Today, is World Radio Day. First proclaimed in 2011 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to, “celebrate radio as a medium; to improve international cooperation between broadcasters; and to encourage major networks and community radio alike to promote access to information, freedom of expression and gender equality over the airwaves.”
February 13 was chosen because it is the anniversary of the establishment of United Nations Radio in 1946.
This year’s theme is “Radio and Sports,” with a particular focus on traditional sports, gender equality in sports broadcasting, and coverage of sports for peace and development initiatives. The theme is particularly pertinent right now since the Winter Olympics are now underway in South Korea. With regard to gender equality, UNESCO points out that women represent just 7% of sportspeople seen, heard or read about in the media, and that only 4% of sport stories focus primarily on women.
Though World Radio Day is less well known in the U.S.–where we also celebrate a National Radio Day on August 20–there are a number of celebrations and observances happening around the country and online:
- California
- Azultopia Radio – El deporte y la igualdad de género – un programa en español donde hablaremos sobre la igualdad de género tanto en la participación deportiva como en la cobertura.
- UCSF Carry the One Radio podcast – Celebrates World Radio Day
- Florida
- Iowa
- New Jersey
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Texas
World Radio Day recorded a collection of short radio pieces and spots in a variety of languages, that any station is permitted to use freely. Here’s a playlist of interviews pertaining to this year’s theme:
Personally speaking, doing the research for this post alerted me to the existence of the Sarnoff Collection, which happens to be housed at my alma mater, The College of New Jersey, known as Trenton State College when I attended. I got my start in radio at WTSR-FM, still going strong today.
David Sarnoff was a pioneer of American radio and TV broadcasting, founding NBC while working at RCA, and then serving as the CEO of the parent company from 1929 to 1970. The Sarnoff Collection was originally established by RCA in 1967 and was donated to TCNJ in 2010. From the Collection’s website:
The Sarnoff Collection at TCNJ includes artifacts related to David Sarnoff’s life; RCA, NBC, Victor Talking Machine Company, and Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America; the history of radio, television, broadcasting, audio and video recording and reproduction, electron microscopy, radar, vacuum tubes, transistors, solid-state physics, semiconductors, lasers, liquid-crystal displays, integrated circuits, microprocessors, computers, communications satellites, and other technologies RCA played an important role in inventing and developing; and some of the many people, beside Sarnoff, who made these technologies work.
Now I have yet another reason to pay a visit to my old Ewing, NJ stomping grounds, where I haven’t stepped foot in 17 years.
While I can’t make it out to New Jersey for the event at the Sarnoff Collection, I’ll be celebrating World Radio Day by checking out the broadcasts I can find online.
