Recommend Live Radio Shows

May 4, 2010 6:31 AM

Does anyone have any suggestions to some live radio shows ala Live Wire Radio or Praire Home Companion ?

I guess I'm looking for live radio drama, sketches, music, and not so much news commentary like Wait Wait Don't Tell Me. I'm preferably looking for shows with MP3's available for download. I'd also take suggestions for sketch comedy available for mp3 download, not video.

posted by TuxHeDoh to Media & Arts (8 answers total)

Since you like Garrison Keillor, you might also like The Writer's Almanac podcast. It's short and has brief little historical factoids about along with a poem at th end.

You might also enjoy old time radio in general, as A Prairie Home Companion draws inspiration from that, as well as from vaudeville.
posted by wheat at 6:58 AM on May 4, 2010

CBC's WireTap with Jonathan Goldstein is a big favorite of folks on the blue. The sketches are half-written, half-improvised modern self-aware comedy, and are easily one of my favorite things on the radio.
posted by l33tpolicywonk at 7:02 AM on May 4, 2010

CBC's Vinyl Cafe is more akin to Prairie Home Companion. Wire Tap is amazing but it's as completely different in character as possible.
posted by GuyZero at 7:07 AM on May 4, 2010

The B-B-C's Just A Minute is a goofy live game show, where guests are asked to speak for one minute, "without hesitation, deviation or repetition". Very funny, and very British. There's also I'm Sorry, I Haven't a Clue, My Word! and of course the inimitable Goon Show.

Unfortunately the Beeb doesn't make these shows available for free download (presumably because they're rather timeless and there's still money to be made from selling them on CD), but I have seen them on iTunes.
posted by embrangled at 7:21 AM on May 4, 2010

Oh heavens, are you familiar with Bob and Ray?
posted by Madamina at 7:41 AM on May 4, 2010

Response by poster: Thanks for quick replies...going to be checking out Wire Tap and Vinyl Cafe.. although I'd love to have a recommendation for a current I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue-type show too...

The Writers Almanac is not really what I'm looking for. And OTR is ok, but I'm really looking for current stuff.
posted by TuxHeDoh at 8:29 AM on May 4, 2010

Response by poster: I discovered a term that helped me track down a few more.... Radio Variety Show.... I'm guessing this is what I'm really looking for.
posted by TuxHeDoh at 10:23 AM on May 4, 2010

Good news, I'm Sorry, I Haven't a Clue is still running. Looks like the next expected series is Spring 2010, which is soon, I presume. You might also be interested in Public Radio Fan, which helps you find your favourite non-podcastable programs on the streaming audio feeds of radio stations around the world. You can also search by genre - check out their list of live music and variety shows.
posted by embrangled at 5:29 AM on May 5, 2010