Why Radio Matters: Making the Case for Radio as a Medium for Development

This document, commissioned by Developing Radio Partners, provides information supporting the use of radio as an important tool for development. By providing examples and statistics on the use of radio and comparisons to other media outlets including television, internet, and mobile technologies, the author argues that "radio, on its own or in partnership with new information and communication technologies (ICTs), is as vibrant and dynamic as ever."

As a communication tool, according to the author, radio is uniquely valuable as the most widespread mass medium in the developing world. Stations are relatively inexpensive to set up, and receivers are available almost anywhere, providing portable, affordable information sources that overcome illiteracy and electrification to deliver news, educate, save lives, and empower the oppressed. In the economically poorest areas of the globe, studies show that radio far outstrips other mass media in terms of audience numbers.

Examples of radio saving lives include cyclone and volcano warnings, used the world over. Broadcasts can then follow up as a tool for reassuring, informing, and preventing panic in the population. For example, following the 2004 tsunami devastation that occurred in Indonesia, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) supported a trauma radio programme to help survivors cope with the psychological scars left by the disaster.

According to the report, the educational benefits of radio programming have shown success in many areas of society, such as by encouraging voter turnout during election periods, running campaigns to promote more efficient and effective agricultural practices in impoverished communities, and addressing important health-related topics. News-related programming, including talk radio stations, helps to empower listeners on community issues, and in remote areas with very low literacy rates, radio serves as the only realistic tool for social and economic transformation.

Despite the relatively recent emergence and evolution of multiple communication platforms competing for a market, this paper suggests that radio is successfully adapting and converging with newer ICTs. Streaming internet broadcasts, reporting via mobile technologies, and podcast programme production are examples of ways in which radio dovetails with other ICTs. Likewise, listeners are able to access radio via mobile devices or provide information to radio stations for broadcasting via text messaging in the event of an emergency.

Click here to access this 6-page document in PDF format.