World Radio Day is recognised on 13 February 2013 and South Africa joins the world in celebrating radio broadcast, “the ubiquitous and widely disseminated communication technology that keeps people connected around the world’.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has proclaimed World Radio Day as an occasion to draw attention to the unique value of radio, which remains the medium that reaches the widest audience.
Today, the International Telecommunications Union’s secretary general, Dr Hamdoun I. Toure, reaffirmed the Union’s commitment to increase access to broadcast radio. “The convergence of telecommunications, broadcasting and computing has revolutionised radio as a medium of communication,’ says Dr Toure. “ITU continues to develop the standards that make technological advances in digital radio platforms available globally.’
François Rancy, the director of ITU’s Radio Communication Bureau, mentions the widespread use of streaming audio, podcasts, online radio and social media on mobile devices.
“In today’s connected world, radio continues to provide an invaluable means of reaching out to the world. The digitisation of radio has increased user-interaction and the sense of user engagement with this media, which increasingly uses multiple platforms,’ says Rancy.
