VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Tomorrow, February 13, 2021 will be commemorated as the 10th World Radio Day. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization -UNESCO designated this date as World Radio Day because of the role of this media in all walks of life.

The history of the commemoration of International Radio Day began in 1946. February 13, 1946 is the day when the UN for the first time operated UN radio to disseminate information about its activities to the entire world community.

What is interesting to note is how radio still exists, especially amid the existence of many new media platforms nowadays. Whether realized or not, the advancement of new media, such as the internet does affects the existence of radio. Even so, in fact, it turns out that not all regions of a country can be reached by the internet, whether it is for technological reasons or geographic location. This makes radio still the media of choice for access to news and entertainment, especially in remote areas. The frequency of the short waves is proven to be able to deliver information to various places that may not even be penetrated by the internet.

Based on data released by UNESCO in 2019, there are around 44,000 radio stations around the world. In some places, the number of radio stations is even higher than other media. Take for example, there are more radio stations in Africa than newspapers and television channels.

Amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, radio is a very reliable medium. When people are expected not to leave the house, radio is a very effective medium to be used to obtain various information or as study facilities at home, not to mention its very important function in times of disaster. In addition, with the advancement of digital technology, the role and function of radio can increasingly be improved following the times. Radio with its uniqueness and technological advancement that continues to develop, is able to penetrate boundaries and spaces to disseminate news, information and entertainment to listeners.

It is hoped   that in the future, the uniqueness of radio can be used more for things that are needed by the community, across time and space.