Despite modern technology, radio remains a critical survival tool in emergencies and wartime, providing essential information when other systems fail.

During wartime in Western countries, it spread government messages, boosted morale, and delivered frontline updates. Even today, in the digital age, radio remains a vital survival tool during wars, disasters, and blackouts, proving its enduring role in communication, resilience, and public unity across generations and geographies. In Ukraine, when TV towers were destroyed and signals jammed, citizens turned to crank radios to access life-saving updates and coded escape routes. Similarly, Palestinians in Gaza have relied on radio for news amid telecommunications blackouts.

Experts say radio’s dependability lies in its simplicity. It doesn’t rely on expensive devices, data plans, or fragile digital infrastructure. Emergency radios powered by cranks or solar energy can continue broadcasting even when electricity is down

Fears of World War 3 have triggered a surge in radio purchases, fuelled by TikTok influencers in Europe and US urging users to include radios in survival kits. They warn that if the power grid fails, people may miss vital government alerts without access to traditional radio.

Radio waves, a type of light, are created by accelerating electrons in an electric circuit. By altering their amplitude (AM) or frequency (FM), these waves carry information.