Public Relations Department (PRD) Director-General Lt Gen Sansern Kaewkamnerd said on National Radio Day on Saturday (25 Feb) that radio media remains important and is a mainstream and accessible communications channel for the public.
He highlighted the usefulness of radio media during emergencies, citing the tsunami disaster of 2004 when people in impacted areas were unable to access most media outlets aside from AM radio media. AM radio signals also have wide coverage and can be transmitted over long distances. Radio broadcasts enabled information about assistance for victims and people in impacted areas to be relayed during the tsunami disaster.
Lt Gen Sansern said the floods during 2022 and 2023 prompted Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha to emphasize the importance of radio, which is crucial in times of crisis or disaster. He also said Thailand’s radio broadcasting service is now in its 93rd year. The medium has undergone continual development in line with changes in Thai society and remains a credible and traceable source of information.
The director-general noted that the PRD has a role of delivering information through its Radio Thailand services in news reading and storytelling formats, which are tailored to specific broadcast times and target groups. He added that Radio Thailand has been adjusting and developing in light of global advances and has been at work to make its content interesting to the audience.
The humble start of radio broadcasting began in 1928 when an experimental station was initiated in Bangkok. This station, under the Post and Telegraph Department, was located at the mouth of the Ong Ang Canal, one of the canal rings around the old city. The experimental radio station was later moved to Sala Daeng.
Thailand’s first radio station – “Radio Bangkok of Phaya Thai” – commenced its services in 1930.
In 1939, the function of radio broadcasting was transferred from the Post and Telegraph Department to the PRD. (NNT)
