KERA Public Media App

What’s not to love about KERA? Among the best public radio stations in the US! Listening while away form a radio is the bomb. But the recording controls are in bad need of an overhaul - they don’t work. If you want to hear that last 10 seconds again, the “back 10 seconds” button is greyed out. It stays that way until you use the slider (as precise as a sledge hammer), which then gets you lost in the broadcast. Plus, if you then move off the app to take a phone call, say, your place in a recording evaporates when you next switch back to the KERA app. Love KERA - like the app - but please fix the controls!

I live in the eastern portion of the state, in an apparent fringe area for KERA radio reception. Some days the reception is great; some days we get nothing. With the app and my phone’s Bluetooth connection however, I can listen uninterrupted in the car despite the quality of the radio reception. Since it’s basically the only station to which I consistently listen, the app has proven to be a great resource for frustration-free listening.

I really, really like the station and the coverage. This two star rating is not because of the station but because of how it streams. About once an hour, a “support from our sponsors” ad will come on. It will come on over the top of any story you are listening to. Can you get that I had to show up between stories? If a call comes in through the device that I am streaming the station on, the automatically story pauses. Great, right? Nope. You get about 30 seconds from where are you paused, then streaming jumps to the live broadcast. Today, I am listening to NPR live coverage of a congressional event. I got to listen to both the “support from our sponsors“ ad, and the NPR commentators at the exact same time, talking over each other like talk radio pundits. Really, a fantastic radio station. But please, address the streaming interruptions. I really look forward to my driveway moments.