What's it called...?: The Shipping Forecast

Albeit a one of the first modern media applications, the radio is one that has adapted consistently well throughout technological evolution and has proven an invaluable source of entertainment and access to the wider world in the confides of the taxi.

From Vic Galloways' adequate, alternative new music run down to Radio 4's thought for the day. The commercial radio is media at it's most run of the mill! With access to these airwaves during the quieter hours I've come into contact with sections frequently overlooked throughout the day.

One such section is the comically robotic Shipping Forecast. If I could have observed my own expressions upon hearing it for the first time, I?m sure they would?ve altered from laughter to mild amusement followed by a bewildered look, probably best characterized by the word ?be-mused?.

Like a Haiku, it has poetic charm compounded by the reading style and broadcasters unvaried tone. When listening, we can be sure that every limited syllable carries with it a depth of information that, for those who follow, may well affect the outcome of their daily fortunes. Further comparisons can be drawn with verse as, in the absence of adequate knowledge, the listener is forced to infer meaning and ponder the point of it all.

Viking, variable becoming southeasterly 3 or 4, increasing 5 or 6 later.
Moderate, occasionally rough later in west.
Occasional rain.
Moderate or good.

It featured on a larger section recently following an incident in which the broadcaster struggled to fulfill his obligations through a seemly, unprovoked fit of giggles. The feature then went on to give a brief outline of what some of these nonsensically juxtaposed terms mean. Wishing to retain the hypnotic effect that ignorance brings, I switched it off before becoming too clued up.

Nevertheless, for the purposes of documenting it, I scanned wikipedia and was surprised to discover that 'The Shipping Forecast' is convincingly appreciated within the realms of art and popular culture. Many notable artist in music have used the Forecast as inspiration for their lyrics, such as Blurs, ?This is a Low?:

?On the Tyne, Forth and Cromarty There's a low in the high Forties.?

And Radioheads ?In Limbo?:

?Lundy, Fastnet Irish sea I've got a message I can't read.?

It has been further exemplified in literature through Seamus Heaneys sonnet, unambiguously entitled, ?The Shipping Forecast?:

Dogger, Rockall, Malin, Irish Sea:
Green, swift upsurges, North Atlantic flux
Conjured by that strong gale-warming voice,
Collapse into a sibilant penumbra.

The linier approach and familiar ambience, along with the language used in the final lines, hints at an affectionate regard for the broadcasts meditative properties. It is apparent that this, conventional documentation of unaffecting weather, is respected by many in the artistic community and probably by countless others who esteem it more as a national treasure than a weather update, interesting!

Source: http://ech0dek.blogspot.com/2011/08/shipping-forecast.html

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