I want my radio

I’ve been to three electronics stores in Mumbai in the past week looking for a good radio and struck out every time. Apparently no one buys radios anymore. And why would they when the same play list of top ten songs is repeated across all frequencies? The reason I’m looking for a radio is that I promised my boss I wouldn’t return without one.

Ok, here’s the truth. Over the past few months, I had commandeered my good natured boss’s shiny Roberts radio and after some subtle hints and one blunt recall he managed to wrest it back.

I miss his radio, but more than that I miss listening to the radio. It’s part of my morning ritual in Freetown. From 7 am to 8 am I soak in an hour of world news on the BBC World Service before settling down on my desk to the local Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation station between 10 and 11.

In India we don’t appreciate the potential of radio. We’re a visual culture, the entertainers say, whose bottom lines are all about eyeballs. Does that mean we’ve lost our imagination? One of my favourite radio programmes is a Nigerian radio drama called Story Story, which follows the lives of a handful of families and their daily dealings in the market place. Whether it’s the trailor park elections or women’s rights, morals and messages are woven into the fabric of daily life. Every Sunday morning at 9 am I feel like I am transported to a small town in Abuja listening in on these conversations. The show is produced by the BBC World Service Trust and aired on the BBC World Service.

Another one of my favourite radio shows is World Have Your Say, also on the BBC World Service. So I’m a little skewed in my loyalties and unashamed of it. This interactive discussion programme brings together interesting voices from all over the globe on a single frequency. This week World Have Your Say has been broadcasting from Sierra Leone and some of my office colleagues have been on air and helping out behind the scenes. I’m so proud of them. Listen to the last three episodes from Sweet Salone and leave your comments.

In India, the biggest stumbling block is that private radio stations are not allowed to broadcast news and current affairs and there is no culture of engaging audiences in intelligent programmes. No single radio station has an identity unique enough to make me want to come back. This Business Standard article also blames audiences for not appreciating niche content such as that available on World Space. I believe no one should have to pay anything more than the price of a radio to listen to good quality programming. So I blame Indian regulators and programmers for failing to exploit the potential of radio. In many parts of the world, radio has helped to provide life changing information to people in need and change attitudes around health practices. Isn’t this something we need in India?

My choices are limited. Even if I can get hold of a decent radio what would I listen to? Sure, I can stream my favourite shows online, but I wait for the day when my parents and friends will tune in to Radio Mirchi and have access to news and views that makes a difference to their lives.