Best listings guide but a tad BBC biased (Radio Times)

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Product:	Radio Times
Date:	21/07/00 (3 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Handy table top TV guide

Disadvantages: Listings free online, in newspapers...

The Radio Times is the only magazine I buy regularly. An occasional lifestyle magazine, a computer one if they are reviewing something I want to buy or have something on the CD, or the local daily paper but otherwise I don't spend much on reading material in the newsagents. This may give the impression that the Radio Times is worth buying - well it is an it isn't.

The problem with the Radio Times is that it's unnecessary now. Every newspaper has free daily listings, weekend papers also carrying a weekly guide. The internet has many sources of television listings information, including the Radio Times' own web site which carries more channels than the magazine. Sky Digital and OnDigital have on screen programme guides and there is always Teletext.

With so many sources, plus other television listing guides which are a lot cheaper then why buy the Radio Times? Convenience. I just pick it up and look at what is on TV, I don't have to start the computer, load whatever program. With a magazine it is there on the table waiting. As for on screen guides, cheaper listing magazines and newspapers, they don't give as much detail about the programmes.

The Radio Times gives coverage across all genres of television, most listing guides only seem to be interested in getting soap opera coverage on every page. The writing is also of a reasonable quality.

Although not a problem the magazine does seem to have a tendancy to be biased towards the BBC. Look at the front cover, drawings at Christmas and Easter, movie stars if being interviewd otherwise someone appearing in a BBC programmes (television or radio). Try and find someone from another channel being given the front page, apart from as a small side story.

A more serious problem is the coverage of non-terrestrial channels which is rather poor. The don't include many, and of those a lot don't come wth any programme details. I realize it would
require more pages and puch the price up but it would be worth it. Even S4C in Wales gets squashed into the side column where regional variations go. Channel 4 still has its large column even though not everyone in that area can receive it.

Radio coverage is fairly unique feature, although the name would seem odd without it. But here there is coverage of only BBC local radio stations, not commercial ones. They don't even cover all the national commerical radio stations. Does this mean more people want to listen to Radio Norfolk than the football on Talk Sport.?

For all it's faults though it is still far better than the competition and for sheer convenience I will continue to buy it.

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