My 04 Ranger has developed a mild (for now) hiccup in the electrical accessories. The ignition cylinder key lock is a little sloppy and loose of late, and the key-in-ignition beeper, the headlights-on and, most importantly, the radio, have developed intermittent operation in various key positions. Note that I have a transponder(?) key.
The most common booboo is a radio that won't play in the ACC position or after the engine is started. The radio is "on," in that the LCD face is on and the selected station is displayed, ditto the clock. With the engine off and the key in the RUN position, the radio plays and the beepers beep. In ACC, they are less likely to work and, in RUN after starting the engine, the radio won't play. Sometimes everything works fine; other times the stuff won't work. No rhyme or reason that I can conjure.
My question is this: is the cylinder lock the most likely suspect or the ignition switch, or both? Neither? I am an electrical idiot and would not attempt to make any electrical repair more complex that swapping out the cylinder lock, provided I can even do that with the electronical key thingy. Do I need to suck it up and get the beast to a dealer, with my tax return in pocket? I defer to the wisdom of you electrical wizards.

__________________
'04 Ranger/2.3L Auto/Regular Cab/No bells or whistles