BY FITSUM GETACHEW
In the current age of technology the importance of the radio set may look marginal or negligible but we all know how the radio has been a fundamental part of our day to day life for ages. It kept us singing; it kept us informed, and it educated us. No one can deny the influence of the radio in our lives in almost every sense.
It would be practically inconceivable to think of our lives without the radio some years back. Today the advent of several other more complex and more sophisticated mass communication tools may have tried to dampen its relevance but not quite.
The radio was the precursor of all forms of electronic media anticipating TV and later on all forms of smart mobile phones. In fact, before the invention of the TV, radio was the most popular way of addressing or reaching millions in one go.
The history of radio has been one of decisive history makers having helped form governments and countries and helping depose others. It has been used as a major instrument of communication for any government that happens to control it.
In fact it was once said that to control a government one just had to control the radio station i.e. the communication tools of that government.
Governments have used the radio as a major means of communicating their message to their population. If they wanted to condemn a certain political group or any form of political association, they would not hesitate to use the radio waves to do it.
With the emergence of various radio channels the race to control the attention of the public has been confirmed as a priority along the years since the very first days of the radio.
Hence, one may say the role of the radio in the current society may have waned, but in the past years, it has been at the heart of every society, particularly those like ours where the literacy rate is not much and where other means of communication or mass media are not so widespread nor developed.
Radio is easy to tune in and listen to any programs besides the latest news now broadcast in real time. But it is also a means of sharing various lessons or information from experts and professionals on any kind of subjects.
Radio has been a huge tool to reach millions in an instant and with the spread of wireless or cordless radio sets the importance and practicality of the radio increased exponentially along the years. So much of entertaining programs have also been at the centre stage of radio programs.
All sorts of messages could be transmitted using the radio waves and in this sense it has always been irreplaceable until the recent phenomenon of social media expansion that created and expanded ‘citizen journalism’ to unpredictable levels.
Today, with the immense expansion of smart phones and the almost universal usage of social media, the importance of the radio may seem to be diluted, but people still find the time to tune to a popular or preferred radio station or program using their phones or even their vehicles on which they drive.
Hence, radios have become even more readily accessible and vital to reach millions in real time and their usage cannot totally fade.
Radios are particularly vital in circumstances where one cannot have network to see social media on their smart phones or even have the chance to watch TV.
Radio is also simpler and more practical to tune into and it is particularly widespread on transport means when we consider it in our context. One often listens to the radio on a taxi or bus.
One can easily tune in privately as well to the radio while driving in a car and in so doing face the stress of daily traffic jams with a certain ease.
Using the radio the Ministry of Transport or the local traffic authorities could transmit vital messages on which ways to use and which ones to avoid. And if there are accidents such as a chain of clashes or some natural disaster such as the coming of swarms of locusts or some other insects, the presence of an imminent tornado or storm and floods etc the radio can reach people immediately. It can thus avert further disasters raising awareness to take appropriate measures to protect the public from damages and losses.
Radio stations have been used and abused by their owners and sponsors once the monopoly over ownership was lifted from governments with democratic openings expanding, depending on who the owners are and how they earned their license.
That was why the kind of government that regulates these radio stations becomes important. No one can undermine the importance of radio stations in political terms. And that may be why many governments watch very attentively what sort of transmission is aired to the public.
The history of the radio in our country dates back to the nineteen thirties. Ethiopian radio is may be among the oldest in the African continent even if its spread may have been slower compared to others.
Its importance however cannot be overestimated because for years it has been the sole most important means of reaching the population by the government.
Every announcement was carried out through this means especially before TV was introduced. Many people remember how there were loud speakers attached to radio sets in a nearby house installed at the most important squares of
a city where thousands had the chance to listen to broadcasts, announcements etc. even before radio sets were disseminated among the population.
Whenever the government wanted to communicate a certain important message it used the radio and people used to associate the radio with the government. Any communication through the radio was taken as the voice of the leaders.
