Dr. Mehak Jonjua
February 13, 2025 – the date honors World Radio Day, meant to also honor another landmark in the career of one of the most enduring and influential mass communication tools of humanity. The day, adopted by UNESCO, therefore directs suitable attention to the extraordinary capacity of radio to connect communities across boundaries and provide a lifeline of information and enjoyment to billions globally.
With its peculiar birth during the late 19th century, radio, due to pioneers such as Guglielmo Marconi, has roamed the impossible line of technological development-from one-neither-here-nor-there form of communication novelty to the other-which-most-consciously-sustains-and-defines-societies-and-cultures, The charisma behind radio was that it seemed to highlight everything from the day-to-day stories of war to the first-hand news of jazzy cultural movements in which radio constantly courted.
In this era of digital, any achievement of radio’s survival and utility seems to be deserving of praise. Nothing else actually achieves oversea footholds in the so-to-say inaccessible area for the networking services, rarely of dependability for Internet services. The low-cost infrastructure that just works is a way to spread messages among divergent groups of people. Quite frequently in times of disaster or crisis, the radio will be the sole dependable source of information remaining; it will function purely as a public service device.
Too often in the face of disaster or crisis, the radio will be the sole reliable source of information still available to the public; it will be operating only as a public service device.The power of the medium lies in its simplicity and accessibility. Unlike other media, radio has minimal infrastructure requirements and can be operated on low technology, thus its viability in developing nations and during a crisis.
The strength of the medium is its simplicity and accessibility. In contrast to other media, radio needs little infrastructure and can be run on low technology, making it especially useful in developing countries and in times of crisis. It is an important tool for education, bringing learning programs to communities where formal schooling might be difficult to obtain.
Radio also has an important role to play in cultural conservation and in the promotion of indigenous languages. Community radio stations, especially, work towards preserving linguistic diversity by broadcasting in local and indigenous languages so that cultural practices and histories are transmitted across generations. This local form of broadcasting aims at strengthening local attachments and preserving cultural identities.
With the onset of the age of digital transformation, radio also adapted and evolved, embracing new technology while retaining its classical strengths. With the launch of digital platforms, radio presence grew with podcasting, streaming media, and social media presence, creating a model of the classic and the contemporary, combining broadcasting with new interactive elements.
The commemoration of World Radio Day reminds us of the medium’s democratic potential and its power to bring about social change. It remains a force for good, for promoting dialogue, understanding, and peace between borders, languages, and cultures, and as relevant now as it was when broadcasting started nearly a century ago.
Nonetheless, radio’s significance in society is still important, especially in dealing with worldwide issues like climate change, public health emergencies, and social inequality. Its capacity to cover large numbers of people while keeping personal connections with listeners guarantees its position as a vital medium for information and community formation in the 21st century and beyond.
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