Today is World Radio Day.
In 2013 UNESCO’s Executive Board recommended to a General Conference the proclamation of this day, chosen because of the formation of United Nations Radio on February 13, 1946. This year’s theme is “Looking Forward to Radio’s Next Century”.
Radioinfo is sharing station, network and industry bodies’ celebrations.
Ford Ennals, Chief Executive Officer of industry body Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA), said of today:
“Radio is the most innovative and immediate media in Australia, and it has continually grown and evolved to suit the needs of its audience.
Commercial radio provides 7,000 full time equivalent jobs, across a range of expertise, with over 2,000 employed in regional areas. A career in radio is like no other.”
“Radio and now podcasting are very much in our lives right now – most Australians listen to some audio every week,” said Andrea Ho, Discipline Lead for Radio and Podcasting at AFTRS and pictured above with a #WorldRadioDay cupcake.
“Hundreds of community, commercial, and public radio stations make millions of hours of unique content telling Australian stories each year, which has a massive cultural impact and Australian radio is a thriving industry that employs thousands of people and contributes to our economy.
Let’s pause for a moment today to celebrate what a fabulous, essential, and loved service we provide in radio!”
2EC marked the occasion with a nod to their past:
The Jay & Dave Breakfast Show on Triple M Mackay and the Whitsundays haven’t changed a bit.
The CMTO acknowledged and gave thanks to volunteers and staff:
And a very important thank you to radio operators:
Melbourne’s Inner FM provided some history:
The Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA) have a timely seminar unpacking Community Radio Listener Survey Data for stations at 3pm AEDT today.
Even the Australian Bureau of Statistics gave us a shout out!
There are 260 commercial and 220 regional stations across Australia. Commercial radio and audio contributes $1 billion to GDP, provides more than a million hours of Australian content, and broadcasts 2,200 hours of emergency service content annually.
AFTRS provided some more fun facts about radio in 2024:
- Radio is accessible by 99.7% of Australians.
- 97% of people (over 10 years old) in greater Sydney listen to radio each week, and total number of radio listeners continues to rise.
- Radio broadcasts in over 100 languages each week, helping people stay connected to their roots and settle into Australian life.
- There are over 150 radio services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, the vast majority owned and operated by community. These services are critical for maintaining language and culture, as well as teaching young people.
- Radio is one of the most stable and accessible platforms during bushfires or other emergencies and is a critical part of Australia’s emergency response plans. Each year, thousands of hours of emergency info is broadcast on radio – which can literally save lives.
- Radio is also important for regional Australia, with over 2 million hours of local regional content and 50,000 hours of Australian news broadcast each year.
Ford Ennals said about radio’s future:
“We will see increased radio streaming and podcasts continuing their exponential listener growth in Australia.
For 100 years, commercial radio has made an invaluable contribution to Australia’s culture, sense of community and economy, and, as today’s World Radio Day acknowledges, the best is yet to come.”