World Radio Day is celebrated on Feb 13 each year, honouring the enduring influence of radio as a medium that has informed, entertained, and educated audiences worldwide for over a century. People listen to radio because it makes them feel happier and more informed, with news and traffic updates, on-air personalities and the live nature of radio being key drivers for choosing radio over other forms of media.

UNESCO proclaimed February 13th as World Radio Day. On January 14, 2013, the United Nations General Assembly formally endorsed the proclamation. February 13th holds significance because, on this date in 1946, the UN established United Nations Radio.

It also serves to promote the radio as a means of communication in times of need and emergency. Radio is the mass media that reaches the widest audience in the world.

World Radio Day is an opportunity to celebrate the medium of radio as a source of information, entertainment, and education. It is also a reminder of the importance of radio as a tool for promoting inclusive communication and social cohesion.

Radio fostered a real-time national conversation during challenging times of Depression and world war. And it became the single greatest force (before television and the internet) in developing a mass culture of sports, entertainment, news and advertising.

Radio signaled a major shift in how Americans communicated. Once radios became widespread and affordable, they connected people in ways never before possible. By the 1920s, a few decades after Marconi’s first broadcast, half of urban families owned a radio. More than six million stations had been built.

Broadcasting has played a vital role in informing people about current events, political developments, and social issues. News broadcasts have been a primary source of information for people, allowing them to stay informed about what is happening in the world.