Comments on: The perils of choice on the radio http://james.cridland.net/blog/2008/06/23/the-perils-of-choice-on-the-radio/ Radio, broadcasting, websites, and beer. Possibly. Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:15:13 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: patrick syms http://james.cridland.net/blog/2008/06/23/the-perils-of-choice-on-the-radio/#comment-33553 patrick syms Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:27:09 +0000 http://james.cridland.net/blog/?p=618#comment-33553 On the subject of too much choice, you should take a look at Barry Schwartz's <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Paradox-Choice-Why-More-Less/dp/0060005696/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1215005061&sr=8-1">Paradox of Choice</a>. But I think you're right that the absolute number isn't necessarily the problem, provided you have a means of making sense of it all. On the subject of too much choice, you should take a look at Barry Schwartz’s Paradox of Choice. But I think you’re right that the absolute number isn’t necessarily the problem, provided you have a means of making sense of it all.

]]> By: Alastair http://james.cridland.net/blog/2008/06/23/the-perils-of-choice-on-the-radio/#comment-33377 Alastair Sat, 28 Jun 2008 22:19:48 +0000 http://james.cridland.net/blog/?p=618#comment-33377 Tim Webb's guide seconded...came in handy at the Delirium Cafe in Brussels, which claims to have 2000 beers. Although you can discount a good 500 of them, I reckon, as being fruit novelties (e.g. banana) or from other countries. Why go to Belgium to drink London Pride? (actually, why go to the end of your road...) Tim Webb’s guide seconded…came in handy at the Delirium Cafe in Brussels, which claims to have 2000 beers. Although you can discount a good 500 of them, I reckon, as being fruit novelties (e.g. banana) or from other countries. Why go to Belgium to drink London Pride?

(actually, why go to the end of your road…)

]]> By: Paul Garrard http://james.cridland.net/blog/2008/06/23/the-perils-of-choice-on-the-radio/#comment-33318 Paul Garrard Wed, 25 Jun 2008 10:13:58 +0000 http://james.cridland.net/blog/?p=618#comment-33318 Apart from the telly DAB is the only way to get the wonderful 6Music. On the Belgium beer front, might I suggest Tim Webb's Camra guide to Belgium beers? Apart from the telly DAB is the only way to get the wonderful 6Music.

On the Belgium beer front, might I suggest Tim Webb’s Camra guide to Belgium beers?

]]> By: Links for 2008-06-24 - tonyscott.org.uk http://james.cridland.net/blog/2008/06/23/the-perils-of-choice-on-the-radio/#comment-33309 Links for 2008-06-24 - tonyscott.org.uk Tue, 24 Jun 2008 13:58:23 +0000 http://james.cridland.net/blog/?p=618#comment-33309 [...] The perils of choice on the radio [James Cridland] [...] [...] The perils of choice on the radio [James Cridland] [...]

]]> By: Olly http://james.cridland.net/blog/2008/06/23/the-perils-of-choice-on-the-radio/#comment-33302 Olly Mon, 23 Jun 2008 22:26:44 +0000 http://james.cridland.net/blog/?p=618#comment-33302 I'm slightly suprised by this post James 'cos you miss the fundamental advantage radio has over all those other things you mention. That is, there is no investment in listening to a particular station... you do so until you don't like it and then press a button and another station appears. Using your beer analogy, just imagine if you could drink as much or little of a particular type of beer and then when you were bored, or even you fancied a change, you simply pressed a button and another type of beer was in glass. Oh, and all the beer was free. Is the risk of looking at a beer menu of 300 beers not that there is a huge array of choice, but you will have to part with your cash and invest in one over another (you could ask for a sample, but they'd probably get annoyed after your third or fourth). And it's deciding which is the best investment for your money that is the problem. And, how did you know which is your favourite beers? How did you know you even liked dark beers? Probably because you tasted the others and decided you didn't like them. But then you moved onto a different one until one you liked. With the Sky EPG analogy (am I the only one who things the EPG is the most badly designed thing ever?) the investment is not that you are spending money but you are spending time. Should you be investing that time when there is the possibility that there is something better on another channel? Radio's advantage is that you are rarely investing time to listen to the radio; it's often simply a by-product of doing something else. So, on my drive to Stevenage tonight... I usually listen to FiveLiveDrive but it was tennis, so I listened to the start of the Eastern-share on 3CR, then got bored and listened to some strange station on 107.8, then I think Heart and then Radio 2 (via Radio 4). Did I lose out because I wasn't listening to something better on the other side? Possibly, but I don't think I did because the purpose was not to invest my time listening to the best thing possible, it was to listen to something that accompanied me up the A1. Eventually I might discover a station that I tend not to get bored of, or I'll learn about a particular programme that I'll look out for (on the return journey I was listening to Radcliffe & Maconie), because experience has taught me these are good things I will enjoy. But even with 1,000,000,000 stations you are likely to go through the same procedure of simply listening, deciding you don't like it, and moving on. I’m slightly suprised by this post James ‘cos you miss the fundamental advantage radio has over all those other things you mention. That is, there is no investment in listening to a particular station… you do so until you don’t like it and then press a button and another station appears.

Using your beer analogy, just imagine if you could drink as much or little of a particular type of beer and then when you were bored, or even you fancied a change, you simply pressed a button and another type of beer was in glass. Oh, and all the beer was free.

Is the risk of looking at a beer menu of 300 beers not that there is a huge array of choice, but you will have to part with your cash and invest in one over another (you could ask for a sample, but they’d probably get annoyed after your third or fourth). And it’s deciding which is the best investment for your money that is the problem.

And, how did you know which is your favourite beers? How did you know you even liked dark beers? Probably because you tasted the others and decided you didn’t like them. But then you moved onto a different one until one you liked.

With the Sky EPG analogy (am I the only one who things the EPG is the most badly designed thing ever?) the investment is not that you are spending money but you are spending time. Should you be investing that time when there is the possibility that there is something better on another channel?

Radio’s advantage is that you are rarely investing time to listen to the radio; it’s often simply a by-product of doing something else. So, on my drive to Stevenage tonight… I usually listen to FiveLiveDrive but it was tennis, so I listened to the start of the Eastern-share on 3CR, then got bored and listened to some strange station on 107.8, then I think Heart and then Radio 2 (via Radio 4). Did I lose out because I wasn’t listening to something better on the other side? Possibly, but I don’t think I did because the purpose was not to invest my time listening to the best thing possible, it was to listen to something that accompanied me up the A1.

Eventually I might discover a station that I tend not to get bored of, or I’ll learn about a particular programme that I’ll look out for (on the return journey I was listening to Radcliffe & Maconie), because experience has taught me these are good things I will enjoy.

But even with 1,000,000,000 stations you are likely to go through the same procedure of simply listening, deciding you don’t like it, and moving on.

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