The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought 2025

World Radio Day

It’s something that’s all around us: in our cars, in our homes and on our phones. What could it be? Radio, of course! And 13 February is World Radio Day. Let’s take a look at a trusty media format that even saved the Eiffel Tower from being torn down. Radio was created following a series of innovations in technology in the 19th century: first the telegraph, developed by American inventor Samuel Morse, then the discovery of radio waves by German physicist Heinrich Rudolf Hertz, and lastly the first transmission over Hertzian waves between England and France by Italian engineer Guglielmo Marconi, in 1899. In France, it was Radio Tour Eiffel that first filled the airwaves, with a concert in 1921. It might be hard to believe, but the Eiffel Tower had almost been torn down a few years earlier. It opened in 1889 for the Paris Exposition, and the plan had been for it to be dismantled 20 years later. But its role as a huge radio transmitter saved it from that fate and actually meant it got taller: 12 metres of antennas brought its height up to a grand total of 324 metres. But enough of the Eiffel Tower; let’s get back to our brief look at the history of radio. Some of you might have memories of bulky radios in your grandparents’ homes. Transistor radios only began to appear after the Second World War. Their invention meant that people could finally listen to the radio wherever they liked. Later, in the 1980s and 1990s, radio began to go digital, as FM started giving way to Digital Audio Broadcasting, or DAB, and satellite broadcasting. The 2000s saw the rise of podcasts and internet radio stations. And today, with the growth of AI, radio is starting a new chapter. If people use AI ethically, to support thinking processes and creativity, it can become a helpful ally. However, technology alone is not enough to build people’s trust. So, radio has clearly changed with the times. It’s a powerful tool. It celebrates humankind in all its diversity and provides a platform for democratic conversations. This podcast is brought to you by the European Parliament.

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