radio
noun /ˈreɪdiəʊ/
/ˈreɪdiəʊ/
- (often the radio)[uncountable, singular] the activity of broadcasting programmes for people to listen to; the programmes that are broadcast
- The play was written specially for radio.
- I listen to the radio on the way to work.
- on radio The interview was broadcast on radio and television.
- on the radio Did you hear the interview with him on the radio?
- national radio
- a radio programme/show/broadcast/interview
- a radio station/network
- a radio host
- FM/commercial radio
- digital/satellite radio
Wordfinder- air
- announce
- bulletin
- jingle
- phone-in
- podcast
- programme
- public service broadcasting
- radio
- station
Culture radioradioPeople in Britain listen to the radio a lot, especially in the morning and the early evening or while they are in their cars. They can listen to a radio show while it is being broadcast or later, by downloading it to their phone, tablet or computer. A large percentage of the British radio audience listen to the BBC; the rest listen to independent commercial radio, which has advertising. There are ten national BBC radio stations. Radio 1 plays new rock, pop and dance music, Radio 2 broadcasts popular music, Radio 3 offers classical music (= serious music written by Bach, Beethoven, etc.), jazz and arts programmes, Radio 4 broadcasts popular news and current affairs programmes, drama and arts programmes, comedy and documentaries, and Radio 5 Live has sport and news. The other BBC stations, which can be listened to only on digital radio, are 1Xtra, 4 Extra, 5 Live Sports Extra, 6 Music, and Asian Network. The BBC also operates the BBC World Service, which broadcasts to most parts of the world. Independent radio stations which broadcast in competition with the BBC and are paid for from advertising include Classic FM talkSPORT, Heart and Capital FM. Many programmes, both from the BBC and commercial stations, can be listened to on the internet. Many people also listen to local radio. The BBC has 40 local radio stations, and six stations broadcasting in the national regions: Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Radio Cymru broadcasts in the Welsh language and Radio nan Gaidheal in Scottish Gaelic. Local radio stations concentrate on local news, traffic reports and pop music. Smaller stations are run by students or by hospitals for their patients. Ofcom issues licences to commercial broadcasters.In the US there are more than 13 000 radio stations. Many people listen to the radio during drive time (= the time when they are travelling to or from work). There are no national radio stations, but there are networks, groups of stations that are associated with each other. The network affiliates (= stations in the group) use some of the same programmes.The FCC (Federal Communications Commission), a part of the US government, issues licences to radio stations and says what frequency (= what part of the range of radio waves) they can use. The FCC also gives a station its call letters, the letters that it uses to identify itself. Many stations make their name from their call letters or frequency, for example Sunny 95.Each station has a specific format (= style of programmes), which it hopes will be popular with its listenership (NAmE for ‘audience’). Some stations play a particular kind of music, such as ‘top 40’ (= popular songs) or country music. Other stations have talk radio and phone-in programmes, in which radio presenters discuss an issue and invite people listening to telephone the station and take part in the discussion. Radio stations operated by people from particular cultural groups offer programmes in languages other than English. Some stations broadcast religious programming (= types of programmes).Many colleges and universities have their own radio stations, which anyone can listen to. Many towns also have a public radio station, which is usually part of the NPR (National Public Radio) network. Public radio stations often have public affairs programming and classical music, which is not common on commercial radio. At certain times of year public radio stations run pledge drives in which they ask listeners to donate money to the station. The Broadcasting Board of Governors, an independent agency of the US government, operates the Voice of America, which brings information about the US, its culture and language to people around the world.As online services become more popular, fewer people, in particular the young, are listening to the radio. Instead, many people use online streaming services to listen to music and they download podcasts to listen to comedy or discussion programmes.Extra ExamplesTopics Musica1, TV, radio and newsa1- He drove along with his windows open and the radio blaring out.
- The radio announced that the president had been assassinated.
- The song is currently getting heavy radio airplay.
- the largest radio broadcaster in the US
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- car
- CB
- hand-held
- …
- listen to
- tune in to
- tune
- …
- announce something
- report something
- play (something)
- …
- alarm
- receiver
- set
- …
- by radio
- on the radio
- [countable] a piece of equipment used for listening to programmes that are broadcast to the public
- to turn the radio on/off
- to have the radio on
- a car radio
- His radio is permanently tuned to Heart FM.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- car
- CB
- hand-held
- …
- listen to
- tune in to
- tune
- …
- announce something
- report something
- play (something)
- …
- alarm
- receiver
- set
- …
- by radio
- on the radio
- [uncountable] the process of sending and receiving messages through the air using electromagnetic waves
- by radio He was unable to contact Blake by radio.
- to keep in radio contact
- radio frequencies/signals/communications/waves
- It was fascinating to listen to the radio chatter from the ships.
- The message was sent by radio.
- The troops maintained a strict radio silence while they moved into position.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- car
- CB
- hand-held
- …
- listen to
- tune in to
- tune
- …
- announce something
- report something
- play (something)
- …
- alarm
- receiver
- set
- …
- by radio
- on the radio
- [countable] a piece of equipment, for example on ships or planes, for sending and receiving radio signals
- on/over a radio They heard the gale warning over the ship’s radio.
- The airline company failed to reach the plane on its radio.
- There were calls for cab radios to link train drivers and signal boxes.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- car
- CB
- hand-held
- …
- listen to
- tune in to
- tune
- …
- announce something
- report something
- play (something)
- …
- alarm
- receiver
- set
- …
- by radio
- on the radio
Word Originearly 20th cent.: abbreviation of radio-telephony.