As we commemorate the World Radio Day-this year’s theme being; Dialogue, Tolerance and Peace-we should keep in mind that the radio reach is growing fast since there are many radio stations that have come up since the 90s. It is the most effective medium of communication that commands the respect of the public in many regions. Whatever is aired on radio is perceived by a listener to be true. Therefore, this is a task to radio presenters to ensure that whatever they disseminate should be factual, accurate, fair and should be balanced.
Radio, as it is, is facing challenges due to lack of content whereby the upcoming stations are doing the same things already taken up and tinkering with the same content. One can say it’s simply a matter of copying and moving the same content, even ensuring the airing time is the same. The difference is the presenter doing the programme and the name of the programme but whatever is done during the time the presenter is on air is a replica from another station. The many existing radio stations are all jostling for listenership, and this has led to increased competition in advertisement therefore if the station doesn’t have competitive radio presenters, it may lose out here.
Redundancy of programmes is another challenge whereby what the presenter does daily while in the show is what he or she repeats throughout the year. This may result in a monotony that may interfere with the growth of the radio station.
There are challenges that radio presenters do also go through for instance;
Dealing with defamation cases in a delicately poised society. Sometimes, cases are brought up that presenters utter statements while on air that fuel hatred, despise or contempt to certain people. In some stations, a presenter is left to carry his or her own burden, while others opt to support them. In the case where a presenter has been tasked with his or her own burden, they can lose their jobs because the bosses won’t want to associate with them.
Moreover, the issues of low and lack of pay have made presenters live as beggars, living from hand-to-mouth and this has even resulted in the creation of other splinter radio stations without proper planning. Most business people have come up with ideas of starting radio stations for commercial purposes and the majority seem not to have done thorough research where to locate the station, the frequency and the target audience.
Looking at the education spectrum, the popping up of journalism colleges has resulted to a watering down of education quality and the production of half baked journalists that go through the colleges, without the suitable curriculum and quality training, and this shows when some presenters even lack ethic when on air. Some even forget their responsibility to society and the language they use and the way they go about their business isn’t professional.