Wednesday February 13 is the international World Radio Day 2013 – proclaimed by UNESCO in 2011, it celebrates radio as a medium and promotes access to information and freedom of expression over the airwaves.
Radio continues to reach the widest audience worldwide. This multi-purpose and low-cost medium helps people engage in discussions on topics that affect them, report facts and tell stories. It is specifically suited to reach remote communities and vulnerable groups: the illiterate, the disabled, women, youth and the poor, while offering a platform to intervene in the public debate, irrespective of people’s educational level. Furthermore, it can save lives during natural or human-made disasters.
UNESCO encourages all countries to celebrate World Radio Day by planning activities in partnership with regional, national and international broadcasters, NGOs, the media and the general public. Planned events and celebrations are being registered and shared in a crowdmap, while a wide range of copyright free resources are available on UNESCO’s dedicated page for event organizers.
The World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) launched the World Radio Day Broadcast Campaign to celebrate the community radio sector. Audio programs can be sent directly over the Internet via https://www.wetransfer.com (recipient email: secretariat@si.amarc.org) to be included in the podcast section of AMARC campaign webpage.
The online platform http://www.wrd13.com also promotes exchanges of sound items and podcasts (1 minute max) among all kind of public, private, community radios, independent producers, listeners, etc.
The event can be followed on twitter using the hashtag #WorldRadioDay