Muscat – To mark World Radio Day, observed on February 13 every year, Oman Airports launched a new Internal Radio service on Sunday. World Radio Day is celebrated to honour one of the oldest and widely consumed mediums of communication.

According to Unesco, radio is a strong and powerful medium for celebrating humanity in all its diversity. Unesco is celebrating the 11th anniversary of World Radio Day and more than a century of the medium. The celebration is divided into three main sub-themes – Trust in radio journalism, Trust and accessibility and Trust and viability of radio stations.

On the occasion, Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) conducted a study on the importance of radio.

The SQU study included a sample of Omanis and confirmed that more than half of the citizens who were included in the study like to listen to Arabic podcasts. The study also indicated that the Omani public prefers to listen to local news and details of government decisions, and also to listen to government officials’ explanations about government decisions on radio.

The study confirmed that radio stations are heard more at the beginning of the week rather than the end. ‘The Omani public prefers listening to radio programmes during the morning period, from 6.30am to 10am and 1pm to 4pm,’ it stated.

The study also confirmed that the percentage of listeners to private radio in Arabic language is 62 per cent via car radio, 10.5 per cent via YouTube, and 7 per cent via Twitter among other sources.

Oman Airports in a statement said, ‘We believe in the role of radio stations in disseminating knowledge and exchanging information, and in supporting the activities of national institutions. We are pleased to congratulate Omani radio stations on the occasion of World Radio Day.

‘We are pleased to launch Oman Airports Internal Radio podcast, which will be a new platform for communicating with our internal audience.’

In January 2022, the Ministry of Information launched the Ayn platform, which is considered the largest Omani audiovisual content outlet.

The platform presents Oman’s civilisation through its history, present and future to broaden the prospects and influence of media’s message.

“The Ayn platform represents a complete shift in the field of modern electronic media services. It enhances Omani presence in various electronic mediums. It also sheds light on national achievements. Through its website and smart device applications, Ayn offers a unique experience, which is fun and easy to use,” a statement issued by H E Dr Abdullah Nasser al Harrasi, Minister of Information, on the occasion of the launch of the Ayn platform, said.

Ayn’s library contains a huge collection of audiovisual content produced by Oman Radio and Oman Television over many decades.