Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Paul Jamet, who writes:
Hello Thomas,
This short message to draw your attention on the following:
The theme of World Radio Day on February 13, 2025 is “Radio and Climate Change”:
https://www.unesco.org/en/days/world-radio?hub=66636
https://www.unesco.org/en/days/world-radio/radio-climate-change?hub=66636
I hope this information is helpful to you.
All the best.
Paul JAMET
Thank you so much for sharing this, Paul! I always look forward to World Radio Day!
Radio Taboo in Cameroon
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Marty, who shares the following article from The Conversation:
Radio is thriving across Africa. Exact figures are difficult to come by because audience research differs across countries. But studies estimate radio listenership to be between 60% and 80% of the continent’s 1.4 billion population.
In contrast to many western countries, where there has been a shift towards streaming and podcasts, traditional radio continues to be widely embraced in Africa. Because of poor literacy levels and uneven access to the internet and technological infrastructure, old-fashioned radio remains a reliable and inclusive medium.
This year’s celebration of the 100-plus years of radio offers us an opportunity, as African media scholars, to reflect on the historical significance, cultural relevance, political power and social impact of the medium on the continent. We home in on examples from the regions we’ve studied to demonstrate this rich history.
The story of radio in Africa starts with its introduction to serve colonial interests. Cameroonian scholar Francis Nyamnjoh argues that as soon as it had established itself as a mass medium in the 1920s,
European states were quick to realise the part radio could play in realising their desire to swallow up weaker cultures around the globe.
Historians note that it also allowed Europeans in the colonies to connect to home, their culture and their languages.
In the early 1920s amateur radio enthusiasts had already begun tinkering with the technology. The first official broadcast seems to have been on 18 December 1923 in Johannesburg, South Africa. [Continue reading at The Conversation…]
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul Jamet, who shares the following contribution to World Radio Day 2024 on behalf of the Club du Perche:
Paul JAMET
Member of the Radio Club du Perche
Among the framing elements of the 2024 edition, UNESCO states on its website that the celebration highlights three important values:
UNESCO – The indelible history of Radio and its powerful impact upon news, drama, music, sports …
P.J. – Radio is a grand lady, a hundred years old, still young at heart and full of projects! Its birth and history have given rise to numerous publications and captivating accounts, because for over a century, radio has been the world’s sound memory. Radio stations regularly draw on their rich archives to help us relive key events, because history informs the future. Since the 1920s, radio has demonstrated its usefulness in explaining how the world works, educating listeners and providing entertainment (music, theater, sports, etc.).
UNESCO – The ongoing utilitarian value of Radio as a relatively free and portable public safety net during emergencies and power outages brought on by natural and human-made disasters such as storms, earthquakes, floods, heat, wildfires, accidents and warfare.
P.J. – In recent years, with the increasing number of conflicts and natural disasters resulting from climate change, radio has taken on a new and extremely important role, that of providing a public safety network for both emergency resources and victims. Dozens of models of portable emergency receivers are already available, while others are arriving on the market all the time, using new technologies such as the digitization of radio signals, the use of emergency frequencies for broadcasting warning messages: NOAA frequencies in North America, EWF (Emergency Warning Functionality) technology with DRM broadcasting, and expected also with DAB+ broadcasting.
UNESCO – The continuing democratic value of Radio to serve as a grassroots catalyst for connectedness within underserved groups including immigrant, religious, minority and poverty-stricken populations; and as an instantaneous bellwether of public opinion expressed through the auspices of free speech in the public space.
P.J. – I was born after the Second World War. My mother often told me about the importance of [clandestine] listening to Radio Londres broadcast by the BBC to occupied France. At the time, the BBC was broadcasting messages to the Resistance operating in France and other European countries. Since then, radio has played a decisive role in many similar situations. Such was the case with Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty until the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989. More recently, a few days after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, some stations reactivated their Shortwave transmitters to broadcast special programs to the conflict zone – Zone CIRAF 29.
Since the start of the third millennium, or even before, several countries have abandoned international broadcasting for a variety of reasons: financial, but also linked to the declining audience, preferring to use the Internet, at least in the best-equipped countries. Many stations have disappeared, and not the least, stations that made a major contribution to the plurality of information and points of view, such as RCI – Canada and RSI – Switzerland, not forgetting DW – Germany and ABC – Australia. Some countries have even demolished their installations and taken down their antennas!
Yet there are still vast areas of the globe without Internet access or a reliable Internet network. There are still countries where freedom of information is severely controlled.
