The 13th of February 2019 marks the celebration of World Radio Day, Deputy Minister of Communications Pinky Kekana, has hailed the medium as one of the most loved, cherished and universal symbols of communications and human progress. This year World Radio Day 2019 will be celebrated under the theme: “Dialogue, Tolerance, and Peace”.
World Radio Day, now in its 8th year, is an annual celebration of radio as a medium, and a recognition of its power and influence across the world. More specifically, radio has survived the advent of many other media platforms. The medium is dynamic, adaptable and still very relevant, despite the plethora of newer mediums such as the internet and social media. “Radio is a powerful tool that brings people together and that has facilitated the spread of information to many people, even those in far-flung corners of the world,” said Kekana.
“There is a growing need for us as a country to harness the power of radio to promote nation-building projects. The protection of our indigenous languages is one such initiative which would benefit from the ubiquity of radio. In line with this year’s theme of World Radio Day we need to use the X-K FM platform as it can contribute towards preserving the language and cultures of the Xun and Khwe people,” she added. X-K FM is a South African community radio station based in the Northern Cape. It was founded on 18 August 2000.
“To date it is estimated that 210 community radio stations in the country reach an average of 9 million listeners weekly. These are astounding numbers. For this reason, we regard it as our duty as government to do what we can to bolster the success of community radio stations,” Kekana continued.
The role of community radio stations in improving people’s lives has been well-recorded. “Their ability to reach even the most rural of people, makes this medium a powerful tool that has to be fully optimized,” said Kekana.
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