Silly Question: Radio, TV, and Talk in the Mornings -- Love it or Hate it?

[Natasha]

In general, I'm a morning person. I consider myself to be one because, after the first few minutes of adjusting to being up, I tend to not mind it, and usually quite like it (and I usually don't even drink coffee until I've been up for an hour and a half! ;)). I love the peace and quiet that mornings often bring, and the calmness outside, and the anticipation of another interesting day and the feeling that I can accomplish all kinds of good things before the day is over. :)

BUT -- I like my mornings to be relatively peaceful, and dislike too much noise in the morning. I know a lot of people who like to get up to music or talk on the radio, who like to have the radio or TV on when they get ready or drive to work, or who meet their friends on the bus and carry on a long conversation. All those things can energize them and make them more ready to face the day. (My husband, by the way, falls into that category of person, and it never fails to amaze me.) :) Anyway, not so for me (though I'm not adverse to listening to the radio for a big news story, traffic or weather). I'm not much for chatter in the morning, especially the talk show variety that includes much hooting and hollering, and obnoxious commercials. :eek: Those are the things I really can't stand in the mornings (in fact, I never have much tolerance for that, regardless of the time of day). Music is much better, but I'd rather do without for those first couple of hours. I can talk pleasantly with others when I first get up, and like a bit of small talk with others, but am content with that.

But enough about me. How about you? Are you someone who wakes up to noise or music? Do you like it that way, or is it not a matter of choice? Do you wake up and immediately break into song? ;) Or are you a freak like me -- a morning person, but on your own terms? Certainly I can't be the only one who hates radio chatter! :D

Natasha

[lhall]

I wake up to NPR, but turn it off while I get dressed so I can have some quiet time. I watch/listen to the local news downstairs while I fix the kids breakfast and get ready to leave. I listen to NPR in the car on the way to and from work, but I turn it off when the kids are in the car.

Leigh

[Gracie]

I wake up to loud rock 'n roll, just because it makes me jump 3 feet in the air and turn it off quick before DH wakes up too much.

I don't have any TV, radio or anything else on while I'm getting ready since I need to be quiet for DH and DD. But in the car I always listen to all-news radio. It's the only way I stay informed and I have a long enough commute to stay well informed! On weekends when I don't listen to all-news and DD has the teen music on, by Monday I feel like I've lost touch with the world around me.

Loren

[boys03]

We wake up to classical music....or at least my dh does, and if I don't get up he nudges me. During the school year, when everyone is up, I have the tv (in the kitchen eating area) on to the local news while everyone is getting ready for their day...during the summer when it is just me I have total silence. In the car I always listen to Imus in the morning.

[SandyM]

Good morning, Natasha! :)

I'm a slave to news radio in the morning. :rolleyes: ;) I wake up to soft music, and the house is pretty quiet in the mornings while we get ready (except for the dogs tearing through the house :D ). I don't have the TV or radio on, because I move from the bedroom to the bathroom to the kitchen, back to the bathroom, etc., and I wouldn't be able to hear/see it from each room.

Once I get in the car, though, since I have a 40 mile commute, I need to know what's going on in front of me. I have news radio on for much of the time to get traffic and weather (and catch up on any news that happened while I slept), but I switch back to FM every now and then too.

I love a quiet house in the mornings (oh, the sound of those birds!), but once I get in the car, it's a steady stream of activity. :)

Fun question!

[yorkshirepud]

I'm definately a morning person.

Whether I enjoy silence or the company of TV/radio really depends. I know when I was working, I always got ready/ate breakfast watching the breakfast news.

But, nowadays I just tend to get up, switch on the computer, make some coffee and do a little surfing. Put away the pots from dinner last night etc.

I'm not too worried if my 'pattern' is interrupted though. If I wake up to activity in the house, so be it, if it's just me, that's fine also. I typically wake up in a good mood, so I'm ready for anything!