In a recent article published on the Radioworld website, Kim Andrew Elliott, who produced “VoA Radiogram”, argues for a revival of Shortwave by proposing Shortwave 2.0, essentially using the following argument: « radio is the ultimate internet circumvention tool ». The author criticizes DRM for dropping out when transmission conditions are poor. He prefers text transmission via the system he has experimented with, which he believes to be more robust. Finally, he adds that « international broadcasters should not close any more shortwave transmitting sites. They are essential facilities to relay information when the internet is blocked, which will happen in more places, more frequently and more thoroughly ».
Through regular listening and exchanges, I fully support international radio stations for the indispensable role they play in providing a plurality of information, but also in providing entertainment (there are many cultural programs) and education, enabling the discovery of other countries and, above all, a better understanding of other cultures.
As for the Clubs d’écouteurs, they have had to adapt to changes in the radio landscape and advances in information technology. On the strength of its 40 years of existence and experience, the Radio Club du Perche wishes to take up these challenges and continue its role of promoting international broadcasting – particularly French-speaking – by adapting as best we can to the technological evolutions that are taking place.
In conclusion, international shortwave broadcasting not only makes sense, but is still very useful for a large number of listeners or in certain situations. Nevertheless, it must adapt to the new realities of modern communication if it is to remain relevant and viable.
Paul JAMET – [email protected]
Radio Club du Perche
Paul adds that his club members are writing stations to not only submit listener reports but to thank them for their service on the air. We encourage readers to do the same: reach out to any/all radio stations you listen to regularly and let them know you’re listening!
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Tracy Wood, who notes:
RTVA celebrated World Radio Day with this news story. The first person interviewed in the clip is Josep Maria Samper who happened to be the great RTVA engineer/ tourguide for antendees of EDXC 2019. (He has since retired.)
https://www.andorradifusio.ad/noticies/radio-mes-30-anys-historia-andorra
(The language is Catalan.)
Not shown in this clip, a live theatre/review was also performed in a previous evening at the former Radio Andorra transmitter plant; RTVA newscast viewers could clearly see the old HF transmitters in the background…
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Tim Brockett, who writes:
Hello Thomas,
Radio Romania recently requested that listeners submit comments on the topic “Radio and Peace”. Radio Romania selected several submissions and read them on their North American broadcast on February 12, 2023 UTC at 04:50. I was honored to hear that they enjoyed my short essay and read it over the air:
Shortwave radio presents a unique opportunity to engage listeners and build pathways for understanding other cultures. Like reading a book, listening to the radio involves just one sense. Thus it is possible for the undistracted listener to be completely immersed in the broadcast. If the broadcast is educational, cultural, and fact-based the listener may devote 100% of their attention to that show. If encouraged, the listener may also request a QSL which is a valuable opportunity for the broadcaster to communicate with them again. The listener’s curiosity may be piqued about a particular subject they can later research. Or they may store away their colorful QSLs and/or pleasant memories of tuning into a faraway station until they have a chance to visit the country they spent so many hours listening to.
Just as the author of a good book can form a lifelong bond with the reader, so can shortwave radio. I am amazed at the number of listeners who started with shortwave half a century ago and are often featured on DX program segments. DXers frequently mourn long-gone radio stations as they do close friends who have passed on. Shortwave radio is a powerful medium that can emotionally connect with listeners for many decades.
Shortwave radio can vastly broaden the horizons of individuals around the world. Radios are inexpensive and broadcasts reach every point on the globe. Powerful broadcasts cross international borders with ease. Radio frequently offers a voice different from what the listener hears in their local community. That can lead to a deeper understanding of distant countries and cultures. Better understanding and the freedom to hear new ideas is a building block for the antonym of war; peace.
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul Jamet, who writes:
Hi Thomas,
Following World Radio Day on the theme “Radio & Peace”, I draw your attention to this article online on the Radioworld website: http://www.radioworld.com
Portable radios take overseas trip to Ukraine, local fundraising continues
https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/portable-radios-successfully-delivered-to-ukraine-local-fundraising-continues
I am aware that this is a politically very sensitive subject… But I wonder why the receiver that is distributed does not allow listening to short waves? Nowadays, there are affordable receivers that allow shortwave listening
This example is a good illustration of the indispensable role that radio still plays in today’s world.
Kind regards.
Paul JAMET
Many thanks to Tracy, Tim, and Paul for sharing these World Radio Day items!
