1 of 1- RadioActive
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Overnight Radio - Is There Anything Worth Listening To?
I've been suffering from chronic insomnia for the past few months, especially after the death of my beloved dog. I simply can't sleep and find myself wide awake at 3 and 4 AM almost every night.
I don't really feel like getting up so I reach for the radio on the night stand right next to me. And no matter where I tune, I find nothing worth listening to. I'm not in the mood for music at that ungodly time of the day, so while I know Ed The Sock is doing a live show on CKGE-FM in Oshawa and the legendary David Marsden is up doing his online show on the excellent nythespirit.com, that's not quite what I'm looking for in those long and dark hours.
Coast To Coast AM no longer airs in this area and I was never a fan of it to begin with.
680 is live overnight at least partially, but the same headlines wear themselves out pretty quickly. And the local talkers - like AM640 and NT1010 - are in permanent reroll mode and I've either heard it before or it's horribly dated. CBC appears to have programming from overseas, like Duetsche Welle from Germany in English, but it gets fairly boring.
I'm not looking for a podcast, either. Because while those can be very interesting like Toronto Mike's stuff, I tend to slip in and out of actual consciousness as the long hours roll by. And I'm afraid I'd miss most of it.
Hard to believe there used to be full service overnight on most Toronto stations, with a live jock or personality. I well remember Bob Laine's show on CHUM that not only had him on live overnights, but also featured newscasts, sports scores and even a ski report! If memory serves, CFRB featured Wayne van Exan and CKEY had John Woodbridge doing their thing in the darkness. But economics and dwindling audiences have ended that for good.
So I'm looking for a quick hit of something different but at least not a repeat of things that have already run.
Any suggestions would be appreciated, but I know the pickings on terrestrial radio are pretty slim these days. It's literally a shot in the dark.
- andysradio
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Re: Overnight Radio - Is There Anything Worth Listening To?
CBC Radio 1 has a nice bouquet of overnight shows
AND
a live newscast every hour.
Last edited by andysradio (September 14, 2025 9:57 am)
- Scarboroughbluffsradiof99
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Re: Overnight Radio - Is There Anything Worth Listening To?
I miss when CHIN had old time radio shows overnight and when funny 820 was on the air before swiching to punjabi music.
- RadioActive
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Re: Overnight Radio - Is There Anything Worth Listening To?
I'd forgotten completely about Funny 820! That used to be my go-to on nights like that. Still miss it.
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Thread Starter- unclefester
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Re: Overnight Radio - Is There Anything Worth Listening To?
RadioActive wrote:
I'm not looking for a podcast because while those can be very interesting I tend to slip in and out of actual consciousness as the long hours roll by & I'm afraid I'd miss most of it.
I have the very same issue RA
I've got plenty of fresh sports-oriented podcasts lined up each and every day but when gramps goes for his afternoon nap (the cat has me up at 6:30 every fucking morning) I fire them up but it's a losing battle
zzzz zzzz in 10 minutes - probably less
I wonder if simply shopping the dial might result in you discovering the right overnight entertainment for you
My go-to in the situation you currently find yourself in is WABC in the wee hours of the morning
- Scarboroughbluffsradiof99
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Re: Overnight Radio - Is There Anything Worth Listening To?
I'd forgotten completely about Funny 820! That used to be my go-to on nights like that. Still miss it.
Me to.
Neeti should have kepped the commedy, even as a 1 or 2 hr show.
- Dicky Doo
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Re: Overnight Radio - Is There Anything Worth Listening To?
I'm looking for a quick hit of something different. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Take my wife. PLEASE!
D.D.
- RadioActive
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Re: Overnight Radio - Is There Anything Worth Listening To?
I'm looking for a quick hit of something different. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Take my wife. PLEASE!
D.D.
Too bad you're no longer a Young man, Henny.
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Thread Starter- g121
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Re: Overnight Radio - Is There Anything Worth Listening To?
I'd forgotten completely about Funny 820! That used to be my go-to on nights like that. Still miss it.
make your own Funny 820 .. I did : )) ..
- Chrisphen
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I miss the Sunday Funnies on CHUM FM. Mind you, it was only an hour. And oddly bereft of cussing.
- mojo55
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Re: Overnight Radio - Is There Anything Worth Listening To?
Old time radio mysteries and thrillers. Search YouTube for all night OTR for hours of streaming audio drama.
Go to vtuner.com for many continuous streams of these shows. Radioechoes.com allows you to choose and listen on demand. I suggest CBS Mystery Theatre from the 1970s, Britain's Fear On Four from the 1990s or CBCs
Nightfall also from the 90s.
- RadioActive
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Re: Overnight Radio - Is There Anything Worth Listening To?
Old time radio mysteries and thrillers. Search YouTube for all night OTR for hours of streaming audio drama.
Go to vtuner.com for many continuous streams of these shows. Radioechoes.com allows you to choose and listen on demand. I suggest CBS Mystery Theatre from the 1970s, Britain's Fear On Four from the 1990s or CBCs
Nightfall also from the 90s.
That's a great suggestion but I don't think it will work for me. As noted, I drift in and out of sleep (mostly out) so I might miss an entire section of show when that happens. I need something on the radio that - as ironic as it sounds - you don't have to listen to, to follow along.
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Thread Starter- RadioAaron
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Re: Overnight Radio - Is There Anything Worth Listening To?
I find Bloomberg Radio (WBBR 1130) just interesting enough to distract me; but not so interesting that it keeps me up.
- Radiowiz
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Re: Overnight Radio - Is There Anything Worth Listening To?
Leave a message on BOOM 97.3's the Machine and keep listening to see how long it takes to finally hear yourself and your request (or whatever...)
- Easily Amused
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Re: Overnight Radio - Is There Anything Worth Listening To?
I find for those hours where I want to fall back asleep, I put on one of the BBC's old 'Journey Into Space' radio series, and let the now 70 year old saga of Jet Morgan and crew lull me back to slumber. I also have a four handed pinochle game loaded on the phone, and playing hands of that while listening also works for me.
I source the series off:
archive.org
as there are full length versions available without episodic breaks. Hours of listening, so no worries about when one might drift off.
Chamber music and baroque on the Stingray app also work wonders. These more sedate forms of classical seem more conducive for falling back asleep than full orchestral pieces.
- mace
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Re: Overnight Radio - Is There Anything Worth Listening To?
I don't know how good your bedroom radio is regarding electrical interference. but what about WBZ and WGN? WBZ has live news overnights while WGN airs the WABC produced The Other Side of Midnight with Lionel.