Catalan Radio
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CATALAN RADIO: AND EXPANSION 1 THEYROLIFERATION OF SMALL LOCAL RADIO STATIONS BROADCASTING IN CATALAN,THE INTRODUCTION OF BI-LINGUAL (CATALAN-CASTILIAN)PROGRAMMES, THE TENDENCY TO INCREASI THE NUMBER OF PROGRAMMES BROADCAST IN CATAL~IL\NI) THE SUCCESS OF THE COMPETITIVE RADIO SI A 1 IONS CREATED BY THE AUTONOMOUS s U GOVERNMENT HAVE MEANT THAT CATALANHAS A GREATER 0 PRESENCE THAN EVER ON THE AIR AND ON THE FREQUENCIES O -m CHOSEN BY AUDIENCES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. 0 YI O VICENC RELATS I CASAS JOURNALIST he use of Catalan on the radio Ten years after the Spanish state made the 10.5 % in the last five years and it is now frequencies of Catalonia is conso- transition to democracy, radio broadcast- understood by 90.3 % of the population) Olidating and increasing. The pro- ing in Catalonia, expressed in the lan- and this fact obviously had to be reflected liferation of small local radio stations that guage of the country, Catalan, is today in the broadcasting world. broadcast in this language, the introduc- following a process of consolidation and The Franco regime cruelly repressed the tion of bilingual (Catalan-Castilian) pro- expansion. This is due not only to the language of Catalonia. When his troops grammes, the tendency to increase the increase in the number of institutional ra- entered Barcelona in 1939, radio in number of programmes broadcast in dio stations broadcasting in Catalan, but Catalan came to an end, only to reappear Catalan, even in the case of state net- also to the fact that the small commercial in December 1976, with the creation of works, and, especially, the success of the stations, whether local or part of a state Radio4 by Radio Nacional de España competitive radio stations created by the network, also incorporate Catalan, par- (RNE). Until the death of Franco on 20 governement of Catalonia -the Gene- tially or wholly, in their own programmes. November 1975, there was no real move ralitaf- have meant that Catalan has a However, this level of Catalanization has to recover Catalan radio, although one greater presence than ever on the air and only been possible after ten years of de- should not forget a few valuable attemps on those frequencies chosen by audiences mocracy, a democracy which has le- during the sixties, such as Radio Barcelo- across the country. This has happened af- galized the use of Catalan in the street as na's programme Radioscope or others ter a slow process of Catalanization last- well as on the radio. Of course, during this like Lliqons de Catala (Catalan lessons) on ing ten years, which has had to reform period, Catalan has been gradually RNE Barcelona. and adapt the radio structure inherited returning to normal use in al1 social On 1 3 December 1976, the inauguration from Franco, who had banned the lan- aspects (the proportion of people who of Radio-4, broadcasting on the FM band, guage of Catalonia for forty years. understand Catalan has increased by meant a great step forward for the nor- malization of Catalan radio, but it was nues to play an important role in the re- also an excuse for RNE not to take any cuperation of the Catalan language and trouble to Catalanize its other stations. In culture. spite of the euphoria of ljberalization that But the normality of the use of Catalan on Catalan radio lived from 77-79, rid of the the radio was to receive its definitive im- millstone of Franco's censonhip and able pulse from the inauguration of the Gene- at last to explore new formulas and new ralitatls radio stations, which quickly won topics on the air, Radio-4 remained the over large audiences. In May 1983, the only monolingual Catalan radio station. Parlament de Catalunya approved the Meanwhile, the incorporation of were set up by the local authorities them- creation of the public entity Corporació bilinguism became the norm in the stations selves, in others they arose thanks to the Catalana de Radio i Televisió, responsible broadcasting in Catalonia. initiative of the towns' social and cultural for the establishment and running of the In 1979, Radio Arenys de Mar, in a small associations, with help from the town Generalitat's radio stations and Televisió town on the Catalan coast, pioneered a halls. Because of their dubious legal de Catalunya (TV3). On 16 June 1983, unique radio broadcasting movement, situation, the various stations are coordi- Catalunya Radio, the Generalitat's radio that of the municipal stations of Catalonia, nated in the organization EMUC (Emis- broadcasting service, started tests, something hitherto unknown in Europe. sores Municipals de Catalunya). The sta- broadcasting music. Soon, it was able to These small local radio stations appeared tions vary widely as regards running, or- offer a complete programme based on in the towns, villages and cities of Catalo- ganization and programmes. Some are the traditional medium wave formula, nia after the first democratic municipal extremely professional and broadcast although it broadcast on FM. Catalunya elections of 1979, when various spon- more than twelve hours a day, and others Radiol with one of the most advanced taneous popular initiatives sought legali- are run by amateurs, with little if any pro- technological infrastructures in Europe zation from the local authorities, since the fit, and broadcast for perhaps a few hours and a complete network of transmitiers government would not have provided ¡t. in the evening or at night. Leaving aside and repeaters, reaches every point of the After Radio Arenys came Radio Municipal the differences in the programme content, country. ' de Rubl; and so, gradually, these stations alwys strongly influenced by local activi- According to an opinion poll carried out spread throughout Catalonia, so that by ties, one common denominator is the lan- at the request of the company, in four the end of 1981 there were fotty and at guage, since most of them use Catalan, years, Catalunya Radio, which had an the present moment there are about a even though some are to be found in average audience of 285,000 in May hundred and thitty. urban centres where there is a marked 1987, has taken first place amongst FM These stations broadcast on FM, at low concentration of immigrant population. stations and third place in the general power, just enough to cover their munici- There is no doubt that the work of the mu- ranking of Catalan radio audiences, after pal area. Although in some cases they nicipal radio stations has played and conti- Radio Miramar (COPE Network), with an audience of 41 9,000, and Radio 1 (RNE), Club's matches in the programme Apart from other commercial stations al- with an audience of 406,000. In the last "Football in Catalan", which already had ready mentioned, there is also Cadena few years, Catalunya Radio has increased an audience of almost a million when it 13, inaugurated in 1984, which is a net- the size of its audience faster than any was broadcast on another station, Radio work of 13 stations scattered around other station in Catalonia. This is a result Barcelona (SER Network), many of whose some of the principal Catalan towns, in- of its competitive, balanced programmes, listeners have followed him to Catalunya tended to be "the commercial radio in its comprehensive, agile news services, of Radio. Catalan", with a vaned offering. This net- its blend of Catalan and modern... and of As well as the Catalunya Radio station, on work is privately owned and also making an attractive musical and sports 2 April 1984, the Generalitat restarted broadcasts on FM. Market studies do not offering. the old radio cooperative Radio Associa- credit the network's central station, Radio Without doubt, the success of Catalunya ció de Catalunya, silenced in 1939 by the Avui, in Barcelona, with audiences of any Radio is also a result of its having taken Franco regime. This station devotes itself consideration, though they do point to advantage of the success of the young almost exclusively to music programmes, partial successes in the broadcasts made autonomic television, TV3, since many po- with short hourly newscasts. Finally, the in- from the regional centres for their area of pular television. presenten -J. M. Puyal, auguration, on 10 May 1987, of Catalu- influence. Angel Casas, Angels Barceló, and oth- nya Música, a station that specializes in This brief description of Catalan radio ers- also host radio programmes. The classical and modern music, has, for the broadcasting is intended to show that, joumalist Joaquim Maria Puyal has been time being, completed the autonomous although the use of Catalan in this me- a godsend for Catalunya Radio since, as government's plans for the creation of ra- dium is still inferior to that of Castilian, the well as being an extremely popular televi- dio stations, although the Generalitat has situation allows us to speak of consoli- sion personality, he has now incorporated always expressed a desire to have a me- dation and to look forward with optimism his commentaries of Barcelona Football dium wave frequency at its disposal. to the future. • .