The red 'On Air' sign blinks ominously as Micah Sunday, a producer with Rhythm FM in Nigeria’s Lagos, steps into the studio.

He has 45 minutes before the first news bulletin of the day goes on air.

You would expect him to be a tad rushed, but Micah is unruffled. It’s just another busy day for him in the office.

As one of Nigeria's more popular private stations, Rhythm FM represents radio’s evolving presence in the listener’s mind space amid an explosion of digital media.

Indeed, radio waves continue to ripple across the continent, melding music and entertainment with stories that matter — from climate change to community bonding.

February 13, commemorated globally as World Radio Day, saw the theme "Radio and Climate Change” resonating in stations across Africa and beyond.

Micah’s news broadcast featured climate activists using radio to disseminate crucial climate information and advocate for environmental sustainability.

Kayode Bakerr, group head of Radio at Rhythm FM, says radio plays a crucial role in informing and educating audiences, especially in hard-to-reach rural communities.

“Many rural areas still depend heavily on radio as there is low internet penetration, and most people do not have very high-end smart devices. Radio helps plug a crucial information gap,” Bakerr tells TRT Afrika.

Still a strong force

As a tribute to the influence of this medium, UNESCO instituted World Radio Day in 2011.

The UN General Assembly adopted it as an international commemoration day the next year with a statement hailing radio as a powerful medium that deserved praise “for celebrating humanity in all its diversity” and serving as “a platform for democratic discourse.”

In the African media landscape, radio’s reach continues to grow despite increasing threats from the popularity of social media and AI.

According to research published by the University of Oxford in 2024, radio has become so popular a century after its appearance on the African continent that it now has a “profound global influence”.

Afrobarometer, a pan-African research network, reports that 68% of Africans source their news from radio daily or weekly, while only 53% get their news from television and 37% from internet sources.

The study also points out that radio dominance is not limited to countries with low internet access rates. It also cites a survey that found 80% of South Africans listening to the radio at least once a week in a country where digital media has a large base.

Fake-news buster

For Moses Umanah, head of production at Lagos-based Silverbird Television, traditional news media like radio can help fight disinformation.

“With disinformation always having the capability of quickly spreading across social media, radio is a potent verification tool because the information is given by a known personality and not a random faceless user on the internet,” Umanah tells TRT Afrika.

Nonetheless, radio station executives and broadcasters acknowledge that the traditional news medium remains under threat with the advent of social media platforms with millions of users.

Research also indicates fierce competition from emerging digital platforms like podcasting, which has seen exponential growth on the continent in recent years.

According to the research website Statista, the podcast market in Africa is expected to reach 35.7 million users by 2029. User penetration in this market is expected to be 2.7% in 2025.

The biggest challenge for radio is attracting young listeners.

Micah Sunday says the impact of radio can be measured with the age demography of callers who engage hosts in conversations on air.

“Callers that mostly contribute to conversations on radio are usually people above 30. It shows that radio is dangerously losing touch with a young generation that is finding content on digital platforms that they won’t ordinarily get on radio.”

However, there is optimism for radio and its future as an information dissemination tool.

“Radio remains uniquely positioned to bring communities together and foster positive dialogue for change. By listening to its audiences and responding to their needs, radio services provide the diversity of views and voices needed to address the challenges we all face,” the UN says.

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