Abstract: A method for controlling audiotex services which is analogous to the method by which users operate conventional commercial radios is disclosed. In accordance with the inventive method, upon dialing a general audiotex telephone number, the user hears what sounds like the slow changing of stations on a radio. The effect is produced by successively transmitting to the caller a short excerpt from each of a plurality of available audiotex services. The caller may stop the scanning of the audiotex services at any particular audiotex service by pressing a particular key on the telephone keypad. Other keys may be used to resume the scanning of the audiotex services in the forward or reverse directions and at a slow or fast speed. Some of the keys on the user's telephone keypad may be used as memory keys. When a user presses one of these memory keys, access to a particular audiotex service is immediately provided.