| John C. Davenport: Radio drives many to distraction 12/17/2000 By / The Dallas Morning News Long before talking on a cell phone became a hazardous driving condition, there was the car radio.
Punching in a phone number with one hand while steering with the other is not that different from punching up a radio station ... or a series of them in rapid succession, trying to find some tunes that will provide good background music, or a voice that won't make you run off the road in anger.
I have settings for 10 stations on my car radio, and I use all of 'em. The listening choices are mostly rock, with occasional forays into classical, quasi-country and R&B (no talk radio, for fear of nodding off in traffic).
This could be seen as symptomatic of our "entertain me now" culture. More truthfully, it's an indication that something worth listening to is hard to find.
Without calling out any call letters, here's a quick scan through the stations on the morning commute, punching them up one by one:
Punch ....
Public radio. Informative, but sometimes like listening to paint dry.
Punch....
"Classic" rock, playing a song I've heard 937 times.
Punch....
A station that plays up its Internet presence, which is great if you've got a computer in your car.
Punch....
Alternative rock. Or the rock alternative. Or whatever.
Punch....
Thrash rock, so named because that's what should be done to the DJs.
Punch....
Listener-sponsored: The music may not be familiar, but the pledge breaks certainly are.
Punch....
Classical. Avoid on Wednesdays, when City Council meetings are carried live (a.k.a. too-much-talk radio).
Punch....
The tunes here are a mix, meaning other stations made them hits.
Punch....
"Americana" format, the aforementioned quasi-country. Not too twangy, though the format name makes me think I should be doing needlepoint.
Punch....
The kiss of mirth. These people are almost always laughing. Sometimes it's even about something that's funny.
Ya know, maybe I'll just put in a tape ....
John C. Davenport is the Metro Diary editor. He can be reached at P.O. Box 655237, Dallas, TX 75265, at 214-977-8833 or at
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