Radio

[Gwenhwyfar]

Any recommendations for the best French radio stations to listen to for hearing/learning French?

[Richardrawlings]

You don't say were you are but if you are in England try the following

Long wave 162, 183 or 234 they seem to be mainly chat except for 234 you can also have a look at RFI on the web

 

rgds

[Piprob]

When in France we have it more or less permanently tuned to 'France en Terre'. It's a bit like Radio 4 - if you can stand it - but without John Humphries! Its mostly chatter, on all sorts of subjects, and good to get your ear tuned.

[GRT17]

"France Inter" is a good one and as mentioned above it is like radio 4 in the U.K. "France Bleu" gives a lot of local chat and news but the jingle "France Bleu x 2" can become annoying! "Nostalgie" is not bad in short doses.

If you like classical music then "Classique FR" (I think that's the name ) is like Classic FM and "France Musique" is good as well. there is obviously less speaking on these two but they usually describe the music they are about to play and the speaking tends to be less hurried.

Gill

 

p.s. It's a great way to improve your French

[Tourangelle]

France info.  It is around 105.5, and it is nothing but news, but the good thing is that is constantly repeats itself.  I can't listen to it for too long now, because it annoys me but, when I first got here and really wanted to improve my French it was great, because it was like doing repeat listenings.  Also, as I got to know the little jingles, I knew what was coming up, and also they don't do discussion programmes as such, but just little interviews or monologues.  Now I listen to Europe 1, influenced by my French husband and I really felt I'd reached a good level in French when, a few years ago, I started to find Laurent Ruquier funny...

[The Riff-Raff Element]

I'd agree with Jane - Europe 1 is pretty much the best "talk" radio, though possibly not for people begining French. As for music radio...its all fairly dire. By default (because they are easy for me to find!) I end up with RTL2 or Alouette ("toujours plus de hits!" - no, you've got a play list of about 50 and 43 of them are awful). If you would like to plumb the depths, NRJ is particularly moronic though. The ONLY thing I miss about the UK now is some half decent music radio. TV I can take or leave - we'd never get SKY - but once ADSL happens to us I look forward to having xfm back. Unless anyone could suggest an alternative?

[Gwenhwyfar]

Thanks everyone, just going to listen to the stations you have suggested. I'm in France and I listen to the radio on my computer - they installed ADSL here a couple of weeks before we moved in, they must've know I was on my way

[Piprob]

Thanks to GRT17 I now know why I can never find 'France en Terre' - because it's actually called France Inter - which hergoodself says she knew all the time, if I'd just thought to ask. Font of all knowledge, or what!

[Ianhaycox]

You can get loads of UK radio stations on SKY, not just all the BBC ones but loads of independent/local radio and XFM especially for jond. Plumb your SKY box into the HiFi.