Today is UNESCO World Radio Day and this year the theme of trust highlights the importance of radio as an accessible form of information.
Below are some of the many projects celebrating World Radio Day:
As mentioned in a previous post, we at the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive are truly honored to have been a resource for this incredible and diverse sound project organized by Cities and Memory.
We encourage you to explore the creative work from over 120 artists and composers.
A great many of these remarkable dynamic works draw on a wide array of recordings from the SRAA; the resulting compositions and soundscapes are rich with sonic textures, evocative collages of sound and memory, which emerge into further sources of inspiration.
Our profound thanks to Cities and Memory––and all of the participating artists––for this truly brilliant collection which you can check out on the Shortwave Transmissions project page.
As we mention in a previous post, this brilliant radio documentary focusing on community radio is available on the BBC World Service website and BBC Sounds.
Here’s the description:
For World Radio Day 2022, we tune in to radio stations around the world that connect communities, spark conversations, keep traditions alive and give a voice to their listeners. From Aboriginal Koori Radio in Australia to a community station in India run by rural women from the lowest Dalit caste, the airwaves carry intimate wisdom, vital knowledge, beats and tunes that keep reminding us who we are.
Note that this piece was produced by our friend David Goren, of Shortwaveology fame. Continue reading
Because I keep my ear to the waves, as well as receive many tips from others who do the same, I find myself privy to radio-related stories that might interest SWLing Post readers. To that end: Welcome to the SWLing Post’s Radio Waves, a collection of links to interesting stories making waves in the world of radio. Enjoy!
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors Patrick, Marcus, Mike and Tracy for the following tips:
China has banned BBC World News from broadcasting in the country, its television and radio regulator announced on Thursday.
China has criticised the BBC for its reporting on coronavirus and the persecution of ethnic minority Uighurs.
The BBC said it was “disappointed” by the decision.
It follows British media regulator Ofcom revoking state broadcaster China Global Television Network’s (CGTN) licence to broadcast in the UK.
Separately, the broadcaster Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) said it would stop relaying BBC World Service programming in the region, prompting condemnation from the BBC.
China’s State Film, TV and Radio Administration said that BBC World News reports about China were found to “seriously violate” broadcast guidelines, including “the requirement that news should be truthful and fair” and not “harm China’s national interests”.
It said that the BBC’s application to air for another year would not be accepted.
The BBC said in a statement: “We are disappointed that the Chinese authorities have decided to take this course of action. The BBC is the world’s most trusted international news broadcaster and reports on stories from around the world fairly, impartially and without fear or favour.”[…]
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the invention of radio. In the early 1860s the Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell derived four equations which together describe the behaviour of electricity and magnetism. They predicted the existence of a previously unknown phenomenon: electromagnetic waves. These waves were first observed in the early 1880s, and over the next two decades a succession of scientists and engineers built increasingly elaborate devices to produce and detect them. Eventually this gave birth to a new technology: radio. The Italian Guglielmo Marconi is commonly described as the father of radio – but many other figures were involved in its development, and it was not him but a Canadian, Reginald Fessenden, who first succeeded in transmitting speech over the airwaves.
With:
Simon Schaffer
Professor of the History of Science at the University of CambridgeElizabeth Bruton
Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of LeedsJohn Liffen
Curator of Communications at the Science Museum, LondonProducer: Thomas Morris
World Radio Day 2021: Radio creates diversity and connects people
World Radio Day will be announced by UNESCO for the tenth time on February 13th and once again refers to how important radio is for society and why it connects people.
Time to celebrate: UNESCO has proclaimed World Radio Day for the tenth time. In Germany, radio has been the everyday companion of people for a hundred years and, more than ever, radio is the medium of the hour. So this jubilee round provides many good reasons to pause and ask what radio means for each individual, society and the world. Radio itself does not take a break, it is on the air – every day and around the clock. Radio informs, entertains and offers a variety of programs, opinions and content. As a matter of course – and yet so indispensable – radio, both large and small, is the vital voice of people and for people.
At the global level, radio remains the most widely consumed medium
The world is changing rapidly. Social and political processes are becoming more dynamic due to new technologies, the communication network is getting faster and bigger and the challenges are becoming more important. In these processes, radio not only offers diversity, classification and orientation, but is also an integral part of opinion-forming because it is the platform for democratic discourse. This unique ability to reach a wide audience means radio can shape a society through diversity and is the place for those who want to speak up.
