WORLD RADIO DAY FEBRUARY 13, 2022 - Theme: TRUST
The theme “trust” is one I would not expect to see adapted by a UNESCO World Radio Day, and yet this is obviously the message they want to highlight and reinforce on the global landscape. It is encouraging to see a positive value such as “trust”, being promoted by the media, because the phrase “fake news” lingers in the air long after it was first uttered. Those words send waves of suspicion across all media, communication, and has weakened the rafters of my own mind.
While that is the view of reality through my lens, a broader more accurate picture of radio offers fresh light. I have learned that 80 years after the founding of the first radio station, radio continues to thrive currently in this Internet era. From a global perspective, radio is accessible, affordable, especially in developing countries, and essential in times of climate disasters. An overwhelming majority of people around the world continue to stay tuned.
One of the goals of World Radio Day is to celebrate humanity in all its diversity. As example, in 2014 the theme was Gender Equality and Women Empowerment, while in 2019 the theme was Dialogue, Tolerance and Peace, in 2020 it was Radio Diversity, while in 2021 it was Evolution, Innovation and Connection. I find this impressive.
I would be remiss not to single out John Fetzer of Kalamazoo Mi who made a fortune in the broadcasting business of radio, television, cable and closed-circuit music transmission. Greater than all that was his quiet curiosity about meditation, prayer, philosophy, other ways of healing and positive thinking that sets him apart long after his death in 1991. With his wealth he created a huge endowment known as the Fetzer Institute, to support spiritual/wellness pursuits, to provide education/opportunities for others currently and for years to come.
I believe Fetzer would approve of this year’s theme of “trust” for World Radio Day and in closing, pose a question from the website of the Fetzer Institute: “How can the entrepreneurial spirit and financial resources gained from the American business sector be used in the service of creating a better world”? Fetzer, in his own passionate way, created a model for us to examine and enrich life. For more information about the Fetzer Institute go to fetzer.org/work and explore the many programs/themes plus free offerings listed under resources.
-Sister Patricia St. Louis csj