World Radio Day 2025

Posted on: January 26, 2025

Filed under: Blog, Updates

KOOP Radio celebrates World Radio Day on February 13, 2025.

“Since its origins, radio has been shown to be the most useful medium of social communication for humanity. Radio waves go beyond borders and freely reach everybody and everywhere…”
– Jorge Álvarez, president of the Spanish Academy of Radio ⁽¹⁾

KOOP radio is excited to celebrate World Radio Day 2025. In 2012 the United Nations endorsed February 13th as a UN International Day to celebrate radio as a medium of free expression, promote international cooperation among radio broadcasters, encourage access to information and much more. ⁽²⁾

This year’s theme is “Radio and Climate Change” – 2025 is a pivotal year as the Paris Agreement ⁽³⁾ – from which President Trump recently withdrew the United States from participation ⁽⁴⁾ – “if humanity is to limit global warming to 1.5°C, greenhouse gas emissions must peak by that year at the latest, before they begin to fall.” ⁽⁵⁾

Some of the many ways to reflect on World Radio Day & Climate Change

Know your information sources – It is imperative for radio news to access only the best scientific information sources to better deconstruct the arguments of climate sceptics, while also taking stock of greenwashing ⁽⁶⁾, reporting on the treatment of climate activists, and investigating the obstacles to solutions.
Consider how radio empowers people – Community radio helps marginalized voices express their views and participate in public discourse while providing access to information and promoting community participation and engagement. ⁽⁷⁾
Protect environmental journalists – By supporting the climate change reporting of radio journalists, we protect those investigating these environmental issues. “…UNESCO, in partnership with the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), conducted a survey among reporters from 129 countries. Of the 905 journalists who took the survey, over 70% reported being subject to attacks.” ⁽⁸⁾
Prepare for the storm – Think of all the ways that radio serves as first responder to crises and emergencies like severe weather, power outages, traffic issues, natural disasters and so much more. Many Texans have only to think back to February 2021 to remember how dependent on the electrical grid we are for survival and emergency communication. “When the lights go out and the internet shuts down – an increasingly common occurrence – broadcast radio serves as an invaluable lifeline.” ⁽⁹⁾

“Austin’s community station, KOOP 91.7 FM, is a living example of independent radio in action, exemplifying the sentiments of (Jorge) Álvarez and Unesco, standing hand in hand with broadcasters worldwide, and here in central Texas, as we celebrate World Radio Day,” in 2025.

www.WorldRadioDay.org

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