100 years of radio in Germany
In Germany, the medium for the ears and the head cinema is celebrating its centenary this year. The innovative strength of the medium and the trust base with listeners that has grown over the decades make it possible for radio to be the medium of the hour more than ever. It is the last mass medium and at the same time can digitally reach everyone with the entire range of offers. Radio is at eye level with people – both in terms of content and technology. Because just as society and people’s everyday lives have changed dramatically, so too have listening habits and content. What remains, however, is the great art of putting complex topics into understandable words and giving diversity a voice.
“Today we are experiencing that the world is changing rapidly. We face major challenges when I think of climate change, the current corona pandemic or the debates on racism, for example. The task of radio here is to inform and classify. To make the soft tones heard and to reflect the diversity of opinions, ”says Grit Leithäuser, Managing Director of Radiozentrale. “But the most important thing is to act at eye level with the listeners. This grown connection and mutual trust are something for both sides that one should be aware of and that it has to be preserved every day. Then, in a hundred years, radio will be the medium for people who listen on whatever technical route, in order to learn from one another and to live diversity. ”
World Radio Day was first proclaimed by UNESCO in 2012 and this year it has the motto: “New World, New Radio”. At the suggestion of Spain, the General Conference of UNESCO initiated World Radio Day in memory of the founding of United Nations Radio on February 13, 1946. The aim of the day is to make the public and the media more aware of the importance of radio, to the decision-makers Encourage information to be established and made accessible through the radio.
Further information on World Radio Day can be found at: https://en.unesco.org/commemorations/worldradioday
The generic initiative Radiozentrale sees itself as a common platform for public and private radio stations as well as generic companies in the radio industry. The radio center has set itself the goal of positioning the medium of radio and providing comprehensive information about the (advertising) medium of radio. More information: www.radiozentrale.de
Broadway Bill Lee raps to Alex Dyke about growing up in Cleveland, the impact of the Beatles in 1964 and honing his craft as a DJ. Bill remembers being on-air in New York City the night that John Lennon was murdered and how he felt compelled to take to the air on September 11th 2001.
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Today is UNESCO World Radio Day and this year the theme highlights diversity on the airwaves. Here’s the announcement from UNESCO:
Proclaimed in 2011 by the Member States of UNESCO, and adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012 as an International Day, February 13 became World Radio Day (WRD).
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. This unique ability to reach out the widest audience means radio can shape a society’s experience of diversity, stand as an arena for all voices to speak out, be represented and heard. Radio stations should serve diverse communities, offering a wide variety of programs, viewpoints and content, and reflect the diversity of audiences in their organizations and operations.
CELEBRATIONS IN 2021
On the occasion of World Radio Day 2021 (WRD 2021), UNESCO calls on radio stations to celebrate this event’s 10th anniversary and the more than 110 years of radio.This edition of WRD is divided into three main sub-themes:
- EVOLUTION. The world changes, radio evolves.This sub-theme refers to the resilience of the radio, to its sustainability ;
- INNOVATION. The world changes, radio adapts and innovate.Radio has had to adapt to new technologies to remain the go-to medium of mobility, accessible everywhere and to everyone;
- CONNECTION. The world changes, radio connects.This sub-theme highlights radio’s services to our society—natural disasters, socio-economic crises, epidemics, etc.
Click here to check out the UNESCO website devoted to World Radio Day 2020.
Radio Taboo Issa Nyaphaga on the right with a community friend and Radio Taboo listener on the left.
AS mentioned in a previous post, I also suggest you checkout this documentary produced by our friend, David Goren:
World Wide Waves: The sounds of community radio
We may think we live in a digital age, but only half the world is currently online. Across the globe, small radio stations bind remote communities, play a dazzling array of music, educate, entertain and empower people to make change. Cameroon’s Radio Taboo, in a remote rainforest village 100 miles off the grid, relies on solar power; its journalists and engineers are all local men and women. Radio Civic Sfantu Gheorghe in the Danube Delta preserves the history of the community. Tamil Nadu’s Kadal Osai (“the sound of the ocean”) broadcasts to local fishermen about weather, fishing techniques—and climate change. In Bolivia, Radio Pio Doce is one of the last remaining stations founded in the 1950s to organise mostly indigenous tin miners against successive dictatorships. And KTNN, the Voice of the Navajo Nation, helps lift its listeners’ spirits in a time of loss and grief.
Produced by David Goren
Presented by Maria Margaronis.
Happy World Radio Day, everyone!