Ruling the Airwaves
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: December 18 2012 -

Is radio still relevant?

This is a question that everyone once and is still asking in view of the amazing developments being witnessed in the technological world of communication today.

After the invasion of satellite television into our homes giving us the treat of not just high quality sound but also accompanying vivid pictures from around the globe at the switch of a button and then the relatively more recent development in the domain of world wide web (www) communication through which information is now said to be just a mouse click away, radio can be often mistakenly thought of as a bit of old fashioned.

But the truth is that since the day Italian physicist and radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi succeeded in sending the first radio transmission across the Atlantic Ocean on December 12, 1901, the use and progression of radio broadcast has been continuing even at a faster pace than expected and the charm of listening to the old good radio has not been able to diminish in spite of all these developments in the field of telecommunication.

And why shouldn't it be? After all, radio is such a personal medium, which unlike other forms of media can accompany the listener throughout the day and wherever he or she may go.

When access to internet is blocked or the phone lines are cut, people can still search the airwaves to listen to news.

For enjoying television programmes, one has to rely on electricity supply, but it is not an issue for the battery operated radio.

The best thing about radio, of course, is that it does not come in between the activities of the listeners.

To cap it all, radio broadcast has the ability to reach across the borders and become the only source of information where reliable news is scare.

It is because of these unique qualities and features that radio broadcast has remained the most favored media to tune to for news and other information and there is intense competition between the private and State owned broadcasting corporations as well as among themselves in trying to entice the listeners.

Along with this competition to rule over the airwaves, the once preferred mode of transmission through medium wave or short wave have become pale in comparison to other newer trends in broadcast transmission like FM mode, sky radio or satellite based broadcasting system and digital audio transmissions.

In such a backdrop, it is unfortunate to learn that Regional News Unit (RNU), All India Radio, Imphal still does not have a separate broadcasting studio of its own among other infrastructural requirements essential for keeping in pace with the changing trends in radio news broadcast.