World Radio Day
Radio is dead. Video killed the radio star. So the saying goes. Tell that to the 3 billion people who tune into their radio every week globally. That’s over one third of the global population. At Population Media Center, we know the popularity of radio, and popular radio entertainment, persists.
Radio is a medium that has been around for more than a century and has been an integral part of human life. Despite the advent of technology and the growth of other media, radio continues to be a popular form of entertainment and information for people all over the world.
Nikola Tesla showed off the first wireless radio in 1893. Marconi got the very first wireless telegraphy patent in England in 1896. Since then, we have seen many forms of communication technologies and delivery formats come and go. Some have lasting power. None have lasted as long as radio. Some will tell you the future is streaming and radios can’t compete. Some also said VHS and Blockbuster were the future.
In 2023, the theme for World Radio Day is Radio & Peace. At Population Media Center, we use radio programs around the world to build peace in communities, in individuals, in the home. Radio, and entertainment-education, has the power to build peace in hearts and minds, transforming communities to be more peaceful places for every living being that calls our planet home. Radio entertainment can be applied to global conflicts that require peaceful resolutions. Radio entertainment can be applied to the global war on women. Increasing women’s access to sexual and reproductive related health services is peace building. Changing behavior around violence against women is peace building.
Radio Listener-ship in the Digital Age
In an age where technology has brought about a plethora of options for entertainment and information, one might think that radio might have lost its charm. However, that’s far from the truth. Radio has adapted to the digital age and continues to thrive. With the rise of the internet, listeners can now tune into their favorite radio stations from anywhere in the world. From streaming live radio, to catching up on missed shows through podcasts, radio has embraced technology to reach out to larger audiences – while staying affordable and simple for local communities to connect without WiFi or smartphones or, often, even electricity. Radio has a unique power to reach out to people from all walks of life.
For years, perhaps decades, there have been predictions that radio is on its last legs. “Rest in Peace” has been written on the theoretical tombstone of radio. Instead, radio has lived on, and it will continue to live powerfully. At PMC, we rely on radios to bring transformative stories – powerful messages of peace – to communities around the world
