Unveiling radio’s resilience: Insights from The Radio Festival 2024 -

Welcome performance at The Radio Festival
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Radio as a medium to inform, educate and entertain has stood the test of time. It was this spirit of the timeless medium that was celebrated at the seventh edition of The Radio Festival held in the capital on February 13, World Radio Day. The well-attended event saw participation from about 300 people, comprising a mix of radio veterans, seasoned professionals from the field, students as well as over 125 community radio representatives from 21 states.

Supported by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Seeking Modern Applications for Real Transformation (SMART), Prasar Bharati and UNESCO, it is one of the country’s biggest radio festivals. “This year marks the completion of hundred years of radio and 20 years of community radio – two remarkable milestones in the history of communication,” said Archana Kapoor, founder, The Radio Festival.

The event traced the incredible journey of the radio over the years and its significant contribution, as a voice for the voiceless, a platform for music, art, culture, dialogue, and debate as well as a medium to forge connections and unite people. In her message, which was shared on the occasion, President Draupadi Murmu lauded the noteworthy role played by all three tiers of broadcasting – public, private, and community radio – in bridging distances, sharing stories and fostering a sense of community.

Inaugural session at The Radio Festival
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Sanjay Jaju, Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, said that there are more than 480 community radio stations currently registered in India. “Radio reaches the grassroots and people at the last mile. At a time when we have an overload of information, it plays a huge role in social change,” he said. A number of stalwarts from the world of radio shared their thoughts and memories about the medium. “In its early days, the radio was treated as a window to the world. A very personal medium, it is a torchbearer of this age,” said Madhukar Upadhyay, a former radio journalist with BBC Hindi.

The panels at the festival touched upon various challenges faced by the radio in today’s digital age of Internet and social media, and its subsequent relevance in the years ahead. Vasudha Gupta, Principal Director, All India Radio felt that nothing can actually take the place of the sound medium. “Radio just needs to reorient itself in terms of content in order to keep pace with the changing environment,” she explained.

“The radio is an emotional medium – one of the heart, rather than the mind. However, it is somewhere stuck in nostalgia. We need to go beyond that, and make it more relevant for today’s youngsters,” argued Tapas Sen, chief programming officer, Radio Mirchi. Arti Jaiman, station director, Gurgaon Ki Awaaz, also emphasised the crucial role played by community radio during Covid, by way of sharing important information related to migrant labourers and vaccinations during a time when people were locked up in their homes and had access to free-to-air radio.

“Radio is a resilient technological tool that has stood the test of time over the past century. Needless to say, with the advent of technology and the Internet, it will continue to survive,” added Dr B Shadrach, director, Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia.