While RNE officially shuts down its AM signal for efficiency and technological advancements (DAB+), the inland municipalities of San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Mogán, and the rest of southern Gran Canaria are left exposed to an information blackout that the political class has chosen to ignore. The promise of FM coverage fails to convince residents of the affected areas. Furthermore, it poses a risk when sending messages to tourists or active tourism participants during emergencies, as has already happened on several occasions.
The announcement that RNE will cease broadcasting on Medium Wave (MW) before December 31st, justified by RTVE as a transition to DAB+ technology and a drastic reduction in its carbon footprint, has gone largely unnoticed in the island's political circles. However, in the Tirajana midlands and the inland areas of southern Gran Canaria, this decision represents a potential information gap to which the authorities have failed to respond. You can sign here to request that MW broadcasts continue in southern Gran Canaria. https://www.change.org/p/salvemos-la-onda-media-de-rne/u/34079486
Medium Wave, an obsolete technology since the 60s and with a current audience of less than 1% in Spain, fulfilled an irreplaceable social function: guaranteeing the reception of information in the south of Gran Canaria in complex areas where the mountainous terrain makes it difficult for Frequency Modulation (FM) to penetrate.
RTVE's decision is based on sound criteria of efficiency and sustainability. The AM network has very high electricity consumption and a higher cost than FM and DAB+. However, the technological transition has a social cost in the region.
Residents and small business owners in the midlands of southern Gran Canaria often relied on stable AM radio to receive Radio Nacional and Radio 5, public service broadcasters. Although RTVE has promised to "strengthen FM coverage in specific areas that may be affected" and that reception via digital terrestrial television (DTT) or the internet (RNE Audio) is guaranteed, these solutions are often insufficient in older homes and vehicles or in areas with poor internet connectivity.
The bitter truth lies in institutional indifference. The local and regional political class, focused on the growth of tourist infrastructure and digital connectivity on the coast, has not raised its voice to demand firm guarantees regarding the quality of service inland.
The silence suggests that the needs of the populations in the deep south and midlands—where online reception or the availability of new DAB+ receivers is not guaranteed—are not on the priority agenda. Rapid technological evolution, in this case, threatens to widen the information access gap in the region's most vulnerable areas, leaving residents dependent on a vague "special campaign" to reorient their listening habits. Medium wave, which was an information lifeline for many for decades, is being switched off without the Gran Canaria leadership having intervened to ensure an equitable and complete transition for all its citizens.
