As official radio nerds, we’re chuffed there’s an official and international day to celebrate this wonderful way of broadcasting: World Radio Day. If you’re after all the details and some ideas of how you can recognise the day, dive right in.

World Radio Day Background

World Radio Day is on the 13th of February each year. Now in it's 15th edition, the day was first announced back in 2011 by UNESCO’s member states.

Two years later in 2013, the United Nations General Assembly gave it their stamp of approval and endorsed it as an international day.

World Radio Day 2026 Theme

The theme of World Radio Day 2026 is Radio and Artificial Intelligence: AI is a tool, not a voice.

In 2026, AI puts both the radio format and radio industry at a pivotal point in its 100+ year history. For some, AI in radio spells an inevitable loss of human connection and signals the death of human creativity. Others take a more positive outlook, regarding it as a way to unlock creativity and lower barriers to entry. Just like other tools humans have used previously. 

The real picture is obviously nuanced. Used well and with transparency, AI can aid radio production while pushing forward content quality. Used badly, and AI will churn out radio-specific “slop” as some try to make a quick buck.

UNESCO’s attitude is that AI is best deployed in radio with care. This World Radio Day, their emphasis is the importance of a thoughtful approach to AI with clearly defined strategies for its use. Used right, and AI tools have the potential to:

• Cut routine tasks and admin: Letting radio teams focus on creating content that matters to them.
• Create meaningful growth: Provide valuable insight into your audience, better tailor ads for listeners and improve revenue - all helping sustainability.
• Empower both listeners & broadcasters: Offer personalized experiences and create space for under-represented voices to be heard.
• Ensure content quality: Accelerate the research and fact-checking capabilities of radio teams, allowing them to scale-up production without sacrificing quality.

But to avoid that dreaded radio slop, UNESCO advises radio-folk to embrace:

• “Clear, caring policies and internal guardrails for ethical AI use”
• “Respect for privacy, intellectual property, data ownership and transparency”
• “Careful use of generative audio (like AI music, voice cloning, deepfake audio, etc.)”
• “Investment in people; their skills, growth, collaborations”

It seems AI's involvement with radio, like every other industry, is now inseparable. But UNESCO gives broadcasters a useful framework to ensure their AI use is legal, ethical and serves quality content.

With this in mind, how you celebrate such a divisive World Radio Day theme is up to you. You could turn it on it's head and focus entirely on the accomplishments of humans in radio. Or mark the day by just doing what your radio station already does best. But if you’re after some on-theme inspiration, keep reading for some AI-related ideas this World Radio Day.

2. Dig Into AI History

Why not take this World Radio Day as an opportunity to do a deep dive into the history of AI? You might start off at the birth of computer science in the 1940s - and end up at the recent Grok scandal.

3. Do a Round-up of the the Lesser-Known AI Applications

In the field of AI, way more is on offer than hyper-surreal artwork, so dedicate a show or segment to the other gob-smacking capabilities of AI-models. From ‘reading the minds’ of paralysed people and turning their thoughts into speech to creating new antibiotics for superbug MRSA, this is an opportunity to give listeners a balanced view of how AI is helping - and not helping - humanity.

2. Run With Some Ai-Generated Ideas

Experiment with letting an AI tool - like Radio.co’s ShowProducer - generate some ideas for you to run with. Be sure to let listeners know what’s coming up and ask their thoughts of the segment after it’s aired. This is another good one for boosting engagement.