The Comeback of Radio in a New Form

The comeback of radio in a new form—once upon a time, radio was the only source of entertainment for ordinary people. With the easy accessibility of television, this medium of entertainment gradually lost its popularity. After that, various other media began to emerge. MP3 players became popular for listening to music on the go, eventually becoming integrated into mobile phones. However, people could not stay satisfied with a limited number of songs or news options. In a new and grand manner, radio made its return—much like the saying “old rice tastes better.” Radio hasn’t just come back in a digital form, but in a much more appealing way, and has found its place on today’s most popular device—the mobile phone. Nowadays, it’s almost essential to have radio on a mobile. These FM band radio channels not only broadcast songs but also air news and a variety of programs. FM stands for Frequency Modulation. The mono FM band was discovered in 1946. Fourteen years later, in 1960, it was developed further into stereo FM band. Globally, all frequencies remain within the range of 87.5 to 108.0 megahertz. However, as exceptions, the United States is allocated 87.9 to 107.9 megahertz and Japan from 76.0 to 90.0 megahertz. In Bangladesh, there are several FM radio channels available, covering the capital Dhaka, its surrounding areas, and parts of Chittagong. The radio channels include Voice of America at 97.6 MHz, Radio Today at 89.6 MHz, Radio Foorti at 98.4 MHz, BBC at 100.0 MHz, Radio Amar at 101.0 MHz, Traffic Broadcasting at 103.2 MHz, Radio Bangladesh at 106.5 MHz, and others. Currently, many mobile manufacturers are incorporating FM into their phones. Typically, a special FM radio hardware is added to the mobile for FM support. Here are some mobile models with integrated FM radio.

Samsung: X210, C230, SGH-D600, etc.
Nokia: 2255, 2300, 2310, 2355, 2855, 3155, 3200, 5200, 5300, 5500, 6030, 6101, 6103, 6110, 6233, 6255i, 6256i, 6265, 6300, 6610i, 7250, 7260, 7360, N70, N72, N73, N76, N77, N95, N97, E50, E90, HS-2R, etc.
Motorola: 280i, L6i, L7i, ROKR E2, C117, C139, C168, C157, C343, C380/381, C550, C650/651, V60i, V65p, V66i, V220, V300, V303, V810, V878, T720, MPx200, V635 ROKR, etc.
Sony Ericsson: Z550, W710, W850i, W950, etc.
Others: Siemens SA•1, etc.

Additionally, various MP3 players, iPods, and other devices now come equipped with digital radio. While on the move, users can access entertainment as well as news from home and abroad, sports updates, live traffic reports from Dhaka, and other necessary information. Not too long ago, people would frown if they saw someone wandering around with a radio in hand, but now it’s normal to have headphones in your ears and a radio in your pocket.