:D

[Melman]

On work days, I HAVE to have my two favorite radio personalities from Charlotte, NC join me. I literally end up in a grumpy mood if I don't have Bob & Sheri on the radio as I'm getting ready. On the way to work, I always have their station playing. They're fun, interesting, and always start my day the right way. By the time I'm at work, I've usually heard at least one story that had me laughing out loud.

On the weekends, I usually have quiet. I don't always turn on the radio and RARELY turn on the tv. I like to sit at the table with the weekend paper in front of me while drinking tea/coffee and eating my breakfast.

I am a morning person though. I get up at the first alarm (no snoozes) and I don't bite heads off if someone talks to me first thing in the morning. :)

[Alethea]

I'm very much a morning person, but I crave peace and quiet in the early hours. I pretty much wake up alert, and find the morning is my best time to work, think, read, etc. However, I find a lot of background noise or conversation first thing in the day to be annoying. The morning is my time for contemplation and rejuvenation. I generally don't like to have the t.v. or radio on, or have to carry on a lot of conversation, until I've had at least some quiet time to myself. BF is the exact opposite, he wakes up ready to talk, which amazes (and occasionally infuriates;)) me.

[linsleyd]

I wake up to bells on my alarm clock. And since I get up at 5 and walk the dog for an hour when its truly peaceful, I need something on my hour long drive.

I listen to Bob and Tom until I can't get them anymore and then I switch to Howard Stern. I need this in the mornings or I would never make it in since my drive has little traffic and not too much to pay attention to.
and i freely admit to loving howard stern, my morning is not complete without him! :D

[KristinK]

I've changed back to my morning workout routine - so now I wake up to a loud buzzing alarm, get dressed and head out to the gym, or out for a long run. Afterwards, I'm usually in a rush to get ready, and I know the radio or TV will just distract me. But now that I'm moving in with DBF (tomorrow!), I'll have to get used to his routine of listening to Howard Stern. And Linsley, you are not alone - I listen to him every day on my way to work :p

[linsleyd]

Originally posted by KristinK
And Linsley, you are not alone - I listen to him every day on my way to work :p

Good! :D

[funnybone]

Originally posted by linsleyd

and i freely admit to loving howard stern, my morning is not complete without him! :D

Same here. :D I know some find him offensive, but I can turn him off at any time.

[colleency]

Originally posted by SandyM
I love a quiet house in the mornings (oh, the sound of those birds!), but once I get in the car, it's a steady stream of activity. :)
[/B]

Me too! I love to drink tea and do yoga in the morning (when I can get up in time;) ). But with an hour long commute, I need something to keep me awake. I listen to Mark & Brian, unless they get too gross (sometimes I swear they are 10 years old). Then I switch over to NPR. Music makes me too sleepy.

[Vicanddi]

We wake up to oldies, which seem somehow soothing. I like to have Good Morning America or the local news on while I get ready for my day. I don't have to sit and watch it, I usually just listen as I get ready.

I love the sounds of the birds in the morning as well. We have a constant influx of birds in our backyard, mostly doves, and I love hearing them coo in the morning. It's a nice peaceful sound.

As far as Howard Stern, my DH loves to watch him on E! at late night. That's when I tend to go to the other room. That guy is such a pig! (Sorry if I am offending any Howard lovers) :)

[wallycat]

I like quiet and soft voices...
I still listen to the morning news (TV) though :rolleyes:

[badunnin]

Just the birdies for me. Mom likes to watch the morning news (GMA, etc) but I get up before her and usually have a good 2 hours to myself with just a pot of coffee or tea and my breakfast. Depending on what I'm doing, I might also turn on a CD - keeps me awake and focused if I'm writing papers.

[funnybone]

Originally posted by Vicanddi
As far as Howard Stern, my DH loves to watch him on E! at late night. That's when I tend to go to the other room. That guy is such a pig! (Sorry if I am offending any Howard lovers) :)

No offense, but what you see on E is not the entire show. That's like 1% of what goes on. They only show the crudest, rudest stuff on TV. Most of the time he is very tame and just normal. If I only knew of him for E, I would think he is a pig too.

