World Radio Day— sharing my radio moments!

2022 was the year I traveled the most in my decade-long career as a communications for development practitioner. My job allowed me to travel to all seven provinces of Nepal as well as some parts of India.

Dhankuta, Jhapa, Morang, Sarlahi, Chitwan, Kaski, Banke, Surkhet, and Kailali were among the nine districts visited in Nepal during the year. It's not a lot, but I set a personal record by participating in ten radio interviews, six of which were live!

Radio is the most accessible and trusted mode of communication in rural Nepal. Radio is the primary source of local news and information in the country. As a child growing up in a rural village, I had a few radio programs that I adored, which include Baal Karyakram (the music before the program begins is still fresh in my memory. Do you have that as well?) and also Sathi Sanga Manka Kura.

Let's talk a bit more about trust in radio. Despite the rise of social networking sites, radio, television, and print media continue to be the most credible. As a result, having access to a medium does not imply trust in it as a source of news and information. (Nepal Media Survey- 2022)

Do you want to know how I got 10 interviews with major local radio stations? I'll tell you today. One of my secondary goals in all of my travels was to interact with the media. Trust me, it is also my passion. I'm being completely open and honest with you. As part of my pre-trip preparation I did a bit of research in the district to determine which station was most trusted by the communities and had the most coverage.

After that, I identified a contact person and sent an email ahead of time to the station mentioning myself, my availability, and the organizations I work with. As a journalism and mass communications student, I suggested a topic and expressed interest in possible things to talk about.

In my presentation, I talked about my experience working with governments, community-based organizations, people with disabilities organizations, UN agencies, and international non-governmental organizations. As a member of the Risk Communication and Community Engagement group during the COVID-19 pandemic, I shared my learnings and reflections on why engaging communities is critical to effective communication.

My organization works with and assists society's most vulnerable populations, including people with disabilities, when they are in need. The media can help raise awareness about the importance of inclusion in the development agenda. Nothing will change overnight. I felt as if my radio interviews had contributed to some degree of change among local media practitioners and their audiences. This is because they interact with or about people with disabilities.

To begin with, anyone should consider an individual's diversity, human rights, and abilities, among other things, to ensure respect for each individual's identity and self-dignity. What are your opinions on this topic? If you have any adorable radio memories to share, please leave a comment below.

Here?are?a?couple?of?my?online?radio?interviews?if?you?want?to?tune?in?and?listen?to?me: Dhankuta, Chitwan and Kaski.