Saturday, February 13th, was the 10th anniversary of World Radio Day and celebrated more than 110 years of radio. At a global level radio remains the most widely consumed medium and is uniquely positioned to bring communities together and encourage positive dialogue for change.
In Ireland listeners spend 13.3 million hours a day listening to radio according to Ipsos MRBI. Radio is still extremely popular in Ireland with 81% of the population listening to radio every day.
Unesco encouraged all countries to celebrate Radio Day by undertaking activities with diverse partners such as national, regional and international broadcast organisations.
This years World Radio Day was been divided into three main themes:
Evolution – for more than a century radio has been the voice of our society. The world changes and radio evolves. This shows the resilience of radio and its sustainability.
Innovation – the world changes and radio has adapted to these changes. People’s lifestyles are busier and technology allows people to listen to radio on the go. It still remains a reliable and go-to source, which is accessible to everyone anywhere.
Connection – radio can connect people to life changing events all around the world – natural disasters, socio economic crisis and pandemics. Radio plays a crucial role in informing the listener and giving them up to the minute information on emergencies. This has never been more evident in the current global pandemic.
Radio allows us to exchange our views, to be informed, to be entertained and to connect. So while radio might be around for over 110 years these values which have led to its success remain as important now as they were when radio began. Radio and audio in general are benefiting from many technological advances such as voice activated interfaces, smart speakers and a multitude of connected devices in our homes and on our person. This leads to new opportunities to listen, new ways to inform and entertain and more platforms to share our views and feel connected.
While the day was about celebrating the history of this great medium, a renaissance in audio means it feels that radio’s best days could still be ahead of it.
If you would like a more in-depth analysis of these points or we can help with your advertising needs please contact us at hello@urbanmedia.ie.
Bringing your message to new urban audiences.
urbanmedia is now on Instagram, follow us @urbanmediairl.
Source : UNESCO
