I'm trying to find the right verb for when the radio is … broadcasting? … a particular channel. In my native language, a direct translation would be "the radio was playing BBC 4" but that doesn't sound right in English. "Broadcasting" sounds weird when it's just a radio receiving signals. Receiving?
To broadcast? To receive? Something else?
Best Answer
"Playing" is the word I would use (British English).
Broadcasting does sound weird because the radio itself is receiving a broadcast, not broadcasting.
You can also say that a radio is tuned to Radio 4.
(Radio 4 or BBC Radio 4, or just 4, but not BBC 4 because that's a TV channel.)