Radio has many inherent limitations. It provides one way channel of communication. Therefore, no feedback regarding the messages can be received. Since the listener’s attention is held only by the sound, messages communicated through radio can reach only those people who listen carefully and intelligently. One has to be very attentive to receive the messages from radio otherwise he misses a part of the message. Radio lacks the pictorial quality provided by television and motion pictures. Moreover, no visuals can be used with radio to support the messages. Radio is not suitable for all types of commercials as some require illustration or demonstration.
Since radio conveys messages through sound only, it demands a habit of skillful listening which generally people lack. Radio may broadcast a well developed lesson, but cannot develop a lesson with the audience. With many people to receive a complete detailed lesson or a programme through radio becomes very taxing or boring as it tends to become monotonous at times.
Suggestions for good Radio programme
To take the challenge of television, radio format must be distinctive and competitive. The programmes should be interesting enough to hold the audience.
To ensure local level need based production of radio programmes radio needs to be made a localized medium.
Independent agencies interested in radio programme productions should be encouraged.
Radio stations and programme producers need to have collaboration and co-ordination between agencies like home science colleges, women's welfare agencies and broadcasters for producing programmes that are intelligible, interesting, and educative to target groups.
Outdoor and field based programmes also should be encouraged which have been very limited so far due to technical and financial limitation.
To strengthen the use of radio in networking developmental activities is necessary to promote listener's forums in institutional and community contexts. Such feedback mechanisms provide data for audience research and lead to meaningful programming.
There is a need to set up broadcast coordination centres across the region to serve as local, regional, national and international programmes exchange units. They can identity programmes of common interest and diffuse them in areas to which they are relevant.
To overcome language barriers, an infrastructure can be set up to transcreate radio programmes in the variety of cultural contexts existing in the region.
Experts should be engaged by the radio stations to process and analyze feedback and assist in the production of fieldÂ-based development programmes.
Participants