John Kaponi Paper Review on Big George's Show

While I'm working, I frequently listen to ["Big"] George Webley's show on BBC London Radio. So much so that he has given me the nickname of "Doctor Robert". I like it because it allows me to honestly say, "I'm not a real doctor but I play one on the BBC".

John Kaponi is the editor of the TheLondonDailyNews.com. Once a week he appears on George's show, where the two of them do a fairly comprehensive review of the latest newspapers. Here's a video of part of their segment:

Big George's show used to begin at 2am London time but now starts at 10pm over there. If you live in North America, then you can listen to it at these times:

• 2 - 6pm : Pacific
• 3 - 7pm : Mountain
• 4 - 8pm : Central
• 5 - 9pm : Eastern

P.S. I know that this video seems a little dry & serious but most of the show is actually quite comical & lively. Listening to it is a great way to get a feel for the zeitgeist of the UK.

Anya Marina on BBC London

Big George [Webley] had San Diego singer, Anya Marina, on his show again tonight (2 - 3am London time). Like many celebs, she's much too self absorbed for my taste but is definitely a great singer. George seemed flattered with all her flirting, as were all the male callers. Great fun!

Live on BBC London

For the past month I've been listening to George Webley and Ray Khan, hosts on BBC London Radio 94.9FM. The timing is perfect for me: 2am - 6am their time, which is 6pm - 10pm my time. My most productive work time has long been in the evening but I feel the need to have some low level talk radio in the background.

I love these shows because:

• Real subjects are discussed
  
• The political correctness is minimal
• The hosts are fantastic
• There are no commercials

I find it absolutely fascinating to tap into the proverbial Zeitgeist of a society on the other side of the world. What shouldn't be surprising is that the same problems of crime, traffic, and poverty exist in London as in Vancouver.

So this evening I finally called in! Actually, I just wrote George and then his associate, Ollie, called me back. The topic I discussed with George was my perception that there's a much more established class system in England than in Canada. George pretty much confirmed this. It's somewhat sad to me that a young man or woman feels that they can't achieve the greatest professional heights simply because of the socio-economic strata they came from. But my Canadian naivety is clearly showing through because even in 2007 this is probably more common than not around the world.

Oh by the way, I may have said something about George & Ray being the Batman & Robin of BBC Radio. But I assure you it was done with great fondness & respect!

Now, more than ever, I will keep on listening, writing, and now calling into their shows!

A Great Late Night Radio Show

I've started listening on a regular basis to "Big George", an eccentric Brit who hosts a crazy, commercial free radio show on BBC London. Over there it runs live between 2am and 6am but here are the listening times in North America:

• Western Coast: 6pm - 10pm
• Eastern Coast: 9pm - 1am

I believe I am the only listener in Canada but if not then write George to prove me wrong: biggeorge@bbc.co.uk

Big George's program website can be found here and his external website can be found here.

You can listen to the BBC London station here and you can watch live video from the studio here. If you don't already have it, you can get a free copy of RealPlayer here.