearby airport.

For the love of God, it took five seconds to find this. Just select the big blue "Listen Live" button.

Some people just need help connecting the dots. I only get mad when you give people options and they have twenty reasons why they can’t/won’t (it costs money, it’s a scam, I don’t believe in___, I don’t like___.). Unfortunately it’s usually older folks. I just tell them that these are the options I know, Google it and see if there are alternatives.

If you have a giant search engine at your fingertips, you can’t claim you don’t have the means to find out. Mostly it’s people who are lazy and don’t want to be bothered, so it’s easier to blame the world because it isn’t like the old timey days when things were simpler—so they just say fuck it.

I’ve had to discipline myself not to share with certain people in my life things they would greatly enjoy offered by technology, because I know it they do something at my recommendation, it’s going to be my headache/fault/responsibility when they are dissatisfied, inconvenienced or frustrated with it. Anything not immediately understandable get dismissed as shit. It’s like a kid throwing their bike down because they fell the first time they tried to ride it. Some things take time and practice.

OP is using one of these. It's probably time for an upgrade.

For emergency situations, like when you need to use a "go pack" with food and water, don't they still recommend using an actual radio - one not tied to the internet?

If you really want a radio, you may want to consider killing two birds with one stone and get one that you could use in case of an emergency - especially if you live in a hurricane, earthquake, flood, or tornado area.