Despite there being other entertainment and news options, including the internet, TV channels and social media, radio remains a reliable and accessible medium for broadcasting news, providing information and entertainment.

The 2022 edition of World Radio Day is thus devoted to Radio and Trust. Proclaimed in 2011 by the member states of the UNESCO and adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012 as an International Day, February 13 marks World Radio Day.

Radio is still fairly relevant in our daily lives. During long drives to work many of us still tune into radio to listen to our favourite hits, singing along at times to soak up positivity for the workday. At times, returning from somewhere, tired and exhausted, listening to a soothing melody playing on it can calm taut nerves. It has been there for ages and still retains some of its olden charm.

Radio has the widest geographical reach and a great number of listeners, despite the increasing popularity of newer mediums.

However, over the past few years, radio has lost some of its significance as mobile phones and the internet have taken over. Therefore, celebrating World Radio Day is pivotal to remembering the position it has held for years and ensuring that it remains relevant. The purpose of World Radio Day is to raise awareness among the public; this is done with the hope that we can encourage decision-makers to establish and provide access to information through radio and to improve networking and international cooperation between broadcasters.

Respecting basic standards of ethical journalism has become challenging in the high-tempo digital age. However, in order to keep or raise listeners’ trust, journalism must continue to be based on verifiable information that is shared in the public interest, holds the powerful to account and helps the society build a better future for all. Radio continues to deliver impressively in spite of competition from several fronts. It connects closely with communities and individuals. It reaches the broadest possible audience while also feeling extremely personal and close as if the host is speaking directly to the individual listener.

Covid-19 Consumer Insights Study data found that radio was the most trusted medium, with 67 per cent of adults considering it trustworthy or very trustworthy. When natural disasters strike, local radio is quickly backed up and provides minute-to-minute updates in broadcasts that are easily accessed through car radios and portable, battery-operated and hand-turned radios. Ease of production allows radio to provide breaking news quickly. This kind of news is available indoors, outdoors and in cars and trucks, reaches more people faster than other mediums.

The UNESCO reports that radio is everywhere, with at least 75 percent of households in developing countries having access to it. There are about 44,000 radio stations worldwide. Along with radios, mobile phones are one of the most accessible forms of technology, covering over 70 percent of the world’s population. Farmers engaged in the design and development of farm radio programming were almost 50 percent more likely to take up agricultural practices believed to improve their food security. Radio delivers tangible benefits to listeners, with an overwhelming majority of respondents agreeing that it improves their mood and helps them feel less isolated and more connected to their community.

In the present age of unhealthy competition amongst TV channels in the world and Pakistan, radio has stood its ground. There is a reason why nearly 250 million people listen to the radio weekly. It’s a trusted medium. Listeners tune in to radio for various reasons. According to Jacobs Media Tec Survey-2019, most listeners see radio personalities as friends and have a close relationship with them. Bridging between traditional and state-of-the-art technologies, radio now offers a variety of content through various devices and formats.

One person in three has a radio set and over 40,000 radio stations are functioning all over the world. The number of cellular mobile phone users in Pakistan reached 139.20 million at the end of May 2014, according to a report published by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority. This has increased radio listening massively in recent years.

The Fifth Generation Warfare (5GW) is a battle of perceptions and information. It is cultural warfare that gives a manipulated view of the world and politics. This phenomenon is breaching the trust in radio by using it for negative propaganda against other states. Under this theory, India is portraying Pakistan as unsafe for foreign investment, particularly in the context of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). This propaganda is established by setting up powerful radio stations/ transformers around its borders with Pakistan.

The Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation, on the other hand, plans to close down many of its radio stations and to turn the facilities into relay centres. These include the stations at Mithi, Bhitshah, Sargodha and Abbottabad. It has been announced that due to a financial crisis, the government is not in a position to bear the operational cost, staff salaries and pensions, cost of repair or replacement of transmitters and studio equipment of various radio stations. Given the state of affairs, the PBC should give exceptional consideration to strengthening radio broadcasting and transmission facilities, particularly in the areas close to Indian borders. The influence and reliability of radio is a unique strength that should be fully and tactfully utilized in support of our foreign policy.

Trust in radio has been universally acknowledged. One great example of this superiority was realised on August 13, 1947, 11:59 pm, just before the clock struck midnight, Mustafa Ali Hamdani of the Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation, made this historic radio announcement, broadcasting the birth of a new country. “Greetings! Pakistan Broadcasting Service. We are speaking from Lahore. The night between the thirteen and fourteen of August, year forty-seven. It is twelve o’clock. Dawn of Freedom”.

It was the prompt announcement that received the full trust of the people of Pakistan.

The writer is a playwright and freelance journalist and can be reached at pashajaved1@gmail.com and his blogging site: soulandland.com