South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Awan Achiek
The radio remains the most reliable and cheap means of transmitting information besides digital technology in South Sudan.
Several South Sudanese who spoke to The Dawn last week ahead of World Radio Day on 13 February, said that the radio remains the main source of educative information and entertainment
UNESCO sets aside the day to celebrate radio broadcasters and encourage decision-makers to create and provide access to information through radio, including community radios.
Aluk Mel Jok, a resident of New-site suburb of Juba said that radio connects listeners to their community.
“Radio is very important and when you are at home you can open your radio and listen to new updates on what is happening in the country,” Mel said in an interview.
Mel said that the radio is one of the most powerful and effective ways of delivering early warning about diseases outbreaks and conflicts.
“We get educative information about cholera and other diseases through the radio,” she said.
“For those who don’t have TV, listen to the radio to get informed about what is happening around the country, especially on prices of commodities in the market and incidents taking place in the state or the capital Juba,” she added.
This year’s theme for World Radio Day is Radio: “A century informing, entertaining and educating”.
The theme shines a broad floodlight on radio’s remarkable past, relevant present and promise of a dynamic future.
Technological developments have been driving rapid growth and demands in the media industry are changing, traditional media like radio has adapted to these changes by transforming their operations to digital platforms.
This includes transitioning to digital transmission through online streaming, mobile apps, and social media.
These accumulated tools allow radio stations to reach a wider audience, stay competitive in an increasingly digital world, and effectively attract advertising bodies.
John Wulu Deng, Station Manager of Top FM, a local community radio station in Juba admitted that radio remains the most trustworthy and cheap medium of communication and information.
“Radio is common technology found at home, in the car and even on mobile phones. In fact, in today’s society, it would be impossible to find anyone that has not used, seen or heard of radio,” Wulu said.
“Radio is an easy and accessible tool of information and today you can’t buy batteries, you can listen to radio through your phone and in your car and anywhere in the world you can listen to radio,” he added.
Deng Achol, a Juba-based freelance journalist said that radio is still popular in remote areas where mobile network is patchy.
“It is an affordable key instrument in disseminating information, and it can be afforded by everyone and it reaches the grassroots level,” Achol said.
Achol urged donors and the international community to support the growth of radio stations in the country to enable them to deliver effectively.
“There is a need to support all radio stations across the country because radio is the only tool that keeps our citizens informed and educated,” he said.
“We request all our donors and the international community to support radio so that the information reaches the people in remote areas and there is a need to set up more community radio stations in remote areas,” Achol added.
Dut Majokdit, the Chairperson of Relief and Rehabilitation in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State that radio stations air views about the current affairs in the country, adding that politicians rely on feedback of citizens to provide solutions to challenges facing communities.
Majokdit said that the time will come when radios will not be marketable like in 20 centuries ago.
He attributed this to the technological advancement.
The radio now is much like something of the 20th century, the whole thing is changing as social media has taken the attention of everybody, so people are on Facebook and people are also on other websites getting more information about what is happening around the country,” he said.
Edmund Yakani, Executive Director for Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) said that the radio will remain dominant despite technology advancement.
“Radio is dominant among others like newspapers, television which must be close to radio because television has pictorial but radio is dominant specifically if you go to villages where there is no light,” Yakani said.
“Let’s protect radio and radio have space and let’s not restrict radio and let take radio seriously,” he added.
Radio is the most widely used and trusted source of information in the country. Radio listening is considered a social activity with more than 58 radio stations operating nationwide.
