I Heard It On The Radio

"These are a few of my favourite things". Julie Andrews melodiously recites them in The Sound of Music.

Listing down the?things?that one likes may involve minimal effort compared to coming up with a favourite?word.

Strangely, I believe I have always had a favourite word – it's?'Radio'.

At first, it could sound inconspicuous. Somewhat ordinary. However, my first instincts are purely phonetically driven. I love the way it sounds.

The way it's sung is even better. The likes of Donna Summers' – 'On the Radio' and Queen's epic 'Radio Gaga - with the stress on the 'D' and the extended 'O'- Ray- Dee-Ooh' make it work.

But I believe there's more to it. It's the relationship one has with the medium.

Everyone has a radio memory. At one level,?it's tuned into nostalgia?- a 'remember the days' feel.

For me personally, it dates back to occasions when the family gathered around the instrument and heard the Sunday quiz show together. The jingles that made the advertisements of the time stay in memory just as much as nursery rhymes. The cricket commentary, the static, the effort in turning the knob to tune into the frequency and then missing it by just a bit, the unpredictability of the playlist, the countdowns of popular music, and the familiar and friendly voices of the RJs.

With the pocket, transistor came the first generation of mobile entertainment. - "what's the score?" one enquired about the live sporting event when they passed someone on the street with the device.

Even today, when one hears historical and iconic political and social speeches, they have a distinct radio acoustic. The pitch, the voice, the speed - all sharply radio.

In the movies, it often played a role in bringing wartime news or then reunited lovers through the airwaves.

On lonely teenage nights, it proved to be the perfect friend to bring –"the best mix of the "' 60s, 70's, 80's and today".

On another level, the radio brings?an aura of assurance.

Much like in the tone of Dr Frasier Crane as if to say – "I'm listening!"

I probably have never heard the term 'my radio is spoilt'. All it needed was a battery change, a little tap, or an antenna adjustment to get it on again.

95% of the world has access to and listens to the radio. Its role has been served most when there is a calamity, a natural disaster, wars, rallies- something that seeks the ears of the world in attendance. Its reach is far, wide, inexpensive and inclusive. 5G – what's that?

Many countries ask you to leave the radio on in a tunnel as a precautionary measure to enable emergency messages to be broadcast on FM.

On occasion, in the car, if you are with someone not so familiar and there is an uncomfortable silence – ironically 'a radio silence', you can rely on the assurance of the radio to break that silence.

But I believe radio's core attribute is that it is?the undisputed perpetual survivor.

Having an ancestry of over 100 years, it's always been tuned on. The first soap opera was broadcast in the 30s. Television threatened that with moving images at a mass level from the 50s.

However, as TV gave the images, the radio allowed for imagination.

With rock' n' roll's arrival, radio grew even more. When CD players emerged, radio branched out into different genres of music- pop, rock, film, classic, classical etc. News, too, moved to become more local. Regional language stations mushroomed. And on the other side of the continuum was access to world radio. The news is always featured with just the right amount of 'news'- not in excess.

Radio Jockeys became friends you could drive to or return home with on the car radio.

Radio was a humble science - it didn't innovate but kept pace with a steady dose of reinvention. It governed its consumption with just the right amount of 'breakthrough' to stay relevant. Where it couldn't challenge, it was absorbed. Every device has a radio: the smartphone, music systems, television, Alexa and Spotify. It exists with middle-class values - negotiating its life with pragmatism and no desire for an outward display of indulgences. It is scarce. But offers plenty. With this attitude, it possesses the resolute art of being content, meaningful and vibrant. It's -Been there and done that. Its instincts prove it to be the most remarkable survivor.

No, the video didn't kill the radio star. Even though I just heard the song proclaiming otherwise?on the radio.

Photo by Mehmet Turgut Kirkgoz on Unsplash