What's More Useful: Television or Radio?

What's more useful Radio or Television? - Radio - of course! Until the age of eight I grew up without a television. I feel I had a happier childhood than children who did have televisions - but then I grew up in a tropical country where television was not introduced until the 80s.

My earliest memories from the media are of singing and songs from the radio and vinyl records. I had lots of relatives with large gardens, children's games, toy trains, toy planes, Lego and enough stimulation - not least from servants from very young and all sorts of holidays from tea estates to warm beaches.

When television came around in the UK as a child, I could do nothing else. One got hooked on Sesame Street, Blue Peter, The Big Blue Marble or whatever cultural baggage that television yielded. My eyesight deteriorated. I developed a squint and pretty soon had to wear spectacles. Of course my eyes may have been weak to begin with. Television helped to tip them over the edge of being noticeably bad.

I am not condemning television, but simply debating about what's more useful. So why is radio preferable? Why is radio not going to be replaced by television - especially in the digital age? By radio - I imply podcasts and audio internet downloads as well.

Advantages of television compared to radio: You can see something in colour as well as hear it. You can see really beautiful things including people, vehicles, buildings and landscapes. You can learn a lot more and faster at the visual level. It can be a lot more entertaining than radio. You can experience the world from an armchair without stepping into the cold or the heat or the dangers outside.