[JHolcomb]

I hate chattering radio personalties. I don't find any of it funny in the morning, just really, really annoying. DH turns on CNN in the morning while we get dressed, and I can handle that ok, but once I'm in my car I don't want to hear any booming, cheesy, white voices. I used to be able to stand the urban music station's chatter in the morning, but the guy's female counterpart left and now it just kind of flounders.

I usually listen to my CD collection on the way to work in the AM, but nothing too upbeat. It takes me a long time to wake up in the morning.

Oh, the worst morning was not too long ago...we wake up to the Classical music station thanks to DH. You know it's going to be a bad day when the first thing you hear when you wake up is "and in honour of Wagner's birthday, here's cycle blahblah blah from Lohengren." Oh, to clarify, I hate Wagner more than, say, Michael Bolton. I'd rather have my ears hot-pokered.

I'm a very grumpy, particular person in the morning.

[tamawrite]

DH and I wake up to country at 4am & turn off the music right away. He plays on his computer and I write for 2 hours, then we run. After that, the noise is allowed to come on. I usually listen to either country or NPR on my way to work, then I keep the radio on most of the day. I like the country station's morning crew, but sometimes I'm in a quieter mood and choose classical instead.

[oskie]

Maybe it's because I grew up in a noisy household and now live by myself, but I need some sort of background noise in the morning (actually, any time of day). I'm out the door before any of the national morning shows start, so it's the local news as I'm getting ready. It's so regular in its timing that I use that as my clock - if the weather guy is talking about the travel forecast while I'm still there, I know I'm running late! Most of the morning DJs get on my nerves, so I usually just have NPR or the classical station on for the drive in.(gotta save the CDs for work, where the radio reception is practically nonexistent!)



Originally posted by JHolcomb

Oh, to clarify, I hate Wagner more than, say, Michael Bolton. I'd rather have my ears hot-pokered.


I couldn't agree with you more!! The only time I enjoy Wagner is in the Bugs Bunny cartoon "What's Opera Doc" where they condense down all of his works into 10 minutes or so. :D

[gertdog]

I don't use an alarm to wake up. While getting dressed and eating breakfast it's quiet. DH, who wakes up and eats while I am sleeping, sometimes turns on the Today show but I can't hear it from the bedroom.

If I'm driving somewhere in the morning, I listen to the news station for traffic reports, then switch to NPR. If I'm working at home, I don't have any background noise.

[Jill123]

I'm somewhat of a morning person -- I'm not crabby or grouchy and I enjoy getting up and getting the day started, but then again, it takes me at least a half hour once I get to work to really get down to business. (Mostly that's b/c I'm catching up on email, voice mail -- getting into the work "groove.")

But I like having noise around me. That's not to say that I always have the radio on while I'm getting ready, but I like background noise. And I wish I had someone to talk to on Light Rail, b/c it's soo boring to just sit there! Actually, now that I think about it, I'm more awake when I listen to the morning show guys or have someone to talk to!

PS -- I, too, loved listening to Howard Stern, when we still got it in Denver. I really miss it. And funnybone's right -- the television show only shows the gross stuff and the naked women. Most of his show is pretty tame. Have any of you ever read his book? Or the movie they made out of it? You get a better perspective of him as a man, rather than as a radio personality.

[MKSquared]

It makes me so sad to hear someone say they hate Wagner. "Tristan and Isolde?" Sighhhhh ....

In the morning, I don't want to hear anyone talking to me unless it's Bob Edwards on NPR's "Morning Edition." Bob can tell me absolutely anything he wants. That being said, no person in my general vicinity should attempt conversation, or they will risk my early-morning wrath. Grrrr.

[newcook]

I'm like Natasha and Alethea, early morning is my favorite time of the day. I just love having coffee on the patio or reading. On the other hand, if any work needs to be done, early morning is also my most productive time. I wake up in a good mood but I find talking, especially chit chat doesn't sit well with me in the morning.

Daniele