On World Radio Day, a new worldview for radio

Kolkata: Today, February 13, is the birthday of United Nations Radio and thus christened World Radio Day. The theme for 2023 is ‘Radio and Peace’, which actually leads me to a few thoughts and some ideas.

Much before many of us were born, radio was the foremost information cum entertainment device, catering to every possible demand. 

Entertainment, in terms of music and theatre, thoughtfully serialised, way before TV and OTT picked up the plot. 

Education, from crop plantations to academic preparations, in designated time slots that were painfully monotonous for non-stakeholders. 

Information, news both local and global, which usually arrived much before the day’s newspaper was even conceived. 

Excitement, attracting young and old, through the much-cherished live commentary of Cricket and Football.

Radio was also a pioneer in interactive content, lest you think it is a digital masterstroke. 

Starting with song requests, famously from Jhumri Telaiya and poignantly from the armed forces, and extending in the FM years to live audience voices. 

Even the Bournvita Quiz Contest was an early bird in participative content, the excitement on Sunday mornings unmissable in educated households.

Quite apart from all of the above, radio or rather, the radio set, was an astute social integrator. Imposing and dictatorial as the gigantic radiogram while being sleek and unobtrusive as the canny transistor set. 

Like a mesmeric magnet, we hovered around the source of the sound, unlike modern-day home theatres which chase you with no place to hide. At some point, though households turned multi-gadget, young adults indulged with a personal floatation device as if a symbol of hard-earned autonomy.

The other quirky aspect was clearly the foreign feeds, BBC World Service and Voice of America leading the charge. Those intellectually inclined nodded sagely at the crisply-accented wisdom, while others with lesser pretences could smell the burgers and jeans. In either case, the evocative gateway to the other world could only be earned by the finest merit or dubious cash yields. 

Their TV equivalents were way less influential, possibly because the options by then were many or maybe the mystique died when the studios were plainly visible.

On peace and war though, radio has played its part in the many conflicts across its living tenure. 

Azad Hind Radio was established in 1942 ( Berlin) to counter the British narrative in India while Swadhin Bangla Betar (Free Bangladesh Radio) was a crucial airwave of hope during the events of 1971. 

More recently, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty played a catalysing role in sharing information with those encircled by the Iron Curtain, aiding the fall of the Berlin Wall. Inspiring the internet to do an encore during the Jasmine Revolution in Egypt, as a mobiliser of potent forces.

But then, all that is part of history, and we now find that radio is sharply becoming obsolete in our lives as its decreed functions have been taken over by new-age others. 

The instigator in chief being the internet - collapsing the diverse agendas of entertainment, education, information and excitement in lebensraum smaller than a transistor. 

Why radio, even TV is suitably threatened by this universal saviour or menace, depending on the preferred point of view. To me, though, the survival of radio is more likely if played smartly and let me serve some deep-fried nuggets, from a deliberately Indian perspective.

The sharpest driver and nicest evidence of our nation’s growth is boundless mobility, fuelled by a rampant service culture and bolstered by the gig economy. 

Concurrent to its territory is the obsession with real-time infotainment, whether T20 matches, Besharam Rang or the Turkiye calamity. 

Currently, this diversity in desire is being served by the all-in-one mobile phone, aided by endless live streaming and throwaway pricing of broadband access.

Now marry the above pointers with partly established yet sharply emerging realities, pertaining to psycho-demographic behaviour. 

India is increasingly obsessed with regional/local identities as a positive foundation for a larger national truth - we see this in content development, chat patterns, interest in micro politics and even cuisines. 

We are also becoming self-expression fiends, whether in conversations or the defunct Tik Tok and are shedding our inhibitions on the go. The Internet is brilliant in serving most of these needs but radio can do a specific job far better.

Which is to be the champion of ‘HyperLocal' content, across the parameters of education, information, entertainment and excitement - to be consumed in vehicles, dedicated units and via the smartphone. 

Imagine a channel just for Gurgaon or Thane or even Guntur, which addresses the real-time developments across spheres - from road blockages to food festivals to prices of mangoes to AQI to soil-based gardening tips. 

Some channels do this for wider geographies, city-based and that too in staccato bursts interspersed with generic musical programming.

Now, combine this with the incubation of local talent - theatre, music, quizzes and debates, recipes, doctor advice, school fests, club matches and much more. 

Almost being an incubator for local voices, applicable for co-curricular talent as well as those seeking a wider foothold. Subsumed in all this is a 24/7 news reporting mechanism, further shrinking the localisation achieved by regional TV in this regard.

The idea, most simply, is for radio to own the Hyperlocal Content space, as an integral adhesive as well as aviation turbine fuel. 

Delivered from the lens of constant mobility, but naturally workable in a static home or office context as well. Broadband Internet, in spite of available tools, makes money from expanding horizons and scalable fodder and that is a proven truth. 

Cable TV is far too infrastructure-heavy and location specific while print can never serve the relevance of immediacy. Instead of serving generic music which is anyways sought in music apps and faux local living pointers which are far too broad-based.

Thinking as such may require a rejig in licensing policies and indeed, a rethink by the state machinery. The best chance is actually an evocation of interest by a wider content player, who identifies radio as complementary to larger last-mile ambitions, led by broadband and smartphones. 

To serve communities where video embellishment is less important, genuine interactivity is valued and a platform to hear and be heard is actually desired.

As mentioned earlier, the theme for 2023 is ‘Radio and Peace’. I am taking the liberty of stretching the definition of peace, from the diverse angles of medium, message and listener. 

To ensure that radio keeps us firmly rooted, in a universe where every other conduit is insisting on the flight.