It is said radio in Latin America, as in many parts of the world, living a second youth. And that's because of the influence of new technologies. It was created in the 20s of last century; the average experienced a reign almost unopposed until the 50s and 60s when television appeared.

 Then the audiovisual dethroned radio but not led to its demise or extinction, as some predicted. It survived by his closeness with listeners and their immediacy and essential flexibility.

However, in this second decade of the XXI century, the Internet and new forms of communication "a la carte” to make reborn radio.

Currently, besides the varied deals stations in Latin America, schedules become more heterogeneous and flexible to suit the needs and the political, social, religious and ethnic interests of listeners.

The radio in Latin America

The radio in Latin America still has prestige among the population. Reports said by Latinobarometer are the primary means of confidence for most of the population, with 55 % approval. I think that percentage is due essentially to representing and entertainment company is still for many people in this part of the world the only way to learn of events within each country.

Radio also has an extraordinary ability to adapt to changing times and changing, thanks to its flexibility.

If we look at Latin American radios, we note that in most of our countries the radio structure is very similar, characterized by fragmentation. The latter, the heterogeneity of supply and consolidation of big media groups are three of the features of broadcasting in Latin America.

Diversification of supply.

Said audience fragmentation has gone along with a deal heterogeneous in content and types of broadcasters seeking specific and not general public audiences.

But beyond this fragmentation of supply can envision right now consolidating some types of radio stations in Latin America and the Caribbean. In the view of many experts they are:

• The generalist versus specialist radio.

It has more impact and political influence. Against the general radio, specialty plants that dominate Frequency Modulation (FM) are succeeding because they are directed to a particular listener and their interests are more defined.

• Community radio

They are intended mainly to the organization of social groups.

And if I look to the future...

In addition to these trends we have outlined, the radio in this part of the world will not die but will always readjust, to reinvent.

In the future will the average diversification of supply to be adapted to different niches population. In addition, the new times is conditioned by integrating over the listener in their programs.

As recently published in the newspaper La Nacion Argentina " dial of the radio spectrum moved to the Web, where there Amplitude Modulation (AM) and Frequency Modulation (FM). There are competing old formulas with new proposals, programming stations that play that put the " ether " and new options that are only found online . "

In this mutant context and constantly changing, to look to the future, yet several surveys ensure that public radio apart to information, entertainment and music.

All these certainties lead to understand and affirm the radio in its second youth.

 Translated by: Daysi Olano