Trust and the Radio

One of the best devices or tools for news and entertainment has been radio for many decades now. At present we may not see big radios but radios have been an integral part of many families till recently. In simple terms we find that radio is a powerful medium for celebrating humanity in all its diversity and constitutes a platform for democratic discourse. At the global level, radio remains the most widely consumed medium.
Radio is a low-cost medium specifically suited to reaching remote communities and vulnerable people, offering a platform to intervene in the public debate, irrespective of people’s educational level. It also plays a crucial role in emergency communication and disaster relief. We have seen the importance of radio to disseminate information amongst people. Though the use of radio has lowered, it is still preferred when it comes to entertainment like listening to songs. The unique ability of radio to reach out the widest audience means it can shape a society’s experience of diversity, stand as an arena for all voices to speak out, be represented and heard. Building on more than a century of history, radio remains one of the most trusted and widely used media.
Proclaimed in 2011 by the Member States of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012 as an International Day, February 13 became World Radio Day (WRD). On the occasion of WRD 2022, UNESCO calls on radio stations to celebrate the Day through three sub-themes: trust in radio journalism: produce independent and high-quality content; trust and accessibility: take care of the audience; trust and viability of radio stations: ensure competitiveness. United Nations Radio was established on 13 February 1946. The date was, therefore, a natural choice to celebrate this mass medium.
The objective of WRD is to raise public awareness of the importance of radio and to encourage decision makers to use it to provide access to information, and to improve international co-operation among broadcasters. This year’s theme is “Radio and Trust “. The rapid advancement of technology is misleading many people as trust has come down because of biased news by different media houses.
In India, All India Radio (AIR) can do wonders when it comes to radio and trust. AIR is India’s Public Service Broadcaster, the Radio vertical of Prasar Bharati has been serving to inform, educate and entertain its audiences since its inception. One of the largest broadcasting organisations in the world in terms of the number of languages of broadcast and the spectrum of socio-economic and cultural diversity it serves, AIR’s home service comprises of 470 Broadcasting centres located across the country, covering nearly 92% of the country’s area and 99.19 % of the total population. Terrestrially, AIR originates programming in 23 languages and 179 dialects. Bridging between “traditional” and state-of-the art technologies, radio now offers a variety of content through different devices and formats, such as podcasts and multimedia websites. Community radio, for instance, reaches out to those under-represented in mainstream and social media, who may feel better, understood and fairly portrayed and consequently attribute trust to their local station. There is no doubt that radio is cheapest and powerful which can contribute towards a sustainable future by generating awareness amongst people.
Ranjan K Baruah