CRI听力:The Eternal Wave

Back in the old days, radio was possibly the most important channel of communication. Radio stations covered every aspect of life, from maritime transportation, aviation, news reporting, to entertainment and education.

According to Andrea Cairola, a communication information advisor with UNESCO, radio remains the medium to reach the widest audience.

"According to statistics, at least 95% of the world population is covered by radio. This is true also in developing countries, for instance, in Africa, at least 80% households have access to a working radio set."

Radio services over the past decades have also been valued in China. Back in the 1970s, a family hoped to have four appliances, namely a bicycle, a watch, a sewing machine and a radio. Therefore a generation of Chinese people grew up listening to the radio. Wang Hui, now in his 40s, is one of them.

"I remember the days when music radio was just starting and there were a lot of beautiful songs on air. Requesting a song for the people you liked on radio was really fashionable then. For example, back in my college years, the supervisor of our department was universally loved, and we once spent good money requesting a song on air for that guy."

However, in recent years, with more platforms available for radio programs, some forms of delivery are now in danger. For example, some radio broadcasters have shut down their shortwave services and resorted to the internet due to economic concerns.

According to Dr. Javad Mottaghi, Secretary General of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union, even under these circumstances radio services are still popular around the world.

"While there is a trend among some of broadcasters to reduce their short-wave services, it is a world-spread phenomenon. My view is only those short-wave broadcasters who have always stretched themselves earlier are now reorganizing their shortwave service. Of course, one or two major broadcasters have given up shortwave radio and are trying to use the internet radio instead."

Radio services are adapting to new technological forms and devices in these days of media convergence, such as broadband, mobiles and tablets. But whatever the platform, it is still evolving and keeping record of our progress through it's signals and streams.

For CRI, I'm Wang Wei