Dr. Kundan Aryal

Radio Nepal, the country’s first broadcasting institution, is marking its 70th anniversary in April this year. Established in 1951, Radio Nepal had started its services with a few hours' routine transmission through 250-watt short wave transmitter. It marked the euphoric moments of the advent democracy. Now the broadcasters all over the world are celebrating the 10th World Radio Day on February 13. The radio broadcasting has more than 110-year-long history. At this moment, Nepal also has experienced transformation in the sphere of radio broadcasting - it has gone into a three-tier model.
From a period of a few-hour-transmission from Singha Durbar to 24-hour broadcasting through more than 700 radio stations around the country, Radio Nepal has witnessed a sea change in the past seven decades. Rise in literacy rate coupled with political change and improved governance system has resulted in the higher number of radio listeners especially in the aftermath of 1990. With changing global trends, radio had also passed through ups and downs in Nepal with shifting social, political and economic alterations.

Adaption
Even after a century of its inception and amidst the arrival of pervasive technological innovations such as television and the World Wide Web of the internet, radio has been capable of perpetual adaptation. It has been adapting itself in the new context of societal transformations and listeners’ needs and expectations. Even today, especially in the country like Nepal, it is accessible anywhere and anytime and reaches a broad audience. The socio-political changes that have been surfaced in the country have been manifested mainly through the community radios scattered around the country from Terai to hill and mountainous region.
Collectively, the private, community-based and a state-owned radio broadcasting networks are creating a significant portion of the public sphere. They have created an arena where voices from various walks of life are expressed, represented, and heard to a greater extent. Media can contribute to an intensification of public discourses. Today radio is still the most consumed medium in the world and Nepal is no exception. The current scenario is a major outcome of the political changes of 1990. In the changed context, Nepal entered a new era of independent radio from the private sector in 1997. Subsequently, the nation witnessed the growth of private radios that were being established after the half-and-four decades of the establishment of Radio Nepal.
Since Nepal had entered into the era of private radio one year after the start of "People's War" by the CPN-Maoist, it had to face a harsh situation, especially in the remote areas. However, for the newly established private radios, the situation provides an opportunity as well. The insurgency, on hand, created hurdles for local communication links such as the community radio which were emerged in a euphoric atmosphere. On the other, it provided an opportunity to contribute to the mitigation for the conflict in local areas. By the time of the signing of Comprehensive Peace Agreement, there were 99 private radios including the community radios in the country.
The proliferation of private radio was greatly affected by the magnitude of conflict as most of the radio stations were established immediately before the CPA. During the direct rule of the King, the private radios face a tough time in terms of freedom of production and transmission of the programmes. However, the radios gained a sense of accomplishment that as per the editorial policy guidelines developed by the station they maintained indifference position from the then Nepal Army and Maoist side during the conflict. They did not play to induce conflict.
Nepal's current communication policy recognises the mediums of mass communication as the means to operationalise people's freedom of expression and opinion. It aimed at promoting innovation, self-reliance and economic growth by utilising the full potential of different forms of mass media including radio. It also aimed at cultivating the full potential of the Information and Communication Technology and the result of media convergence induced by the internet. The communication policy guides the Nepali broadcasting system to move towards the conversion of Radio Nepal along with Nepal Television into a public service broadcasting institutions. It envisions that the parliament would pass the regulations in this regard.
Apart from Radio Nepal, there will be private and community radio as well. Hence, in principle, Nepal has already entered a three-tier system where the public, private and community broadcasting need to flourish with a common goal to create information society and informed citizenry. With a few legal arrangements and encouragement, the community radios of Nepal would contribute more to fulfilling the communications needs of the general public.

Accessibility
This year, UNESCO has called upon radio stations to observe the 10th anniversary of World Radio Day with the theme ‘New World, New Radio’ It focuses on three main sub-themes. First, it stresses on a celebration of the evolution of radio as it states the world changes, radio evolves. Second, the UN agency calls to celebrate radio's innovation as it states the world changes, radio adapts and innovates. It reminds that radio has had to adapt to new technologies to remain the go-to medium of mobility, accessible everywhere and to everyone.
The observation perfectly fits with the Nepali context as well. Its third sub-theme within the main theme - New World New Radio, the UNESCO reiterates the radio's strength of connecting people as it states the world changes, radio connects. This reminds radio's uses during natural disasters and recently amidst the worldwide outbreak of COVID -19. In recent days, radio is proved to be instrumental to ensure continuity of learning, fight against misinformation, and promote barrier gestures.

(Dr. Aryal is associated with the Central Department of Journalism and Mass Communication of Tribhuvan University.)