Support community radios

Yesterday was the annual World Radio Day. Unesco settled on February 13 as the day to celebrate radio broadcasting during its 36th summit in 2011.

This year’s fete is themed “Radio and Trust.” That is because people still see radio as one of the most reliable news sources. The “State of Media Survey 2021” report revealed that radio programming (mostly news and entertainment) is consumed by 74 per cent of Kenyans daily.

Indeed, radio has weathered the test of time despite being tagged “old media”. In Kenya, it has expanded dramatically over the past two decades, more or less in tandem with the expansion of the democratic space. That implies a close relationship between media and democratic principles.

The number of content creators has increased as a result of liberalisation, which has revolutionised radio broadcasting.

A number of new stations function as community radios, serving as platforms of information and public discourse that allow communities to argue issues that are important to them through call- in programmes and talk shows.

The public Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) dominated the airwaves. But community radios broadcasting in local languages are the new kid on the block. Many operate in marginal areas that do not make economic sense to commercial investors.

But some community radios were accused of fanning ethnic divisions during the 2007-2008 post-election violence, a big blot on Kenyan media.

As we celebrate the resilience of radio broadcasting, let us support community radios. They are the future of radio. Stakeholders, especially advertisers, should, therefore, support community radios.

Such a move will ensure that the vulnerable and voiceless members of the society have a viable platform from which to ventilate the issues that affect them.

Mr Wagunda is a communications lecturer at Rongo University. [email protected].