I’m very pleased to have received the 8th edition of John Figliozzi’s Worldwide Listening Guide (WWLG), the latest, most updated version of the excellent guide I’ve often reviewed.
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.
Figliozzi’s Worldwide Listening Guide is my go-to for programming and content, not only helpful on the shortwaves, but especially handy when tracking online content.
Indeed, the WWLG is a unique guide–there’s nothing quite like it on the market. As I’ve said, you may want a copy of the WWLG in your shack, especially alongside your computer or Wi-Fi radio.
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.
Digging into local content via a WiFi radio isn’t nearly as challenging or fun (for me, at least) as scanning the shortwave bands in search of elusive weak signal DX or pop-up pirate radio station. Though my WiFi radio offers an easy and reliable way to “tune” to online content, the actual content discovery part is quite difficult.
Truth is, there’s so much content out there–tens of thousands of stations and shows–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––!
As I’ve said many time before, 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 content DXer happy for years.
The 8th edition of Worldwide Listening Guide can be purchased here:
(Source: WRTH Facebook group via Sean Gilbert)
