The proliferation of new ICTs must have pushed a colleague to declare that radio is soon going to be extinct and students need not bother with it. A cursory look at how radio can be used to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) reveals a wide range of best practices being done globally.
Will radio for development soon be eliminated from the face of the earth and everyone else can shift to television or video? Will it be more cost-effective to abandon radio and shift to TV for development goals? Should we advise extension units or departments to exclude radio from the range of ICT choices? Please post your comments.
4 comments
Comments feed for this article
August 28, 2008 at 12:33 pm
Jed Asaph Cortes
Probably not. Radio, yes, may appear to be nearing extinction, but it doesn’t mean that pure audio communication or whatever we may call it would be drowned by visual, audio-visual media…
Radio might have become a little less popular but several forms of audio gadgets have proliferated—mp3, mp4, iPod, etc.
The growing unpopularity of radio, as I see it, doesn’t mean the dying of the aural inclinations of the people but probably the shift of interests (like mp4’s) but still in the same group.
Because these media aren’t as effective as radio to promote the MDG’s and other development programs, the challenge now is how to do a counter-shifting back to what is pro-devcom from what is seems to be superficial entertainment. (Did I make sense?)
August 29, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Jojo Agot
I think it depends on the location.
In metropolitan areas like Manila, radio only exists in taxicabs, FX and some passenger jeepneys where people mainly listen to music and news programs of famous personalities like Korina Sanchez, Ted Failon, Mike Enriquez, etc. Most people with cars listen to FM stations and when the DJ starts to talk, they often switch to other stations to find good music.
Buses that go around Metro Manila and nearby provinces like Rizal and Cavite have TV sets in front to attract commuters.
Most people would rather surf the internet, listen to their iPods and other portable players to get rid of (boring) commercials. That’s what I do actually. I skip TV and analog radio in favor of RSS feeds, Internet radio, youtube, and by-the-minute updates of online news services like New York Times online, PDI online, and abs-cbnnews. For people on the go, why sit and wait for TV to show footage of something you can watch in youtube? Well, except for the Olympics when they firewalled the Philippines so the footages could only come from authorized sources.
Anyway, what I’m saying is that maybe it would take another medium to reach people in metropolitan areas while radio may still be preferred in rural places. MDGs encompass both rural and urban residents and the use of relevant media to a specific target audience now rests in the hands of skilled communicators.
During my recent trip back to Ormoc yesterday, I visited an old family friend who was, to my surprise, still listening to radio dramas. It was funny because I remember listening to radio dramas when I was a kid and now it’s still there. I could still recognize the beautiful voice of Elma Bistel-Patalinghug in her “babayeng dinaugdaog” role.
Radio may not be dying yet. I think the tougher challenge is how communicators can slip in a message without sounding too obvious that people would switch stations before anything is said on the subject. The problem lies not in the dying media but the presence of too many alternatives like internet, tv, videos, cellphones (with TV), iPod (which can now be plugged into car stereos), internet radio, etc. And most of these alternatives offer better options like no commercial breaks, something that traditional radio could never live without.
With our society becoming more cynical about what is being said in the broadcast media, maybe communicators should go back to the tried and tested trick that has been effective since time immemorial- face to face communication and personal networks. Oh well, it’s so low-tech, I don’t think it’s such a popular idea, lol.
September 3, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Paulo
Mr. Jojo Agot and I share the same viewpoint regarding the state of radio in modern times. In the urban areas, the probability that radio is not being listened to anymore is very high, but in the rural areas, like the fishing villages and farming communities, I don’t think it would hold true. You see, with the advent of modern audio media like the MP3s, MP4s, iPods, mobile phones with built-in music player and other portable audio players (the recent of which are also video capable), are usually more preferred by those in the urban areas, provided that they can afford to purchase these things. One reason for this is the change in preferences of urban people nowadays. Music aficionados, mostly youth, prefer the newer media for audio communications to the conventional radio. This is somehow supported by their mentality that ‘what is more recent is better’, thinking that they would be more comfortable and more accepted if they would be streaming along with the flow of modern lifestyle, and not lag behind the newest trends. And it’s true in their case. With the metropolitan’s hectic pace, the working class don’t have the luxury of time to sit back and listen to radio. They have to keep going. That’s why we could see portable music players being brought in handy and listened to by people rushing in the streets for office, student commuters standing in MRTs in a hurry for their classes, etc. (and not carry a bulky radio with them, or they would be ridiculed). Moreover, this gives them the privilege to personalize the music media that they have. They have the choice to select their favorite music files and not those that are outside their genre.
Now, let’s go to the other side of the coin- radio in the rural areas. The most common communications medium is still apparently the radio, few to television and print media (due to circulation and accessibility factors), and seldom to computers and other modern ICTs. Radio is still preferred by most of the rural people because they can purchase it for P 300.00 or even lesser. After a long day’s work, one could sit in the comfort of his/her home and tune in to his/her favorite local radio drama or informational program in the AM which could further one’s field practices due to innovations introduced; or listen to his/her favorite FM station.
You see, we can’t conclude that radio is on the verge of extinction. It’s only that it is partially eclipsed by the emergence of modern audio media, thus lowering its listenership. Nevertheless, if there are still those who prefer radio to other audio media, radio would still prevail and never die.
I miss my radio :’c
September 5, 2008 at 5:09 am
Cata
Without question, radio at present, is slowly becoming obsolete due to the advancement of ICTs (like television, computer, the Internet, and cellular phones). However, the fact is still undeniable that radio is considered as a potent medium for disseminating information and/or to drive change on the ground, most especially in the rural places of the third world countries and also in war-torn areas where access to new technologies is limited. For this reason, to phase out radio usage at the moment, is likely impossible.
Compared to other forms of media, radio is much cheaper. It’s also portable, making it convenient for the audience to listen while they are in their respective workplace. Also, in reality, many are still unattached to new gadgets (in poor countries like the Philippines). As a matter of fact, if we try to conduct a survey on the availability of mass media in both urban and rural areas, most probably the result will show that people do have radio in their houses than television or computers. Sadly, however, in most cases radio has not been fully harnessed for development.
The problem may be due to competition from alternatives/competitors (new media) and this generation’s preference for their information sources. Television offers us visuals. Computers and the Internet hook us with ‘social networking’. Does radio stand a chance against what other media offer?
Well it really is sad to note that radio for developmental purposes is to be eradicated. Why? Because programs created and aired on the radio are less expensive and at the same time could potentially cater and reach a wider audience set (given that everyone with radio will switch on and listen to it).
However, if we think that radio will completely be extinct in the near future, we better think twice. Well traditional radio may appear to be, but not the radio as a medium. In the past years, a new generation of radio had been developed, perhaps to let radio cope with the new gadgets, as well as assure its survival throughout the digital age. Such technology is called “Visual Radio”.
This so– alled Visual Radio is built into our mobile phones (depends on the model). What one can hear from it will be just like the good old FM Radio. The difference is that we can see visuals in it. Also, now it has become an interactive channel with more information and opportunities to participate and give feedback (unlike the traditional radio wherein delayed feedbacks occur). Moreover, since most people nowadays have cell phones, many have access to it. I was just wondering, What if programs useful to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will be incorporated in Visual Radio? Will it be more cost–effective to do so?