The sixth edition of International Radio Fair will be held at Bhubaneswar – the capital of the India state of Odisha, on February 13 and 14 to commemorate World Radio Day (WRD) 2020.
The event was conceived by local broadcast journalist Subrat Pati, who reports for an international radio service, and is being hosted by Outreach, a media organization headed by him.
The guests and delegates joining the fair this year comprise various stakeholders of broadcast service – radio jockeys, broadcasters, technicians, media planners, media policy makers, representatives of governments, radio stations, radio and broadcasting equipment manufacturers, and HAM radio operators from different parts of India and abroad, informed the hosts.
Participants include NHK World, Japan, Voice of America, Odisha’s Radio Choklet, Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Rajashtan’s My FM, Assam’s Radio Brahmaputra and South Asia Radio Club members from Bangladesh.
The two-day event has more than 10 sessions devoted to discussions, meetings, seminars, workshops and interactions on radio. Radio stations would also organize listener conferences for their own listeners.
“Despite major developments in communication system, radio still continues to play a pivotal role in our lives and society. Indeed it has been the oldest and best service to connect everyone during calamities apart from wooing the young and the old. Hence, I thought of this fair to celebrate and highlight the relevance of radio on the World Radio Day,” said Subrat.
“This has been India’s biggest radio fair. Through the fair, we attempt to increase listeners while sensitising broadcasters on importance of radio in public service. Further, we also encourage youngsters to choose radio as career apart from offering guidance and assistance to those who wish to set up Community Radio Stations,” he added.
“Service providers and policy planners and makers apart, listeners assume great importance to us and we try our best to involve them in all our activities. A major attraction for them and for the visitors to the fair would be the stalls exhibiting scores of old and new radio sets, broadcasting equipment, auxiliary studio and philately on radio. There would also be stalls offering instant radio repair alongside new radio sets for sale,” elaborated Subrat.