Today marks World Radio Day. This day, observed annually on February 13th, commemorates the establishment of the United Nations Radio in 1946. The theme for this year is "Radio and Artificial Intelligence: AI is a tool, not a voice." To mark World Radio Day 2026, Akashvani Raipur, Chhattisgarh, in collaboration with UNESCO, is organizing a World Radio Day Conclave today.
The conclave will focus on the official theme and discuss how AI can strengthen content creation, audience engagement, and accessibility while preserving the human voice at the core of radio broadcasting.
The theme "Radio and Artificial Intelligence: AI is a tool, not a voice" highlights the growing role of Artificial Intelligence in the broadcasting ecosystem. It emphasizes how AI can enhance content production, archiving, translation, audience engagement, and accessibility, making radio more efficient and inclusive.
At the same time, the theme emphasizes that technology should remain a supporting system, not a substitute for the human voice, editorial judgment, and credibility that define radio.
An Akashvani correspondent reports that Akashvani has been serving the nation since its inception with the motto "Bahujan Hitaya, Bahujan Sukhaya" (The welfare of the many, the happiness of the many). Established in 1936 and brought under public ownership after Independence, Akashvani has grown into one of the largest broadcasting organizations in the world, in terms of the number of languages broadcast and the diversity of audiences served.
Private FM radio complements public broadcasting by delivering local entertainment and information across urban and regional India.
In his message on the occasion of World Radio Day, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Dr. L Murugan, said that radio plays a crucial role in disseminating information to the common people. He also recounted his own experience of listening to the radio while growing up.
As Raipur prepares to host World Radio Day 2026, avid radio listeners from the Narayanpur district of the Bastar division of Chhattisgarh spoke to Akashvani about their fondness for radio as an informative medium that has led to development in the region.
Radio is intimate yet expansive, simple yet powerful. Radio is a trusted medium, connecting distant geographies, diverse languages, and countless lives through shared listening.
