By SamritaCharak
February 13th marks as “World Radio Day” every year to celebrate Radio as a powerful medium of communication, education and entertainment. This day was established by UNESCO in the year 2011 and later adopted by United Nations General Assembly in the year 2012. This day implies the significance of radio, acknowledging its role in connecting people, spreading awareness and fostering communication globally. In this digital era, where technological advancements have taken over, radio continues to play a significant role as it reaches the wide audience from far-flung villages to global broadcasting network at the same time, radio being the most accessible and efficient means of communication.
The theme of World Radio Day for the year 2025 is “Radio and Climate Change” emphasizing the significant role of Radio in raising awareness about climate change, educating audience on environmental issues and advocating joint efforts and action towards sustainability. Radio broadcasters are encouraged to maximize their coverage on climate -related topics, disseminate knowledge and awareness to address climate crisis to listeners.
Some previous year themes include –
2024- Radio: “A Century of Informing, Entertaining and Educating”
2023- “Radio and Peace”
2022- “Radio and Trust”
2021- “New World, New Radio”
The idea of World Radio Day was first proposed by Spain’s Academy of Radio in 2010 but was rejected by the Spanish government and was again submitted to UNESCO which was publicize on Feb 13th as World Radio Day annually during it’s 36th General Conference in 2011. Since then, governments, broadcasters, NGO’s and media organisations participate in events, programmes, panel discussions to recognisethe significance of radio in steering societal discussions.
Radio remains one of the most trusted and widely consumed form of media. From isolated villages to developing countries, millions of people still tune in on Radio daily for news, music , and shows. Convergence culture makes people still listening to radio despite technological advancements for its originality, trust, cost effective and broader reach.
The significance of Radio in modern world-
Radio has the highest accessibility and affordability rate as it requires minimal infrastructure, making it highly accessible for people residing in isolated villages and for underprivileged communities. Regions with poor connectivity can still have access to radio as it operates on low bandwidth and power.
Radio serves as a medium for providing real time updates, safety instructions to the listeners during natural disasters like earthquakes, floods,and hurricanes. It also broadcasts various shows of breaking news information and daily news. It tries to educate and aware the listeners.
In the digital era, where mainstream media often prioritizes commercial content, radio empowers local voices by broadcasting in regional languages. It has broken down the barrier of language. These community stations ensure that cultural heritage get passed down from one generation to another by broadcasting folk music, storytelling traditions and different radio programmes like these.
Radio supports education, literacy and plays an essential tool for learning especially in far-flung villages or remote areas where education is still inaccessible to many. Radio broadcasts various programmesfor children, women and marginalized communities to help bridge educational gaps. Moreover, it also fosters freedom of expression because it acts as a platform for political discussions, social activism and diverse opinions.
The impact of radio on different sectors –
Radio offers a fast and reliable source of information as it broadcasts the political debates, breaking news and emergency broadcasting. Radio stations such as All India Radio (AIR), BBC World service play a vital role in journalism and global news coverage.
Radio introduces new artists, musical trends to the listeners with the help of FM and AM stations. The music industry thrives on radio airplay engaging audience and with the radio programmes particularly in those areas where digital music is still growing.
Radio offers public awareness campaigns where NGO’s and governments use radio as a medium to make announcements regarding campaigns on healthcare, social issues and government policies. Various radio programmes encourage awareness on topics such as vaccination drives, women’s rights, climate change and girl education.
Radio being a cost efficient and reach to wide audience, it remains an effective and affordable means for advertising especially for small and local businesses.
The rise of radio in the digital era showcases how people still perceive it as a true means of communication and are still preserving oral traditions of communication. Convergence in radio can be seen as traditional AM/FM and podcast, internet radio, AI driven radio stations are being introduced at the same time. Internet radio stations are emerging with the expansion of 4G and 5G networks. Services such as SiriusXM, Spotify, Pandora, and TuneIn allow users to stream without advertisements and listen high quality audio attracting wide audience. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is offering technological advancements by introducing smart speaker like Amazon Alexa that allows users to access their favourite songs with voice commands, making radio more interactive than ever.
World Radio Day is a reminder that Radio is a dynamic and evolving medium of communication that continues to shape societies worldwide. As we celebrate World Radio Day this year, lets tune in to Radio and appreciate the voices behind the microphone and acknowledge the immense power that radio holds in connecting people across the globe.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
