© 2024 Public Radio Tulsa
800 South Tucker Drive
Tulsa, OK 74104
(918) 631-2577

A listener-supported service of The University of Tulsa
classical 88.7 | public radio 89.5
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Good Stuff That We Don't BroadcastOh, for a million watts, a zillion frequencies, and unlimited airtime to bring you the best stories and music from across the world's aural landscape! Permit us act as your docent to Public Radio Tulsa's sonic museum and introduce you to some of our featured discoveries.

Listen to the World: No Shortwave Radio Required

Junglecat
/
WikiMedia Commons

There was a time when many of us in radio would spend evenings turning knobs on shortwave receivers filled with glowing tubes, staining over the static to hear exotic music and news broadcast in foreign languages. We strung wire antennas in the attic, built Heathkits, and coveted QSL postcards returned by overseas broadcasters in exchange for reception reports. Ah, those were the days.

Today, thanks to the miracle of the internet, zillions of broadcasters spanning every country (and every spare bedroom) can be heard on computers, smartphones, and tablets.

Since the first Gulf War, Public Radio Tulsa has been broadcasting the BBC World Service overnights on Public Radio 89.5-1 to provide a different global perspective than what is normally heard on American media. We so believe this is vital to the discourse of democracy that we dedicated a HD Radio channel to the BBC 24/7: World Radio 89.5-3. Far from being exotic transmissions of yesteryear, these BBC transmissions in English draw upon the world's largest team of reporters, heard in static-free clarity.

But there's another source of continuous English-language world news and music, presented by the national radio services of countries from around the globe: World Radio Network. Headquartered in south London, WRN aggregates these transmissions and presents them both live and on-demand to your favorite internet-connected device.

When you haven't learned enough about world events from either NPR or the BBC, or are in the mood to hear something exotic from halfway around the globe, surfing these radio broadcasts can be a favorite pastime. And no shortwave radio is needed. Give WRN a listen.

Listen to World Radio Network