Delving into the future of Radio

With the raising stakes of multi-media trends, one would think that traditional media channels are being phased out. But the future of radio is still as bright as a shining armor.Radio is one of the oldest mass media means of communication. As stated in Wikipedia, radio development began as a “wireless telegraphy.” Radio history increasingly involves matters of programming and content.Speaking to The New Times, Abraham Olwenyi, Coordinator at the Journalism School at Mount Kenya University, said the feature of radio is still vivid.“Radio will still be on for many centuries to come. This is because it is becoming simpler in terms of construction, investment and setup unlike television that needs a lot of equipment,” Olwenyi said. He adds that for a country like Rwanda where there is the need for television to go digital, a lot of money is invested in equipment which is obsolete. “Radio is digital, you simply need a room and some equipment and the radio is on. Any one can afford a radio unlike television. You don’t need power, you can have just one battery and tune in and listen to the radio. Radio will always be there,” Olwenyi reveals. According to an article by the Vice President of strategy for Triton Digital Media, Jim Kerr, the result is that, ‘the emerging trends will be evolutionary rather than revolutionary, and the key will be to find those points where traditional methodologies and digital extensions converge is most effective.’Lion Imanzi, Production Manager of Contact FM said that radio still has a place in society despite upcoming media trends. “Radio is easily accessible and one does not require any skill to listen to the radio. It reaches out to more people than any other media,” Imanzi emphasizes. He concluded that one can listen to radio while doing other activities without being distracted. “One can’t use the internet without having to concentrate and type on the keyboard however, in the case of radio you can listen to a programme while performing another task,” Imanzi concludes.