Andrew McDonough

It’s surprisingly difficult to find a pub in Bayswater that shows the cricket during the day. I went searching for one today, hoping to catch a bit of The Ashes over my lunch hour. Of the few I did find, none had the volume turned up. Even The Elbow Room, which has individual TVs intended for watching sport, was playing loud 90s dance music instead (at 2pm).

I decided that next time I needed to more prepared. I needed my own portable commentary source. My first thoughts were a traditional AM radio, but this approach felt a bit dated. I then had a look at DAB alternatives, but was shocked that they are still so expensive.

Finally, after a bit of research, I found that I had the solution already; my iPhone. Here is how to do it:

1. Go to the App Store and search for the App ‘FStream’. It’s free, so download it
2. Open FStream and Select the ‘Favourites’ menu
3. Click ‘Edit’ then ‘Add new webradio’
4. Call the station something like ‘BBC Radio 5 Sports’
5. Enter the URL http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/listen/live/r5lsp.asx
6. Click on the ‘Play’ menu and select your new station.
7. Within a few seconds you should have BBC Radio 5 sport
8. Find a pub

These instructions don’t just work for the Radio 5; most of the other BBC radio stations are available. You can find a list of URLs at http://bbcstreams.com/.