It was the coolest thing: For the first time, I could listen to music and news programs from all over the world, including numerous English-language programs originating from non-English-speaking countries.
As trite as it sounds, this radio literally opened up a new world to me. I probably learned more about the rest of the planet with my ear tilted toward that shortwave than I ever learned in a classroom.
A few years ago, when I first ventured onto the Internet, I was delighted to discover that much of what I listened to in my youth was now even easier to tune in, thanks to computers. Once again, I could tune into music and news programs from around the world. And, for the first time, I could pick up FM stations all over the United States, too.
Below are a few of the sites I visit periodically. I have to admit, though, that my interest in international radio isn't as deep as it was some years ago, so it's likely there are many great sites on the Net that I don't know about. If you have favorites that aren't listed here, please pass them along. I'll be happy to list them in this space, or use them in a future column.
The site, kindly passed along to me by Suite 101.com reader Jonathan Prince, is one of the best I've encountered. If you want to bookmark only one audio news site, this is the one.
At Listen to the News, you'll find audio from dozens of radio and TV sites around the world. National Public Radio, the BBC, CBC, Radio Prague, Radio Nepal -- all of that and more are available here.
When I reading on or off the Web, I like to click on an international station and let it play in the background. It's interesting to hear the top story of the day in, say, the Caribbean or in Ireland and compare it with what's leading the news here in the United States.
Unfortunately, the programs often confirm what you might expect: Pretty much the whole world is a rotten mess. Somehow, though, it doesn't sound quite so bad when it's explained to you in a Caribbean or Irish accent.
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