For instance, declarations of wars or any forms of campaigns or public announcements such as important sentences were made across the radio even if other mass media means may have been used as well. With the emergence of cordless radios this tool became even more vital because communication was not to be disrupted even if there was no electric power.
Batteries were used to activate radio sets and the sophistication of the technology further expanded the easier access and usage of the radio set.
With the emergence of various channels and multiplicity of programs or shows using various languages, both local as well as international, radios began to secure even larger and larger audiences in every corner of the country. Government was at the same time facilitated to reach more citizens and convey its vital messages to its population.
Propaganda was of course one of the transmissions that governments used to convey to the public by denouncing all those who opposed its policies while glorifying or justifying their side of the story.
In Ethiopia, whatever was transmitted over the radio was considered as a rule or official communication or truth on the part of the government. Only recently did people access exposure to nongovernmental and more independent stations with the emergence of democratic impulses and pressures.
With such activism, the views aired on radio stations began to vary and even ideas contradicting governments began to emerge. This may have put under check some authoritarian tendencies the monopoly over the radio wavelengths may have created.
With more democratic governments and a multiplicity of stations mushrooming in various parts of the country, particularly FM stations, the exposure of radio listeners increased exponentially and more sustained efforts were necessary to attract the audience as there emerged a certain competition and rivalry among stations.
Radio stations are also very important means of promotion and their role in the trade sector is vital. Advertisements have become a huge component of any radio station especially if they are privately owned and run. The economic turnover has also been staggeringly high.
That was why the radio became a vital tool of communication and mass media especially with the emergence of multiparty politics, populism and ethnic politics in Africa.
We all remember how the radio was a key instrument to win or lose elections. Political parties or personalities who had carefully crafted radio messages were more effective in winning the hearts of voters and hence drive them to power.
But radios were also used for nefarious purposes. If hate has been at the centre of certain radio programs, they could very easily ignite the worst instincts on humans.
In Rwanda the famous radio station controlled and financed by the so called interhamwe was the one behind the infamous Rwandan genocide costing the lives of hundreds of thousands of citizens.
They were instigated and pushed forward by sustained hate speeches and falsehoods transmitted over the radio station repeatedly and uninterruptedly raising the emotions of the public to the worst of levels, to uncontrollable limits.
Hence, we can clearly see that the radio set could also be abused and be an instrument of mass crimes such as massacres or assaults on groups of people, radicalizing people particularly those who had their own suspicions and grievances against a certain category of people and were looking for pretexts to justify their actions.
The narratives that are allowed to air using the radio waves become venomous and destructive unless there are regulatory bodies that control the veracity of the facts and statements made on air weighed against the bare facts, making clear distinction between facts and opinions.
The appropriateness of revealing certain information would also have to be weighed against public safety requirements, security and law and order standards.
Raising the emotions of people may have serious consequences against the back drop of certain radio programs and this must be supervised by some responsible regulatory body, in the interest of the public good.
For instance radio messages talking about crimes that never took place must be censored immediately as the repercussions could be incalculable. Public outrage is always a grave risk and could go out of control easily.
There should be a sense of responsibility on the part of any transmitter in charge of the radio stations or programs and that is why many people argue that there should always be limits to freedom of expression when it comes to public safety.
Creating havoc among the population could be the political program of certain factions. That is why there needs to be a balance between freedom of expression using any kind of means including the radio set and restrictions on the veracity of the programs or news and their repercussions on the society from the point of view of public safety and security.
There will be debates on this particular issue for years to come, but we need to hail the mind and efforts of the Italian Engineer Guglielmo Marconi (1874-1937) when he got to reach this important invention chapter of the radio in 1899.
As we celebrate World Radio Day we feel we have to take all these background stories into consideration. We can conclude by saying radio has come a long journey but it is also bound to continue in future despite other forms of communication trying to push it aside.
The Ethiopian Herald February 7/2021
