Dear Editor,
On February 13, 2018, Word Radio Day was celebrated. The day was dedicated to the role of radio and sports. Radio is a medium of educating, providing information, and promoting freedom of expression.
Very early in my life, I developed a keen interest in radio. I remember my parents purchasing a Panasonic Radio Cassette player in the late 1970s, way before the first television set – a gift from a migrating friend – entered our home in 1990.
My fondness for radio remains strong, with an acquired preference for certain stations and programme content.
In the 1980s I was an ardent DX-er. Only persons familiar with listening to International Radio via Short Wave would be familiar with the term DX. I listened mostly to English and Spanish broadcasts from the BBC, VOA, Radio Habana, Czech Radio and HCJB, just to name a few. HCJB, which transmitted out of Quito, Ecuador was one of my favourites. That radio station transmitted programmes in English and Spanish.
I continue to pay keen attention to both local and international media. It is on such volition that this missive was inspired.
In his World Radio Day message, the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres posited – “On World Radio Day, let us celebrate both radio and sports as helping people achieve their full potential.”
What I hear on many of our local radio stations nowadays is particularly worrying. I often wonder if our radio practitioners ever READ, other than when they are tasked to do so from work scripts. Sometimes, their efforts reveal a lack of familiarity or preparation of what they present. My curious thoughts also ponder if they ever hear or listen to other internationally renowned media outfits; the quality of language, grammatical usage and correctness of pronunciation.
Radio is not just informative or entertaining, it is also a learning tool and beacon of who we are and what we represent. In closing, I encourage our radio practitioners to be cognisant of the importance of their roles and thrive to perform professionally and eloquently. For radio impacts lives!
Sincerely,
Orette Cutting
