Media trainer: Radio is not dead

Media trainer and public speaking practitioner Garfield King has said radio, as a medium of communication, is not dead.

“Contrary to what a lot of people have been telling us, radio is very much alive. It lives on,” he said.

King, one of the facilitators, was speaking on Monday at the launch of a six-day radio journalism virtual series, hosted by the Telecommunications Authority of TT (TATT) and the TT Publishers and Broadcasters Association (TTPBA).

The other facilitators are former TTPBA president Kiran Maharaj and veteran journalists Wesley Gibbings and Tony Fraser.

Saying the Internet and social media have “not yet killed the radio,” King added, “One of the things that we have found is that subsequent assassins have also been unsuccessful, at least for now.”

He said several studies within the past ten-15 years have said radio continues to be regarded as one of the most trustworthy sources of news.

“It’s because it is so portable. It is intimate…Imagine like we did in the past, when people walked around with portable radios with batteries. We could see how much more connection there would have been. So radio remains relevant.”

Referring to this year’s World Radio Day theme, Radio and Trust, King said young people in the United Kingdom are listening to the radio more.

“In a world where fake news and misunderstanding happens all the time, you could see how important that is.”

King, who has lectured and led workshops in the Caribbean, UK and India, said when writing an effective news story, one’s audience is of paramount importance.

“Your audience is so important because it is the only reason you are doing this.”

He said news for radio must be accurate.

“We have to get it right. It has to be balanced, and when we talk about balance, it is not only the other side, but it's many sides. There are many components.

“The way in which the story is written and delivered – it has to be immediately understood.”

King added, “All that amounts to credibility. That is the watchword that is vital because without credibility, why are people going to listen to you? In fact, they’re probably not.”

King said from a commercial standpoint, radio also has to ensure that it is competitive “because almost all radio, especially in our part of the world is commercial. So it relies on advertising.”