To celebrate World Radio Day, we sat down with Radio DJ Agnesa Sejdiu, to discuss the importance of radio and living her dream.
The 26 year-old from Prishtina, capital city of the Republic of Kosovo, Agnesa Sejdiu, hosts her live radio show on one of the biggest radio stations in the country- RTV Dukagjini from 5am every weekday.
During such early mornings, her way to work can sometimes be gloomy – specifically in these cold winter days.
However, today’s date, the 13th of February, is among her favorite days of the year- this is because it marks World Radio Day.
Radio remains the most widely consumed medium, according to the United Nations (UN). This year, it is being celebrated with the theme “New World, New Radio”.
It stands as a tribute to the resilience of radio and its capacity for perpetual adaptation to the rhythm of societal transformations and listeners’ new needs.
Rise And Shine
From the perspective of a radio host, Sejdiu emphasises that this is a very important day “for everyone who is lucky enough to start the day by talking to an audience of all sorts through a microphone.”
Then, she takes Youth Time readers on a journey and describes how her day looks like.
“We start our morning show every day at 5am, and for many people living in Kosovo, it sounds too early as well as weird.
“There’s the ‘but why?’ question that follows. Our show is dedicated to the people that start their day very early, or those who don’t have anyone to talk to that early, as we joke about it.”
She adds that they accept calls from the beginning of the show and it is amazing how many people they get to talk to every day.
Connecting People
Most of their audience in the early morning, she goes on, are Albanians who live and work outside the country.
“There is not a day that passes without somebody thanking us for making their morning, or even their whole day.
“I am no good with statistics, but all I know is people of our country have a very special love for radio.
“We have listeners that have been listening to the radio before I could walk, or speak. Facts say radio is also a very good impact on people’s mental health, and from hearing the voices of our listeners, I couldn’t agree more.”
To describe how widespread and practical listening to the radio is, Sejdiu has an example.
“If you’re in the car alone, driving to wherever, you turn the radio on and suddenly you’re not alone. You wake up to have your coffee before work, early morning, everyone else’s asleep, you turn on the radio, you suddenly feel accompanied.
“You hear an interesting fact that leaves you speechless, you hear a good joke and you laugh with that the whole day.”
“This is the good thing about it, you can call, you can be a part of the show, there’s no pressure, no cameras, you don’t care how you look, you pick up your phone and press call.”
She likes that people have access to listen to the radio much more easily now than before.
“Now you can have an app on your phone that gives you the option to listen to radio, you can listen online on a laptop, but also social media such as YouTube.
“Also, there is another trend when people that host a radio show appear on TV. All you need? A few cameras and be yourself.
“I am happy that people can listen to radio wherever they are, radio honestly makes everything sound better and every long road, much shorter.”
Relaxing With Radio
Hosting a morning show, means that she gets to talk to different people every day, reaching a broad audience, while she believes that radio is still the most consumed medium worldwide.
“With all the changes in the world, people feel the need to be informed correctly and for this, I think their trust for radio is much stronger than any other source of information.
“Radio also is one of the most relaxing platforms, offering many shows that treat countless fun topics for which people can express themselves, topics that make them laugh or stop and think.”
She brings into discussions a few findings suggesting that especially due to COVID-19, people have said that radio makes them feel more informed about things they need to know but also more connected to their community.
“I think this is fair. With people having the chance to communicate about their wishes, experiences and what bothers them, of course they will feel more connected because they learn about their people and each other’s lives.”
Living Her Dream
Since she was a little girl, with a script in her hands, Sejdiu would imitate a radio presenter. Today, as she is living her dream job, she is able to give everyone a perspective of this feeling.
Even though she admits she cannot explain it fully.
“It’s been eight months since I started at 4 am, and to this day, when the alarm goes off I wake up in an instant and feel ready and motivated for my day. The arrival is most times in a rush, but so exciting and energetic.”
She attributes a good part of this motivation to her colleagues.
“Most of our days are filled with laughs off the mic. I think this makes every job way more enjoyable, when you have good harmony and work ethic between colleagues.
“I was very lucky to be a part of this big family as Radio Dukagjini is the most listened to radio in our country, and to be able for so many to hear my voice every day, to accomplish my dream as a radio host in the radio people love most, is amazing isn’t it?
“Honestly, work hard for your dream, no matter the workplace, at least, a chair and a microphone is all you need to make your wish come true.”
Happy World Radio Day from all of us at Youth Time!
Photos:From the archive of Agnesa Sejdiu/RTV Dukagjini.
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