On 13 February, World Radio Day is celebrated. It is established by UN and celebrated every year as to express the love for radio. It also showcases why radio is needed. This day is observed to highlight the power of radio and bringing people altogether. This year, the observance has the theme of ‘Radio and Sports’.
What UN Secretary-General said about this year’s Radio theme?
UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres said,“On World Radio Day, let us celebrate both radio and sports as ways of helping people achieve their full potential.”
Talking about the theme of this year, there are three sub-themes of World Radio Day. The first is Diversity in Sports. This will focus on promoting diversity through coverage of traditional and grassroots games instead of elite games and teams. Second is Gender Equality in Sports. It focuses on promoting balanced coverage of men’s and women’s sports. It will help in shaping the stereotypes. The third theme is Peace and Development through Sports. In this, the weightage will be given on promoting peace and development initiatives.
Importance of Radio
Radio is considered as a powerful mode of communication. In fact, it is a low cost mode. This is accessible to everyone and offers a lot to people. In India, Indian PM Narendra Modi‘s radio show ‘Mann Ki Baat’ is quite dynamic and engaging one.
The previous themes of this World Radio day were different. Like for 2013, it was news and social media worldwide while for 2014, it was Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Radio. For 2015, the theme was Youth and Radio. In 2016, Radio in Times of Emergency and Disaster was the theme. The theme of previous year i.e. 2017 was Radio is You.
