World Radio Day 2022 – In radio we trust!

Thursday, 10 February 2022

One of our favorite celebrations is just around the corner…

No, we’re not talking about Valentine’s Day – although we do celebrate love, too!

But for us, World Radio Day 2022 is a greater reason to rejoice!

This year, on February 13, radio stations around the world will be joining the event’s 11^th edition and more than a century of radio.

Looksomething wouldn’t be missing out on this. After all, helping radio stations thrive is our top priority!

This is why we have prepared this article, full of ideas & resources that will help you plan and participate in the event, too.

How to celebrate World Radio Day 2022 and talk about it with your audience

According to UNESCO, this year’s WRD is divided into three main sub-themes. Here’s what you can do to incorporate them in your program and talk about them with your audience.

Trust in radio journalism

The problem: Ethical journalism has become challenging in the present digital age, as it keeps getting harder and harder to distinguish between facts and “fake news”.

The solution: Produce independent and high-quality content: verify sources, invest in fact-checking, and critically respond to information. Whether a news station or a music radio station, you should always broadcast accurate information.

How to do it: Invest in radio station app development to serve the public interest

An informed audience can discover, consume, and respond critically to content, and thereby appreciate the quality journalism that your radio station is bringing to them.

Incorporate it in your program:

• How can your audience distinguish fake news? Talk with them about Media and Information Literacy competencies.
• What is your station doing to prevent low quality of content? Your audience would love to know!
• Let your listenership know how you have adapted to the digital age of maybe “too much” available information

Trust and accessibility

The problem: Inclusion and representation matters. People must feel included and able to consume their favorite content in their own terms.

The solution: Take care of your audience: diversity in all its forms will make a radio station or a web radio station stand out. Staff origins, information sources, formats, distribution channels, programming, editorial content will result in loyal listeners.

How to do it: Create a radio app to reach a more diverse audience

Create an iOS radio app and allow your listeners to participate with your radio station no matter where they are at that time. Similarly, make your Android radio apps available in more languages to reach a far larger audience. Finally, make sure that your fans can listen to your program no matter where they are. A mobile app will allow them to stay tuned in your radio station and simultaneously run other tasks on their devices as well.

Incorporate these in your program:

• Give everyone a voice: invite people of color or with disabilities to talk about inclusion in the media.
• How does your station tackles discrimination? Anyone in your staff that would like to share their experience working here?
• Ask for recommendations from your audience. What do they think that you can do better in terms of accessibility?

Further reading: How to increase your radio station’s listenership

 

Trust and viability of radio stations

The problem: Radio advertising has decreased (Covid did play a part in it) causing a significant reduction in the profits of radio stations throughout the world. How can radio survive?

The solution: Ensure competitiveness: invest in new funding models like AdMob, subscriptions, membership models, pay-per-listened content, very local advertisement and other.

How to do it: Make money from your radio app

Finding ways to incorporate advertising is crucial: Most radio stations still rely on selling airtime to their advertisers. However, the website of a radio station and its own mobile app can be serving visual ads through Google’s services. An Android radio app allows AdMob ads, and your Radio Website will also benefit from AdSense ads that will contribute to your financial survival, easy and automatically, without you having to worry about finding new advertisers.

Incorporate the followings in your strategy:

• Ask the hard questions: How can you turn loyal audience engagement into financial sustainability? When you’re true to your audience, they will be loyal in turn. If you don’t already have one, ask people if they’d prefer listening to your station through your own Android or iOS radio app.
• Discuss podcasts, streaming, radio apps. Let people know that different types of content keep you going.
• Run competitions! Having sponsors is a great source of income, while your audience remains happy!

Further reading: How to promote your radio station

Important facts about radio for World Radio Day

Here are some tiny bits of information and facts you can share!

• The rise of Audio; 31% of American citizens have accessed a podcast in the last month.
• According to recent metrics, Radio is by far the most trusted medium across Europe.
• Radio VS TV in Europe: 60% of the European countries trust Radio more than Television
• Radio has increased its trust during the pandemic, whereas news in Social Media & Written Press on the Internet have decreased significantly.
• At an international level, radio remains the most widely consumed medium. According to a recent study by Nielsen, a global leader in audience insights, data and analytics, a whopping 92% of Americans (over the age of 18) listens to the radio every week – more people prefer listening to the radio than watching TV or using their smartphones or PCs.
• KDKA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was the world’s first commercial radio station.
• The most powerful radio station ever was WLW, in Cincinnati, Ohio. It broadcasted at such a frequency that people in close distance to the transmitter could hear the audio in their pans, pots, and mattresses.

The first Internet radio service was launched in 1993!

 

Free resources about World Radio Day

UNESCO has provided some ready-to-use resources for all radio stations that are ready to seize the day!

• WRD 2022 Celebration KIT
• Official Website& Facebook
• Official PDF with more details about WRD history

Hope you’ll have as much fun celebrating World Radio Day 2022 as we will.

After all, radio is one of the most used media in the world – not to mention one of the most trusted – so we are certain there are plenty of people out there who want to celebrate it with you. Yes, your audience included!

There is no other medium so accessible and diverse, so make it count!

 

All material is copyright free and may be used to promote World Radio Day.

#WorldRadioDay #JournéeMondialedelaRadio #DiaMundialdelaRadio