World Radio Day 2020: Theme, origin and everything you need to know
World Radio Day 2020: It is generally believed that the first radio transmission was made by Guglielmo Marconi in 1895 and radio broadcasting of music and talk that was aimed towards a wider audience came into existence, albeit experimentally, sometimes around 1905-1906.
It is generally believed that the first radio transmission was made by Guglielmo Marconi in 1895 and radio broadcasting of music and talk that was aimed towards a wider audience came into existence, albeit experimentally, sometimes around 1905-1906.
The radio came into existence commercially in the early 1920s. Radio stations came into existence almost three decades later and the radio and broadcasting system became a common commodity around the world by the 1950s.
Almost 60 years later, in 2011, Member States of UNESCO proclaimed February 13 as being World Radio Day. It was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2013 as an International event.
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One of the most widely consumed medium at the global level, the UN says the radio has the ability to “shape a society’s experience of diversity, stand as an arena for all voices to speak out, be represented and heard.”
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Origin
Following a proposal from Spain, UNESCO’s Executive Board recommended to the General Conference the proclamation of World Radio Day, based on a consultation process carried out by UNESCO in 2011. Subsequently, the then Director-General of UNESCO proposed the formation of United Nations Radio on February 13, 1946 and subsequently at its 36th session, UNESCO proclaimed February 13 as World Radio Day.
The UN General Assembly formally endorsed UNESCO’s proclamation of World Radio Day on January 14, 2013. During its 67th session, the UN adopted a resolution proclaiming February 13 as World Radio Day.
Objective
According to the United Nations, the objective of World Radio Day is to raise greater awareness among the public and media regarding the importance of radio.
The day also aims to encourage radio stations to provide access to information through their medium and enhance networking and international cooperation among broadcasters.
Theme
The theme of World Radio Day 2020 is ‘Radio and Diversity’. According to UNESCO, radio stations should serve diverse communities and offer a wide range of programmes.
For World Radio Day 2020, UNESCO has called on radio stations to uphold diversity, both in their newsroom and on the airwaves.
The theme of World Radio Day can be broadly divided into three main categories, according to UNESCO.
Diversity in the radio landscape: The development of policy environments which can lead to transparency and diversity of media ownership is the cornerstone to the radio sector being pluralistic, inclusive and democratic.
Diversity in the newsroom: Radio stations could bring multi-cultural teams that offer different perspectives on issues, through equal opportunity and fair treatment policies.
Diversity on the airwaves: Radio stations can offer a variety of shows and programmes that range from reportage and documentaries to talk shows and podcasts. Within the programmes themselves, there can be diversity in terms of language, music and mood to reflect the diversity of humanity.
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