About World Radio Day
World Radio Day is a UNESCO observance held on 13 February to mark the first broadcast of United Nations Radio in 1946 and to recognise radio as the medium that still reaches people when nothing else does. In India it is marked by Akashvani stations, private FM channels, campus and community radio. In 2027 it falls on Saturday, 13 February 2027.
Radio still works when the power is out, when the phone has no signal, and when the listener cannot read. That is the plain reason the United Nations set aside a day for it.
Why is World Radio Day celebrated on 13 February?
World Radio Day is celebrated on 13 February because United Nations Radio went on air for the first time on that date in 1946. UNESCO proclaimed the day in 2011 and the UN General Assembly endorsed it the next year through resolution 67/124. In 2027 it falls on Saturday, 13 February 2027.
UNESCO announces a fresh theme each year a few weeks before 13 February. If you are planning a school or office event, take the theme from unesco.org rather than from a forwarded image, because the wrong year's theme circulates widely.
How did radio start in India?
Radio broadcasting in India began with amateur radio clubs in Bombay and Calcutta in the 1920s, and the government service took the name All India Radio on 8 June 1936. At Partition in 1947 the country had six stations: Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta, Madras, Tiruchirapalli and Lucknow.
- 1930Indian State Broadcasting Service
The government takes over broadcasting after the private Indian Broadcasting Company fails.
- 1936All India Radio
The service is renamed on 8 June; a daily news bulletin had started that January.
- 1956Akashvani
The Sanskrit name, already used by a private station in Mysore from 1935, becomes the official one.
- 1957Vividh Bharati
Launched on 3 October with film songs and listener requests, largely to win back listeners from Radio Ceylon.
- 2004Community radio begins
Anna FM, run by students at Anna University in Chennai, becomes India's first campus community station.
- 2014Mann Ki Baat
The Prime Minister's monthly radio address starts on 3 October and is carried by Akashvani and Doordarshan.
Akashvani today runs about 470 broadcasting centres. Prasar Bharati puts its coverage at 92 per cent of India's land area and 99.19 per cent of its population, with programmes in 23 languages and 179 dialects. Very few Indian institutions reach that far into the country.
What is community radio in India?
Community radio is a small, low-power station licensed to a college, a voluntary organisation or a farmers' group, meant to serve the few villages or city wards its signal covers. Anna FM in Chennai, started in 2004, was the first. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting's list of commissioned stations crossed 500 by October 2025, against about 140 in 2014.
These stations carry what no national network has time for: the price of onions at the nearest mandi, the date of a vaccination camp, a lost-and-found notice, a folk song in a dialect with a few lakh speakers. One rule surprises most listeners. Neither private FM nor community stations may produce their own news bulletins. They may only carry Akashvani's bulletins unchanged.
| Kind of station | Who runs it | What you hear |
|---|---|---|
| Akashvani (All India Radio) | Prasar Bharati, the public broadcaster | News bulletins, classical and folk music, farm and weather advisories |
| Vividh Bharati | Akashvani's entertainment service since 1957 | Film songs, listener requests, sponsored programmes |
| Private FM | Licensed companies, mostly in cities | Film music, RJ talk, traffic and exam updates; no news of their own |
| Community radio | Colleges, NGOs and farmer groups | Local-language shows on health, crops, schools and local notices |
| External Services | Akashvani's overseas division | Programmes beamed abroad, including for Indians living outside India |
How do people mark World Radio Day in India?
In India, World Radio Day is marked mostly inside the industry and in classrooms. Akashvani stations run special phone-in shows and open their studios to school groups. Community radio stations hold listener meetings and record fresh programmes with local people. Mass communication departments hold recording competitions and RJ hunts. Some stations use the day to play archive recordings and read out listener letters from the 1970s and 1980s, which is worth listening out for.
If you want to mark the day yourself, the simplest thing is to listen to something you would not normally pick: a Vividh Bharati request show, a morning farm broadcast, or the community station nearest you on the ministry's list.
What should you write on World Radio Day?
Write to a person, and name the show. Radio work is invisible by design, so the announcer or producer rarely hears that a particular programme landed. A line naming the slot and what you were doing when you heard it is worth more than a greeting about the power of radio.
Happy World Radio Day. Your morning show is the only reason I survive the Outer Ring Road every day. Keep the bad jokes coming.
Happy World Radio Day, Sir. My grandfather set his watch by your 8 pm bulletin. Thank you for reading it the same way for twenty years.
Happy World Radio Day. The show you recorded on cotton pest control is why my uncle changed his spray schedule. That is real work.
Happy World Radio Day to the person who keeps the transmitter alive at 3 am. The voices get the credit; we know who gets the calls.
Happy World Radio Day, Ma. Nothing beats your Vividh Bharati request show. Playing the one you always sing along to today.
Happy World Radio Day. Record something this week, even on your phone. The people who ended up on air are the ones who kept practising.
Happy World Radio Day. Found your city's Indian community station online. Same songs, different traffic reports.
Do
- Name the programme, the time slot or the station; it makes the message real.
- Include the engineers, producers and transmitter staff, not only the voices.
- If you run a school event, check this year's UNESCO theme on the official site first.
Avoid
- Skip lines about radio dying or making a comeback; people who work in it hear that every year.
- Don't assume radio means only FM in a metro; many Indian listeners are on medium wave or a community station.
Related days on the media calendar include World Television Day on 21 November, World Press Freedom Day on 3 May and World Telecommunication and Information Society Day on 17 May. If you are wishing a musician instead, see World Music Day.
How to wish someone on World Radio Day
A good World Radio Day message is for a person, not the medium. Thank the RJ whose voice you wake up to, the Akashvani announcer who reads the 8 pm bulletin, the community radio volunteer who records farm advice in the local dialect, or the parent who still keeps a transistor by the bed. Name the show, the slot or the station.
Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.
Language tip: English, Hindi + recipient language.
When is World Radio Day in 2026 and 2027?
World Radio Day is on 13 Feb every year. Only the weekday changes.
- 2026
- 2027
Frequently asked questions
Why is World Radio Day observed on 13 February?
World Radio Day is observed on 13 February because United Nations Radio broadcast for the first time on that date in 1946. UNESCO proclaimed the day in 2011 and the UN General Assembly endorsed it in 2012.
When did All India Radio start?
The Indian government's broadcasting service adopted the name All India Radio on 8 June 1936, having run as the Indian State Broadcasting Service since 1930. It was officially renamed Akashvani in 1956.
How many community radio stations are there in India?
India had more than 500 commissioned community radio stations by October 2025, according to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting's published list, up from about 140 in 2014.
Can private FM stations in India broadcast their own news?
No. Private FM and community radio stations in India are not allowed to produce their own news and current affairs programmes. They may only carry All India Radio's news bulletins without altering them.
What is a good message for World Radio Day?
A good World Radio Day message names a specific show and what it did for you, such as a morning drive-time programme or a farm advisory in your language. Send it to the RJ, announcer or producer rather than posting a general tribute to radio.
Which was India's first community radio station?
Anna FM, run by students at Anna University in Chennai, went on air in 2004 as India's first campus community radio station, broadcasting on 90.4 MHz.
Last verified by the Kehdoo team on .