The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) today observes World Radio Day, a special celebration of one of the most significant inventions in the field of broadcasting and communications. Per the UNESCO:

 

From news and public debate to music and entertainment, radio continues to inform, captivate and inspire us in a way that no other medium can. Radio is also the medium best-adapted to navigate the new digital frontiers that are pushing the media and communication into unchartered waters. Technologies such as the Internet, mobile communication and geolocation have shifted the traditional dynamic in which the media operate, with young people at the fore-front of these converging trends, at the same time embracing radio as enthusiastically as ever.

 

Whereas in many regions of the world analog radio is taking a back seat to Internet communications, such is not the case in Costa Rica. In fact, FM radio is one of the most requested features among shoppers of smartphones in Costa Rica. According to the National Chamber of Radio in Costa Rica, our country enjoys plenty of diversity across the airwaves. More than 70 radio stations lawfully broadcast across the AM and FM dials, and quite a few pirate radio stations also operate in Costa Rica.

The challenging topography of our country makes radio a suitable medium of broadcasting that can reach even the most remote areas. Listeners in Costa Rica are certainly spoiled when it comes to radio.  Aside from the usual music and news programming, unique cultural, religious and community content can be enjoyed at any given time in Costa Rica.

For all the advances in wireless Internet technology in Costa Rica, and the popularity of personal computing devices like smartphones, radio still gathers a substantive amount of interest among Ticos. Costa Rica’s wireless infrastructure has vastly improved in the last few years, yet the population has hardly given up on radio. Ticos have shown a lot of love for social media, something that radio stations have been quick to embrace to extend their brand.

In the past, The Costa Rica Star has featured stories about special radio stations such as the old Rainforest Radio and The Species. Since then, the airwaves in Costa Rica have changed dramatically, and although there is a growing trend towards Internet streaming stations such as the excellent Chile con Carne, the abundance and sheer diversity of radio programming in our country is a refreshing sign of the times.