Latin America. With an invitation to broadcasters and governments around the world to strengthen radio, UNESCO commemorated World Radio Day on February 13. To do this, he revealed several interesting facts about the state of radio and what it means for the population.
The entity stressed that radio remains the most accessible medium, since half of the world's population does not have access to the internet. In addition, that the audience of radio surpassed that of television or mobile phone in 2016 and that there are about 800 million stations that exist in developing countries.
As part of this celebration, broadcasters around the world accepted the invitation of Unesco to promote this day with special information issued in their programming, inviting listeners to comment on the contents of each station, doing with them a check of the radio. The entity even generated special content in order to be replicated by all stations to commemorate the day of radio.
Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, stressed that "in this time of turbulence, radio is a solid platform to unite communities. On the way to work, in our homes, offices and fields, in times of peace, conflict and emergency, radio remains an important source of information and knowledge, transcending generations and cultures, inspiring us with the richness of human diversity and connecting us to the world. Radio gives voice to women and men everywhere. Listen to your listeners and respond to their needs. It is a force at the service of human rights and dignity and a powerful factor in finding solutions to the problems facing societies."
He added that "for this it is necessary to renew everyone's commitment to radio. Broadcasters, regulators and audiences should encourage and make the most of their potential. Listeners' clubs and forums unite communities around issues of common concern with the power to hear each other on the airwaves and get others to hear them. Thanks to policies aimed at gathering audience engagement, listeners are at the centre of broadcasts."
On World Radio Day, UNESCO called on all people to support the power of radio to encourage the conversations and listening needed for cooperation to address the challenges facing humanity.
