Are there any simple BBC internet radio programs for the Pi?

I don't know what you mean by internet radio programs, but you can listen to the Beep with any browser, bbc.co.uk -> click on sounds and select your preferred station.

-jw-

I think you have to register and give them an email

That doesn't work very well on a headless Pi! :-)

What I was looking for was something like the old 'radiotray' which one could run on the command line (with station name as a parameter) and the requested program would play on the audio output.

Basically everybody except Classic FM has ditched icecast/shoutcast in order to require you to listen to more ads and give them an email address to spam

Unless you buy a DAB radio which will last a couple of years until they change the format again to force you to buy a new one

This is correct, but the OP did not say, that it is because of this that he is looking for a different way to listen to the BBC.

-jw-

The last one I used on Fedora was Shortwave, dunno if it still works.

You did not mention that it was headless.

There is a command line interface to Kodi,

-jw-

Logging in is not a feature of an icecast/shoutcast stream Nor is it an easy thing to do with a headless Pi.

... and won't work outside the UK if I want to listen to the BBC.

I simply want to listen to BBC (mostly radio 4) in the simplest possible way when I'm away from home in Europe mainland. I.e. I want something I can just 'turn on' (like radios used to work).

At the moment Radio 4 on 198khz is the best option but I don't know how long that is going to last.

Hmm, I used to be quite an enthusiastic SWL (Short Wave Listener) but I'm not sure that there is so much there nowadays. ... but I realise (now I've looked) that 'shortwave' is just a name for a program. I'll give it a try, thanks.

Yes. .I had a similar issue, - all my icecast streams except classic FM stopped working. I only now listen to classic FM

Its the same with the telly. More an more woke s**te on UK public service channels. Dont watch telly any more.

The stream urls are available as m3u8 but the format that they use needs something like VLC to read.

Now this *may* work for you with VLC installed:

cvlc

Expect it to be a shade lumpy till it gets the buffering right

OK, thanks, I'll try VLC on the command line.

I'm probably not understanding the problem here and I'm probably about to talk nonsense as a result But...

I have two different headless pi systems on my desk in front of me that can play all the BBC streams intended for UK reception. As far as I know there is no log on or anything just playing a stream.

This is the stream for Radio 4.

My understanding is that if you change anywhere it says 'uk' to be 'ww' then you get the international stream.

You can find the complete set at:

The other system is similar in function but is not locked down and is just mpd installed on a pi, I've not tried command line because I use it as described above but there is the normal Linux command line, I think it's likely you could persuade it do as you want.

Sorry to have wasted your time, I'll go back under my stone now.

Bob.

Quite literally until the end of the world.

Our Trident nuclear subs check to see if civilisation still exists by tuning in to Radio 4 long wave, if they don't hear anything, they launch!

---druck

The login was to use I-player

Its also M3u8 which is not recognised by many command line programs on a headless Pi

That is slightly scary.

Indeed- if true - which I doubt. There is a James Follett radio play I was listening to earlier on which a system of satellites was used as a watchdog timer to prevent nuclear war, but unfortunately some experiment goes wrong and sends a load of metallic chaff into low earth orbit so the submarine cant hear them...

Well the end of some electricity meters at least:

"But the Long Wave transmitter in Droitwich (pictured above) won't fall silent just yet. The energy industry, which relies on the BBC carrying the Economy 7 teleswitching signal on BBC Radio 4 LW, has negotiated an extension of broadcasts. There are still nearly a million homes and businesses reliant on older meters that use the teleswitching signal." ...

"industry body Energy UK announced the LW signal would continue to be broadcast until 30th June 2025."

Oh no, someone's forgotten to tell them, we're doomed!

I'm unsure what you're meaning by that as it applies to me. I don't use and have not been anywhere near I-Player unless it gets reflected across my IP address by our SkyQ box. But even then, Its not been used this year at least.

I've got two headless pi that play the stream in what way are they significantly different from command line players apart from the obvious.

Bob.

Bob.