Do other countries have talk radio?

[La Coliniere]

Although I've been to many other countries on 3 continents during my lifetime, I've never tuned in to talk radio (or any radio for that matter)in any of these places. Besides the obvious language barrier in countries where I don't speak the native tongue, I'm usually too busy simply being a tourist to care. Do British, French, Dutch, Brazilian, Mexican and German citizens openly express their political opinions over the airwaves? I've listened to Canadian talk radio and I've noticed a lack of vitriol in the national discussion vis a vis the USA, but folks seem to be saying what's on their mind. What' talk radio like in other democratic countries?

The reason I ask is that I just heard "liberal" radio talk host Leslie Marshall proclaim that only in America are citizens "free" to say what's on their mind when it comes to politics, that our"freedom" to express ourselves is truly exceptional.

Hey DUers who live outside the USA. Is this true? Or is Marshall off the mark with her statement? I've rarely listened to her show, but when I do I hear a LINO: liberal in name only.

[CountAllVotes]

1. they have such programs in Amsterdam

I know that much. My friend in Amsterdam told me they have many such programs on the radio there. :D

:dem:

[La Coliniere]

4. Dank u!

Thought this was probably the case.

[Bjornsdotter]

2. Sweden does

...they have talk radio. My guess is that Marshall has never been out of the US, people like this usually haven't.

Cheers

[La Coliniere]

5. Tack!

Probably still talking about the death of Ingmar Bergman, RIP.

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. Mexico does

[La Coliniere]

6. Gracias!

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. De nada, hell my dad listens to it

when he comes to visit, we get it from the massive transmiter down in TJ

[Igel]

7. In '94 I ran into in the Czech Republic.

Not nearly at the fever pitch as in the US. Rather sedate and soothing, to be honest. Not nearly as partisan.

Didn't check in Poland in '05. Didn't have a radio in the room we rented (should have, now that I think about it, but we didn't).

[Selatius]

9. I guess everybody didn't listen to BBC radio in Nazi Occupied Europe.

Yeah, the freedom to criticize government exists in several countries outside the US. The US isn't ahead of the curve as far as democracy is concerned, not anymore.

[Gloria]

10. Every Sunday I listen to "Have Your Say" on the BBC World Service...

I love hearing the articulate people from various Middle East countries, including Iraq and Iran, call in and challenge some of the more Bush-loving guests....

[muriel_volestrangler]

11. Britain has it, but it's nowhere near as popular as in the US

Various local radio stations will sometimes have phone-ins, but hardly any are dedicated to 'talk'. One national commercial station started as mainly talk, but, for commercial reasons, is now mainly sport-based - see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TalkSPORT . The phone-in segments it does have are a bit varied - it has Garry Bushell, a right wing Murdoch columnist, but also George Galloway. There are 'fairness' standards that mean they can't be as biased as US presenters are allowed to be - eg

In August 2007, an apparent homophobic remark made by Bushell during a jokey exchange on the talkSPORT programme Football First caused the regulator Ofcom to find the segment in breach of standards for failing to justify offensive material by the context in which it was presented.<6> <7> A discussion about the 2008 European Cup Final, which was to be held in Moscow, digressed on to the topic of a recent gay rights march in Russia. When Bushell, while making light of the arrest of the activist Peter Tatchell, was questioned by a co-presenter because he appeared to find the situation amusing, he responded: "I would not go to another country and try and impose my views on them, it’s up to them what they do. I think there are a lot of things to put right in this country before you go around preaching the gospel of perversion." Ofcom rejected talkSPORT's claims that the comments made had been "off the cuff" and talkSPORT themselves issued a statement saying that its staff had been "made aware" that what Bushell had said was "unacceptable".<8> <9> Bushell later said that it was not homosexuality which he was referring to as a peversion, but the further lowering of the age of consent; and that his remarks were taken out of context.<10>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garry_Bushell

[mmonk]

12. Rwanda

[kitty44]

13. Ah - good point. n/t

[SoCalDem]

14. They probably do, but my guess is this

MOST civilized places have LIMITED time for campaigning, so maybe they don;t need to do the "perpetual campaigning" that happens here..

and most have parliaments..where coalitions are more important than any one candidate..

Since Bush1 left it's been NON-STOP..and irritating as hell:P