February 13 is designated by the United Nations as World Radio Day to enhance cooperation among radio stations and expand the network of listeners to share and access information to improve their knowledge of social issues.
Under the theme “Radio and Diversity,” UNESCO’s 2020 edition of World Radio Day will focus on “diversity in the newsroom and on the airwaves” to guarantee variety of content and voices for its varied audiences.
Diversity at VOV
VOV is a multimedia platform that includes radio, television, print newspaper, and online newspaper. Radio remains its mainstream. Listeners inside and outside Vietnam can tune in to radio channels or listen on the Internet: VOV1 – News and Current Affairs, VOV2 – Culture and Social Issues, VOV3 – Music and Entertainment, VOV4 – Ethnic languages, VOV5 – VOVWorld, VOVGT – National Traffic, and the Health and Food Safety.
VOV’s diverse and informative radio content is attractively presented to meet the public’s demand for information. Ngô Bích Thủy is a regular listener to VOV: “Radio programs have their own attraction. When I’m driving, I can hear traffic information on VOV’s Traffic channel, relax with VOV’s music channel, or listen to some health and medical news. There are many fantastic programs to tune in.”
In the face of competition from many other media forms and social networks, VOV has promoted its trademark and impressed listeners with its signature programs: Late night story telling, Guests to our house, Awake with VOV, News route, etc.
Dong Manh Hung, Head of VOV1 and Chairman of VOV’s Journalists Association, said: “Programs on VOV1 cover everything from politics to lifestyle to personal issues. Radio is more than news reports and interviews and is presented in a variety of forms. We have reality radio and interactive radio. Radio must interact with listeners, for example by telephone, email, fanpage, or livestreaming on the Internet. Listeners can get involved in producing a radio program and express their ideas on air.”
VOV’s responds to World Radio Day
VOV has worked with the Ministry of Information and Communications and the UNESCO office in Hanoi to celebrate World Radio Day. VOV will host multiple activities at its Headquarters at 58 Quan Su street, Hanoi, including a meeting between radio producers and UNESCO representatives in the Asia-Pacific and Vietnam, and a seminar entitled “Radio and Diversity” to discuss radio’s advantages, disadvantages, opportunities, and challenges, and what radio broadcasters should do to improve diversity in radio.
Dong Manh Hung said: “We’ll broadcast a radio program called “Love through radio”. We want to convey the message that radio is a means of sharing information and consult experts’ opinions about love, marriage, and family. We’ll introduce some touching examples of people who know and love each other.”
For VOV broadcasters, World Radio Day is a festival to honor their work. Together with their colleagues worldwide, VOV’s staff celebrates radio’s role in modern life and work to produce informative programs.