VIDEO COULDN’T KILL THE RADIO STAR – Celebrating World Radio Day
From Heinrich Hertz proving that radio waves actually exist in 1888, to Guglielmo Marconi building the first wireless radio communication in 1895 and the eventual opening of the first commercial radio broadcast in 1920, radio has had a positive impact on the lives of millions of people.
Despite other technological breakthroughs in media and communication, over 3 billion people listen to the radio at least once per week
Often literally operating in the background of our lives, the radio has a powerful and meaningful place in our lives. and should not be forgotten, but instead needs to be celebrated.
WHAT MAKE RADIO SO AMAZING!
Firstly, It’s ridiculously reliable. If the power goes out, cell towers fail, or the internet goes offline, the radio, more often than not, keeps working.
A simple, radio can still deliver critical news and information when everything else is dead.
Radio broadcasts to everyone at the same time. No buffering, no algorithms, no subscriptions. Whether governments, communities, and commercial entities use radio, they are one-to-many, instantly.
With no data plan, no literacy required and no expensive device needed, the radio is accessible, and there is an incredibly low barrier for anyone to use it. Globally, radio continues to reach billions of people who don’t have consistent internet access. In fact, in 1991 after watching a programme on the spread of HIV-AIDs in Africa, Trevor Baylis developed the world’s first wind-up radio. The first working prototype ran for 14 minutes and can now be found on every continent.
Radio continues to be resilient and adaptable, moving from FM to digital and then radio shows becoming podcasts.
With live radio broadcasts feeding social media. It keeps moving on and surviving.
Radio isn’t cool or flashy like the latest smartphone or handheld device, but it’s resilient, intimate, cheap, and dependable. In a world that’s increasingly fragile and noisy, that combination remains powerful. In fact our partners in Ukraine tell us that they are increasingly relying on radio for information as they don’t need to rely on electricity to keep them running.
REMEMBER RADIO
On World Radio Day, we can do something to both support and enjoy radio
We can:
- Don’t just stream playlists instead, put on a station while driving, working, or cooking.
- Tune in regularly, especially live radio content, which is determined by listening habits.
- Listen to local stations, not just national ones.
- Use and share station apps, livestreams, podcasts, and archives.
Radio is curated by humans. You don’t have to choose, skip, or train an algorithm. You just… listen, this World Radio Day, take some time to just sit back and listen to the radio
REMEMBER ACET UK
Like radio is acet UK is a real charity curated by real people, dealing with real issues impacting the lives of thousands of real people around the world for over 39 years!
Please consider getting more involved in the work of acet UK, either through praying, through volunteering, through donating or through spreading the word about the wonderful work of acet uk.
Be like a radio station “broadcasting” about the wonderful work of acet UK!