I’m very pleased to have just received the 7th edition of John Figliozzi’s Worldwide Listening Guide (WWLG), the latest, most updated version of the excellent guide I’ve often reviewed.
As I’ve said, you may want a copy of the WWLG in your shack, especially alongside your computer or Wi-Fi radio.
SWLing Post readers know that I’m a huge fan of the Word Radio TV Handbook (WRTH); it’s my go-to guide for radio frequencies and schedules. Well, Figliozzi’s Worldwide Listening Guide is my go-to for programming and content, not only helpful on the shortwaves, but also handy when tracking online content.
WWLG: The Content DXers Guide
Like many SWLs, I’m something of a “Content DXer:” I love chasing obscure programming––news, documentaries, music, and variety shows, anything the broadcasting world has to offer. For this, I often turn to Wi-Fi radio. Wi-Fi radio offers the discerning listener the ability to track down fascinating regional content from every corner of the globe––content never actually intended for an international audience.
But the fact is, there’s so much content out there, it’s hard to know where to start. This is where the WWLG comes in: Figliozzi exhaustively curates more than 4,000 programs (!), indexing their airing times, stations, days of broadcast, program types, frequencies, and web addresses. Additionally, he sorts the programs by genre: arts, culture, history, music, sports, and more. And Figliozzi also includes a well-thought-out directory of at least forty genres. In short, this directory has helped me not just locate, but identify, programming I would never have known about otherwise.
Frankly, I’m not sure how Figliozzi manages to curate such a vast assortment of programming. But I’m happy that he does, and especially, that he offers it for the SWL’s benefit––!
Thus the WWLG has become a permanent reference book in my shack, alongside my trusty WRTH. There’s a surprising amount of information packed into this slim, spiral-bound book…enough to keep even a seasoned DXer contented for years.
The 7th edition of Worldwide Listening Guide can be purchased here:
With a retail price under $25, I feel like the WWLG is an excellent bargain.
Two thumbs up from me too — as someone who writes about web/shortwave programming for NASWA, and as someone who – as Thomas aptly puts it – is a “program DXer”, this helps me wrap my head around programming choices and options better than any resource out there. Don’t buy just one copy, buy two — one for home, and one for work — if you can listen to Internet radio while you work…
I like the way they have included Internet streams as well, this is so the guide appeals to consumers and not just us enthusiasts, I listen to a lot of internet streams too, particularly DW, this way they might see the shortwave freqs and think..hhmmm….I might try that 🙂
This looks like a very welcome addition to fill the gap of the now defunked Passport To World Band Radio. I still like going over old issues of those.
Absolutely agree – this is a great reference with a unique perspective. Like you, Thomas, I cannot imagine how John get so much good information, but I am so glad he does. This is my third version of the book and I cannot wait to dig into it. Cheers!