World Radio Day is celebrated on 13 February is a date proclaimed by UNESCO to celebrate radio broadcasts, improve international cooperation among radio broadcasters and encourage decision-makers to create and provide access to information through radio, including community radios. It’s an occasion to draw attention to the unique value of radio, which remains the medium to reach the widest audience and is currently taking up new technological forms and devices. UNESCO encourages all countries to celebrate this Day by undertaking activities with diverse partners, such as national, regional, and international broadcasting associations and organizations, non-governmental organizations, media organizations, outlets as well as the public at large. Join in the worldwide events for World Radio Day on February 13 and find out how radio is still changing lives across the globe.

World Radio Day was first proposed by Spain in September 2010. With backing from broadcasting associations around the world, it was unanimously accepted by the UNESCO Member States in November 2011. The cool thing about radio is it’s still relevant and important in our daily lives. During those long drives for vacation or maybe to work, the radio is still with us, keeping us singing and keeping us informed. It’s like a great friend and neighbor, one who’s always there and never lets you down except radio will never borrow your weed whacker and forget to return it. UNESCO, therefore, calls on radio stations worldwide to celebrate World Radio Day this 13 February under the theme “Radio: A century informing, entertaining and educating”. Let’s rejoice in the loyal confidence of listeners in radio, and radio stations’ success in remaining credible in the surrounding cacophonies. This article will help you to know a detailed explanation of World Radio Day History, World Radio Day 2024 Theme, World Radio Day 2024 Significance, World Radio Day 2024 quotes, and some important FAQs related to World Radio Day 2024.

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World Radio Day History

The radio is a medium that has sustained its usage over time. It is a platform for providing information, educating people, allowing expression across cultures, and of course, playing all our favorite music. No matter how advanced technology becomes, radio is an irreplaceable medium, especially during the occurrence of natural or man-made disasters.  Many people in history have contributed to perfecting radio waves and frequencies, but it was Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi who proved the feasibility of communication over the radio. He sent and received a telegram over the first radio signal in history from Italy in 1895.  The first radio station in America was established in Pittsburgh in 1919, and the FM radio debuted in 1939. Broadcasting over radio went digital in 1994 when radio streaming started via the internet. This was accompanied by the first internet-only 24-hour radio station.  In 2011, at the 36th session of UNESCO’s General Conference, February 13 was proclaimed as World Radio Day. This date was chosen by UNESCO’s director-general as it was the anniversary date of the United Nations International Broadcasting Service, which was created on February 13, 1946.

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World Radio Day 2024 Theme

World Radio Day 2024 theme set for this year is “Radio: A century informing, entertaining and educating”. Students preparing for the exam should study the World Radio Day 2024 theme for their exam preparation.

World Radio Day 2024 Significance

Before the invention of TV or Television, Radio was the central attraction of most people throughout the World. It was cheap but had extreme advantages. It makes connectivity from a town to a rural village, from a country to a global nation as well. It provides people with current situations, news, entertainment content like stories, songs, and others, educational programs, medical awareness, and everything. It’s that much important for us that without which we were fully disconnected from the human civilization. There was no doubt that Radio had immense importance in our life.

• Physicist Heinrich Hertz was the first person to prove that radio waves exist.
• A ‘broadcast’ only occurs when a radio signal is sent to many receivers at once.
• The first radio messages were one-way and were an attempt to replace telegraph messages.
• FM radio began in 1939.
• There are almost 15,000 radio stations in the USA.

World Radio Day 2024 Quotes

• Community radios provide profound new opportunities for more inclusive sustainable development. – Denise Gray-Felder.
• Radio pluralism is an essential component in the deepening of the democratic process. – Bamako Declaration on Radio Pluralism.
• The internet creates more of an appetite for media – it doesn’t replace physical books, radio, or TV. – Marissa Mayer.
• Exponential growth in access to the Internet, satellite television and radio, cell phones, and P.D.A.’s means that breaking news now reaches virtually every corner of the globe. – Dee Dee Myers.
• Combining social media and local radio is also a chance to strengthen community participation, especially of marginalized groups. – DW Akademie.

World Radio Day 2024 FAQ

Q. When was World Radio Day 2024 celebrated?

A. World Radio Day 2024 is celebrated on 13th February every year.

Q. Which country initiated World Radio Day?

A. Following a request from the Spanish Radio Academy on 20 September 2010, Spain proposed that the UNESCO Executive Board include an agenda item on the proclamation of a World Radio Day. UNESCO's Executive Board is the agenda item in its provisional agenda for the proclamation of a "World Radio Day" on 29 September 2011.