A solemn session in honor of the 100 years of radio in Brazil, completed in September, was held this Tuesday (22) in the plenary of the Chamber of Deputies, in Brasília. The session was requested by deputies Acácio Favacho (MDB-AP), Secretary of Social Communication of the Chamber, and Alex Santana (Republicanos-BA), holder of the Secretariat of Participation, Interaction and Digital Media of the House.
When talking about the 100 years of radio in Brazil, the president of Brazil Communication Company (EBC)Glen Valente, highlighted the evolution of the vehicle over the years and the innovations added as channels of streaming [transmissão de dados pela internet] and podcasts [conteúdos em áudio], for example. Citing the work of Rádio Nacional da Amazônia, which broadcasts in short waves to that region, Valente recalled the station’s social function, which he compared to a kind of “Whatsapp of the Amazon”.
With communication via telephone or internet still precarious in some locations in the Amazon, the president of the EBC recalled that many listeners send simple messages to relatives and friends through the radio waves.
“It’s things like: tell my aunt that I’m arriving on Monday. And people warn. It looks like something old-fashioned, but it’s very modern, so shortwave today is still super effective. It is also an area in which we are making investments because, despite the migrations to FM, short waves will never find a natural substitute due to the space restrictions in the Amazon”, he argued.
The president of Empresa Brasil de Comunicação (EBC), Glen Valente, during a formal session of the Chamber of Deputies to mark the 100 years of radio in Brazil. ?? Marcelo Camargo/Agência Brasil
Also for Glen Valente, radio continues and will always be a platform that everyone has to keep investing in because it will not end. “The other platforms will be added to an older instrument of communication in Brazil, which is the radio”, he added.
Evolution
Also present at the ceremony, the president of the Brazilian Association of Radio and Television Broadcasters (Abert), Flávio Lara Resende, spoke of the privilege of accompanying the evolution of such an important vehicle.
“Radio continues to play its best role: being a companion at all times, full of life and vigor. The radio is in constant renewal, being the protagonist of the most varied situations”, he said.
Data
In justifying the formal session’s request, deputies Acácio Favacho and Alex Santana cited a survey by the company Kantar Ibope Media. She points out that the radio is listened to by 80% of the Brazilian population in the country’s 13 metropolitan regions. Among listeners, three out of five listen to the radio every day. Also according to the survey, listeners spend an average of four hours and 26 minutes a day listening to the radio. Most (80%) use a regular radio, but consumption by cell phone already reaches 23%.
Still based on data from the Kantar Ibope Media survey, the parliamentarians highlighted that, in smaller cities, radio becomes even more important, bringing local information where there are no other communication vehicles. Brazil now has more than ten thousand active radio stations.
