Proclaimed in 2011 by the member states of UNESCO at their 36th conference and adopted by the UN general assembly in 2012 as an international day, Feb 13 became WORLD RADIO DAY (WRD)
The radio has since its inception, traced to mid 19th century, shown consistency and sustainability. Radio has evolved, evoking a steady trust, year in year out, and has always connected diverse people and cultures with all its entertainment and programs.
Radio is the most extensively used and trusted medium for transmitting information since it is the most widely consumed media. Radio stations broadcast a wide range of programs that are tailored to the needs of local populations all around the world. During natural disasters, the medium also plays an important role in emergency communication.
Why Do We Celebrate Radio Day?
For it’s fantastic way of keeping people abreast with information, its entertainment strategies and its ways of allowing debates that foster positive changes, Radio is trusted all over the globe.
Radio has created awareness on all community issues; political, Social, Economic, etc. In all of these, radio continues to evolve, innovate and connect.
According to UNESCO, radio is a strong and powerful medium for celebrating humanity in all its diversity and constitutes a platform for democratic discourse.
Radio has managed to reach out to people as a reliable news source in a world when fake news is proliferating on digital channels. Radio has shown to be a reliable source of information during the COVID-19 pandemic, without encouraging hatred or discrimination.
World Radio Day 2022 Theme
This year, UNESCO commemorates the 11th World Radio Day and more than a century of radio broadcasting. Theme: “Yes to Radio, Yes to Trust”. This theme was proposed because of the medium’s reputation in disseminating news.
There are three key sub-themes to the day;
- Trust in radio journalism: This sub-theme is about creating original, high-quality material. Journalism should be founded on verifiable information in order to acquire the trust of listeners.
- Trust and Accessibility: This sub-theme is concerned with making content accessible to people with disabilities, such as through sign languages or automated subtitles for hearing-impaired audiences or content announcements for blind listeners.
- Trust and Viability of Radio Stations: In this sub-theme, radio stations’ capacity to engage and retain a large enough base of loyal listeners is linked to their financial and economic viability.
African Peace Magazine celebrates the consistency of this media phenomenon today. Even after years of television popularity, radio continues to have a consistently reputable position in the world as a music and entertainment medium, a compact travel companion, and a means of promoting peace and unity, through its community standards.