The radio is not a relic but is still the lifeline for information for billions, both in the developed and developing countries. Radio may be in the shadow of emerging social media(s), but new technology has also revitalized its programming and reach, from satellite radio to Internet-streamed stations that reach thousands of miles away from their traditional broadcast towers. Radio continues to be a source of entertainment but also news, information, culture and education. Radio has been misused for propaganda and even today can be a tool of incitement toward hate of the other. However, it also offers the opportunity for alternative views and debate – in some ways it was the first form of Digital-Diplomacy.

February 13, 2015 will again mark World Radio Day to be observed by the global family, in particular UNESCO. – (See the Link for more regarding UNESCO’s events related to this annual reminder of what was but also how the radio still contributes and could even more evolve in the future.)  On the road we also insist upon Sirius-XM. It helps avoid the pockets of “hate radio” that penetrate much of the heartland; but more critically it is a source of a great variety of entertainment, political, business, cultural, and even religious perspectives. As regular consumers of public radio, NPR, and the local Brookdale indy station, we continue to be fans thanks to traditional broadcast and Internet delivery. Radio stations such as Brookdale tend to also deliver off-the-air, with everything from live concerts to public community service. (Read: “When Music is Like Sex on the Beach” in “The Huffington Post”.)  Rather than being an ever more lagging competitor with the Internet, modern radio will be a necessary complement that adds substance.