LOC11:01
08:01 GMT
News report by Amna Al-Shammari
KUWAIT, Feb 13 (KUNA) -- Kuwait is joining nations worldwide, celebrating World Radio Day, an international day celebrated on 13 February each year, recognizing the role of radio in promoting freedom of speech and diversity.
The day highlights radio's role in fostering international cooperation among broadcasters, encouraging both major networks and local stations to enrich access to information and uphold freedom of speech.
Announced in 2011 by UNESCO member states and adapted as a UN international day in 2012, recognizing radio's impact in connecting societies, promoting democratic dialogue, raising public awareness of the importance of radio and encouraging decision makers to use it.
Each year, World Radio Day has a theme, 2025 is dedicated to "Radio and Climate Change" to support radio stations in their journalistic coverage of this issue.
For nearly seven decades, Kuwait has placed great emphasis on radio broadcasting, Kuwait radio -- one of the first in the Arab World - has been home to notable local and regional media figures since its beginning in 1951.
Kuwait Radio Library holds several recordings and interviews featuring artists, musicians, scholars, and intellectuals across the Arab World, along with rich collection of classic radio dramas, making it rare cultural treasure.
Continuing this legacy, the Ministry of Information launched several media initiatives in November 2022, including a heritage radio station dedicated to airing classic dramas, programs, and music from Kuwait Radio's vast archive.
Kuwait Radio has earned various prestigious awards over the years, notably, in February 2019 when it secured first place in program production hours at the annual Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU) in Algeria.
Recently, in 2023, the ministry won three awards at the 23rd Arab Radio and Television festival in Tunisia, followed by 12 awards at the Gulf Radio and Television Festival in Manama in 2024.
Founded on February 14, 1951, with its first broadcast on May 12, Kuwait Radio has undergone continuous development to keep pace with global innovations in broadcasting, networks, and technology while maintaining a diverse range of programming and improving national radio capabilities. (end)
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