As the world marks World Radio Day, the low cost medium still enjoys a deep penetration in Africa's rural areas as the main source of trusted political news and entertainment.
Traditional radio sets are still all over the place in most rural homes, as well as people accessing FM radio through phones, signaling the medium's continued relevance despite the soaring popularity of on-demand digital content accessed via smartphones.
The choice between the cost of mobile internet and free radio content is seemingly still an easy one for households running on shoestring budgets.
Radio listeners in Nigeria and other African countries are tuning in to their favourite radio stations as the medium adapts to emerging technologies.
“If I don’t have any task I am trying to carry out, I don’t have any important thing doing other than listening to radio,” Zaidu Bala Kofa Sabuwa, a radio listener in Nigeria told TRT Afrika.
“All those stations that broadcast in Hausa (the local language), honestly I have to listen to them. In my car, I do not play anything. I would only be listening to radio stations wherever I am going. If I am going to travel from here to Abuja and Kano, I will not listen to anything other than radio stations,” he said.
“I will not be able to say I will spend one, two or three hours listening to radio. It is the situation I am in that will determine how long I will listen to it, but I don’t have anything that is as good as listening to radio,” he added.
For him radio is the go-to educational platform where he gets enlightened about the happenings at home and abroad.
Radio on smartphone
Those who can afford internet data bundles have been opting to listen to radio online as the audio is clearer with less distortion when listened to on smartphone.
“I have different radio receiver sets of different brands, from Sony, Panasonic, Kchibo and the rest,” Zaidu said.
“There is nowhere I don’t listen to radio. Wherever I get to where there is not network, I will bring my radio out and listen to it. I have some that I keep in my pocket. I have some that are in my car,” he said.
“Where there is a data connection, I will use my mobile phone because listening to radio through smartphone is better without interference or wind,” he added.
But Isa Rano Hudu Hadejiya, another radio listener, would only use smartphone to access radio stations when radio receiver is not available.
Isa Rano Hudu Hadejiya is also an old time radio listener in northern Nigeria. He has been listening to radio for years.
“Whenever I am not doing anything, I have a radio in front of me. I listen to radio till around midnight when all radio stations both local and international are closing for the day before I go to sleep everyday,” Isa Rano Hudu told TRT Afrika.
“I still use transistor radio because when I am at home, I use it to listen to radio. But when I am away there is no way I can listen to radio, I would have to use smartphone to listen to radio,” he said.
“It is through these two means that I listen to radio at all times,” he added.
Podcast shows have been increasing in different media markets in Nigeria and other parts of Africa to cash in on the interest people like Zaidu and Isa who use smartphones to listen to radio have in listening to audio broadcasts.
