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World Radio Day 2025: Despite television and smartphones taking over the world, radio still holds a reputed position in the form of the medium of music, a travel companion, and raising voices through community radio.
World Radio Day 2025: Radio dates back to the mid-19th century. (Image: Shutterstock)
World Radio Day 2025: The print medium was the first form of mass media in the world. However, with technological advancements, radio emerged as the most popular broadcasting medium. Designed to disseminate information to those who found reading newspapers and advertisements challenging but could easily understand audio messages, radio became a powerful tool for communication. To recognise its significance and raise awareness, World Radio Day is celebrated every year on February 13.
Even in an era dominated by social media and instant messaging apps like WhatsApp, radio remains the most resilient and far-reaching communication medium. As World Radio Day is here, let’s explore its history, significance, theme, and key facts.
World Radio Day 2025: Theme
This year, World Radio Day will focus on the theme “Radio and Climate Change” to support radio stations in their journalistic coverage of this pressing issue. The theme highlights radio’s role in spreading vital information about climate change, amplifying voices advocating for environmental sustainability, and promoting eco-friendly practices.
World Radio Day 2025: History
Radio, which uses sound waves and signals to send messages over a specific bandwidth, dates back to the late 19th century around the world. Radio came to India in the early twentieth century; however, it took several years before it became the most popular form of mass media.
To maintain its popularity and to promote its use amongst all, World Radio Day was announced worldwide. Proclaimed in 2011 by UNESCO Member States and adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012 as an International Day, World Radio Day was first observed on February 13.
Since then, February 13 has been observed as World Radio Day. This day reminds us of the resilience of this medium in connecting communities, promoting freedom of expression, and acting as a lifeline during disasters and emergencies.
World Radio Day 2025: Significance
The main objective of celebrating World Radio Day is to make people realise the importance of radio. Despite television and smartphones taking over the world, radio still holds a reputed position in the form of the medium of music, a travel companion, and raising voices of the community through community radio.
Moreover, radio acts as a reliable source of information in emergencies. It plays a pivotal role in addressing global challenges like climate change and provides a platform for under-represented voices. The day also promotes dialogue and mutual understanding across cultures by fostering education and awareness, especially in rural areas.
World Radio Day 2025: Key Facts
- The first true radio transmission was carried out by Guglielmo Marconi in 1895.
- India’s radio broadcast history goes back to the early 1920s.
- The first radio broadcast in India was conducted by the Radio Club of Bombay in June 1923.
- The first news bulletin was broadcast on January 19, 1936, by All India Radio (AIR).
- The first radio station in India is Akashvani. It was later known as All India Radio’s on-air name in 1957.
- With over 415 radio stations in about 23 languages and 146 dialects, AIR is one of the largest radio broadcasters in the world. It also has 99 per cent population coverage and 18 FM channels.
- Radio waves are a form of electromagnetic energy that travel through the air and can transmit information over distances.
- In the 1860s, Scottish scientist James Clerk Maxwell predicted the existence of radio waves.
