How to Listen to Shows on Old Time Radio (oldtime.radio)

Updated

Old Time Radio is a free, 24/7 streaming station that plays vintage radio shows such as Superman, X-Minus One, Tarzan, Philip Marlowe, Gunsmoke, and Jack Benny. To listen, open the site in a browser with JavaScript enabled, then use the on-page player controls. The audio itself is hosted by the non-profit Internet Archive, so the site works as a front end for that archive rather than as a download library.

Before you start

  • JavaScript must be on. The site displays "Please Adjust Your Receiver" and a notice that JavaScript is disabled if your browser blocks scripts. Enable JavaScript for the site, then reload the page.
  • No account is mentioned. The page describes the station as free and 24/7, and does not describe a login or sign-up step.
  • Audio source. All audio you hear is hosted by the Internet Archive, which the site links to and asks regular listeners to consider supporting financially.

Listening to the station

  1. Open oldtime.radio in your browser.
  2. If you see the "Please Adjust Your Receiver" message, enable JavaScript and reload.
  3. Use the player controls on the page to start playback.
  4. Adjust Volume as needed using the volume control.
  5. Choose a Visualiser if you want a visual display alongside the audio.

The station plays continuously, so there is no episode list to pick from in the default view — you tune in to whatever is currently broadcasting.

Using the Schedule

The Schedule section lets you see what is coming up.

  1. Go to the Schedule.
  2. Select a channel.
  3. View the shows scheduled for that channel.

This is the main way to find out what will play next rather than only hearing what is on right now.

Setting your Preferences

The Preferences section controls how the player behaves while you listen:

Preference What it does
Show episode summary when tuning in partway through Displays a summary of the episode if you join it already in progress
On Information messages Toggles information messages
On 'Now Playing' messages Toggles messages about the current show
Sleep Timer Stops playback after a set period

Setting the Sleep Timer

Use the Sleep Timer option to stop playing shows after a chosen amount of time — useful if you listen while falling asleep.

Building your own station

The Station Builder lets you create your own radio station instead of only listening to the default stream.

  1. Open Station Builder.
  2. Create channels by selecting shows from the list provided.
  3. Adjust Channel Settings for each channel.
  4. Optionally enable Play Commercials Between Programmes.
  5. Use Listen Now to start your station.
  6. Use Add Another Channel to add more channels, or Delete Station to remove it.

Common snags

  • Nothing plays and you see a receiver message. JavaScript is disabled — enable it and reload.
  • You joined mid-episode. Turn on "Show episode summary when tuning in partway through" in Preferences to see what you missed.
  • You want to know what's next. Check the Schedule and select a channel rather than waiting for the current show to end.
  • You want a specific mix of shows. Use Station Builder to create channels from the show list instead of relying on the default broadcast.

Contact and source

The station can be contacted by email at the address listed on the site. The website is open source software released under the MIT Licence, with source code available on GitHub.