The European Broadcasting Union, PRIX EUROPA and the European Commission joined forces for the Radio Day of European Cultures 2009, this time dedicated to the richness of languages in Europe.
Languages are the basis of our cultures and of our daily lives, but most of them do not travel, they stay at home, within their regions or countries. Languages seldom cross borders, they are borders themselves. But the only successful road to Europe leads to a continent of neighbours knowing and understanding each other.
Radio has the power to cope with that - being borderless, boundless, fast and direct, being the unique medium for many-to-many-communication.
So, under the motto “Languages through Microphones”, the Radio Day called on the radio stations of Europe to dedicate a day of their programming to multilingualism, so that the people of Europe can get closer to each other, wherever we are on this multilingual, multicultural continent.
The Radio Day of European Cultures was launched for the fourth time on 18 October 2009.
It was a completely virtual event which takes place across Europe, on air. Simply the knowledge that the theme Languages through Microphones was discussed throughout the European continent bound the audience together across language border.
Each participating broadcasting organisation was invited to develop its own concept for the Radio Day according to its schedule of programmes: interviews, concerts, hearings, discussions, cross-border transmissions, Vox Pops, readings, quiz-shows, competitions, chats or features.