On February 13th, people worldwide will celebrate World Radio Day. Whether you listen to it in your car, at home, on your mobile phones, at work, radio continues to play an essential part in everyday lives. We rely on it to learn what is happening in our communities, when disaster strikes, to educate us on important topics or to feel better connected to the world around us. And while radio is seeing some declines with station closures, it’s seeing a rise across sub-Saharan Africa, where rural people rely on it for their lives and livelihoods.

To celebrate, the NCRA/ANREC and FRI are partnering to get people to listen to the radio on February 13th. Whether it’s your favourite local radio station, campus radio, public broadcast, or a special program that will be streamed live that day, we want as many people as possible to tune in to show that audio continues to impact our everyday lives.

NCRA/ANREC and FRI will also partner with CKCU-FM to host a live broadcast, syndicated here on Radio Waterloo from 11:00am to 2:00pm. You will hear from broadcasters past and present and from around the world talking about the importance of radio.

“In Canada, campus, community and Indigenous not-for-profit radio reaches over 75% of Canadians, providing invaluable local news, information and entertainment in spaces where the local voice is often not heard. It fosters music growth, disseminating verifiable information with journalistic integrity and provides opportunities for organizations and companies to inform their community through a free-to-access medium,” says Barry Rooke, Executive Director for the NCRA/ANREC.

“In sub-Saharan Africa, radio is the world’s most accessible and popular communication service. When combined with mobile phones, which allow farmers to share their own stories on the airwaves, it brings lasting change for some of the world’s most vulnerable people—small-scale farmers in rural Africa,” says Kevin Perkins, Executive Director of Farm Radio International. “By sharing knowledge, amplifying farmers’ voices, and supporting better practices, audio has the power to reduce food insecurity, improve health and nutrition, and plant the seeds for long-term positive change.”

Last year, Farm Radio International directly reached an estimated 24.1 million people with life-changing audio services over the airwaves, enabling about 5 million to make a positive change.

This live broadcast will take place on Tuesday, 13 February 2024, at a morning event in downtown Ottawa, re-broadcast on CKMS-FM 102.7 Radio Waterloo from 11:00am to 2:00pm.