Did Video Kill the Radio Star? World Radio Day 2026
Happy World Radio Day
Friday the 13th masked killer listening to the radio on Valentine's Day
Created by Gemini prompted by Ziyaad Plaatjes
Since 2011, World Radio Day has been celebrated on February the 13th. This year's theme is Radio and Artificial Intelligence.
I have been part of the radio industry for the past 3 years now, and recently on the youth-focussed programme, Level Up, on Radio Islam International, which I co-host with Nabihah and Isa Plaatjes, we had an episode where we discussed AI.
As today falls on a Friday, the ever-feared Friday the 13th, my question is, Did Video Kill the Radio Star?
Much like my generated image by Gemini of a Friday the 13th masked killer who is listening to the radio, on Valentine's Day (14th February) with a lonely balloon, the comparison can be drawn from the fact that while we enjoyed The Bugles song, and thought that video had indeed killed the radio star, we are here in 2026 and people are still listening to the radio whether on a physical device at home or in the car.
They listen to the radio via streaming apps or satellite decoders. But what has really increased in traffic is audiobooks and podcast apps like Spotify, YouTube music, Apple Music, etc.
Recently we saw the shutdown of the popular video channel MTV, which ironically started and ended with the song in the title of this article.
While more people are consuming or scrolling through video content, a great number of people are still enjoying the calming and relaxing sound of listening to someone's voice over the airwaves. It might boil down to the fact that one can imagine what the setup is in the studio, or paint their own picture of what is being spoken about.
Yes, we have seen that AI had taken over the media industry, and is slowly moving into the broadcasting space, BUT we can use it to put advantage. I recently wrote an article of how Meta AI can automatically translate an Instagram Reel. If we could do this with podcasts, we could reach millions more from a home studio, still delivering the same message but in the listeners chosen language.
The possibilities are limitless, and if AI is used correctly and to our advantage we will be celebrating World Radio Day for thousands of years to come.
Ziyaad Plaatjes is the Co-Founder of iloveza.com & Let's Torque ZA, the Founder of the After Fajr Grind Academy, a Radio Co-Host for a youth focussed programme, Level Up, on Radio Islam International, previously a Radio Host for the longest running award-winning Motoring show in South Africa - Bumper2Bumper on Cii Radio, and a Brand South Africa Play Your Part Ambassador, who was named one of Mail & Guardian's Top 200 Young South Africans in the Arts, Entertainment, Film & Media Category.
He is a Bachelor of Commerce Honours graduate and has been running businesses since the age of 13. Ziyaad is a social media fundi and content creator, but has taken on many roles in various industries over the years. With his entrepreneurial skills and vast knowledge he assists individuals and businesses to grow and achieve their goals.
Find him at: Instagram: @ziyaad_86 / @ilovezacom / @letstorqueza / @b2bcii X: @ziyaad86 / @ilovezacom / @letstorqueza / @b2bcii Facebook: iloveza.com / Let's Torque ZA LinkedIn: Ziyaad Plaatjes / iloveza.com YouTube: iloveza.com SoundCloud: iloveza.com / Radio Islam International TikTok: @ilovezacom / @b2bcii Threads: @ilovezacom iono.fm: Bumper2Bumper Hashtags: #AfterFajrGrind #iloveza❤️🇿🇦 #LetsTorqueZA #LevelUp #B2BCii #WheresDaddyZA E-mail: ziyaad@iloveza.com
