[cr-india] UNESCO picks 13 February as World Radio Day

[sajan venniyoor]

UNESCO this week approved a
proposal<http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=105801>from Spain to
proclaim an annual
*World Radio Day. *After consulting a number of stake-holders, they chose *13
February *as World Radio Day. The date commemorates the establishment of U.N.
Radio <http://www.unmultimedia.org/radio/english/> in 1946.

Frankly, this is not a particularly inspired choice.

The three 'official' options were:
July 27 - Marconi's first public wireless transmission of morse code (1896)
October 6 - Birthday of Roger Fessenden, radio pioneer (1866)
October 30 - The day Orson Welles broadcast his famous *'War of the Worlds'
*radio play in the US (1938)

Among the alternative dates suggested was 30 November, the date of birth of
Jagdish Chandra Bose (1858), physicist, biologist and pioneer of radio
broadcasting. This date was suggested by 13 respondents, the largest
number, compared to the single respondent who mentioned 13 February. You
can read the World Radio Day Feasibility Study
here<http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/CI/CI/pdf/news/wrd_study.pdf>
.

One can only be thankful that they didn't pick 24 March (anniversary of the
murder of Oscar Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador) or 15 April (sinking of
the *Titanic *which, come to think of it, would do nicely as Public Service
Broadcasting Day).

Sajan


UNESCO Turns On the Radio  <http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=105801>
By A.D.McKenzie

PARIS, Nov 11 , 2011 (IPS) - The demise of radio has been predicted for
many years, but the medium is adapting, transforming and proving to be a
cost-effective tool in development, experts say.

"Radio is cheap, portable and has enormous potential for local and national
growth," says Mirta Lourenço, chief of the media development section of the
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

The Paris-based agency this week approved a proposal from Spain to proclaim
an annual World Radio Day set for Feb. 13 which will be observed in a
variety of ways by UNESCO’s 195 member states.

"The aim is to promote community radio and also to celebrate the service
radio provides," Lourenço told IPS. "It was felt that radio had not been
adequately recognised for its many services to humankind."

During the organisation’s two-week General Conference, which ended
Thursday, member states agreed on goals that that included raising
awareness about the continued relevance of radio especially for
"marginalised groups", and encouraging the creation of new channels by
indigenous and community organisations.

UNESCO says that about one billion people (or one in seven of the world’s
population) still do not have access to radio.

"We need to expand access because in a way radio is irreplaceable. Once you
buy your radio set, you have it for life and the information you receive
can make a big difference especially in rural communities," Lourenço said.

World Radio Day would also be used to highlight the need to "empower civil
society on the right to communicate," UNESCO says. It should help as well
to "enhance networking among broadcasters" and to promote human and
citizens’ rights.

Radio has been used negatively for propaganda during both world wars, and
also to incite violence, as in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. But UNESCO points
out that it also has a specific role in emergency communication, disaster
relief and other areas.

The agency has drawn up an ambitious programme, supported by Sweden, to
strengthen radio in rural areas in Africa so that broadcasters can produce
quality programmes about local concerns including agriculture and
healthcare.

Stations run by rural women would be part of the project as well as
education on how to use new communication technologies such as texting to
reach audiences who could then text back questions or comments.

"From what I’ve seen in many developing countries, radio is generally the
cheapest form of media for people who may not be able to buy a newspaper
every day or afford television," says Jamion Knight, a Paris-based former
radio journalist who worked in the Caribbean.

"Having access to radio allows you to get information not only on what is
happening in your community but also on what is happening around the world,
and people are able to share information, which makes for a powerful tool,"
he told IPS.

Knight used radio to highlight issues such as post-partum depression, a
condition that had not been discussed much by media in the region. Such
reports can give women the support needed to address their feelings.

Radio can also be used to help rehabilitate offenders, UNESCO says. One
creative project was the development of "prison radio" in Jamaica, the
first of its kind in the Caribbean.

Both inmates and correctional officers were trained to produce and
broadcast programmes in a scheme supported by UNESCO and the Canadian
International Development Agency. One of the aims was to prepare prisoners
for reintegration into society.

It is not clear, however, whether these and other initiatives will be at
risk in the funding crisis that UNESCO currently faces.

On Thursday, at the closing session of the General Conference, the agency’s
director-general Irina Bokova launched an Emergency Multi-Donor Fund to
help fill a shortfall resulting from United States’ withholding of dues
following the admission of Palestine to UNESCO on Oct. 31.

The U.S. funding cuts, based on laws dating from the 1990s, leave UNESCO
with an immediate deficit of 65 million dollars to the end of 2011, and a
further gap of 22 percent in its 653 million dollar budget for 2012-2013,
according to the agency.

To cover the funding gap to the end of 2011, Bokova told the General
Conference that the organisation had already begun a thorough review of all
of its activities planned for November and December.

"I have temporarily interrupted certain activities to revise their costs,"
Bokova said.

Meanwhile, the government of Gabon has announced a donation of two million
dollars, and UNESCO has set up a site where the general public can make
donations online.

Whatever the outcome of the funding debacle, World Radio Day should still
be a boost to broadcasters, who will see their medium celebrated globally
for its positive aspects.

The date commemorates the establishment of U.N. Radio in 1946 and was
proposed by Bokova after discussion in which several countries suggested
days that were linked to national developers of radio.

These pioneers included Canadian-American Reginald Fessenden, the
"inventor" of audio broadcasting who was born on Oct. 6, and Italian
Guglielmo Marconi, who is believed to have made the first wireless
transmission of morse code on Jul. 27, 1896.

Oct. 30, the day when Orson Welles first broadcast ‘The War of the Worlds’
radio play in the United States in 1938, was also proposed but ultimately
rejected. The play caused panic among some listeners who believed that
Martians were invading Earth.

Welles’ broadcast showed the power of radio, and the impact it could have
on communities. With World Radio Day, UNESCO says it wants to highlight and
promote that capability, but for development and social change.
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