Since January 1st, the inhabitants of southern Gran Canaria have seen and heard the signal of Radio Nacional de España (RNE) disappear from the Medium Wave programming, a milestone that marks the end of decades of public coverage on this radio band.
The measure leaves many residents, especially in rural areas such as Tunte, Cercados de Espino or El Pajar, without access to direct general and cultural information through this historical frequency.
This blackout coincides with another revealing fact: the circulation of the Spanish-language printed press (there are more British or German newspapers, as is already the case with beers) in the south of the island has fallen to practically residual levels.
Printed copies, once ubiquitous in taxis, bars and supermarkets, are now approaching what some experts call "absolute zero", reflecting a phenomenon of substitution by digital media and a radical change in information consumption habits.
In this context, the south of Gran Canaria faces a double challenge: the need for new ways of accessing reliable and quality information, and the adaptation of its citizens to a media ecosystem that prioritizes digitization.
Interestingly, the disappearance of RNE on Medium Wave not only affects regular listeners, but also highlights a global phenomenon: the medium frequency band, which for decades connected the most dispersed communities, is losing relevance to digital radio, streaming and podcasting.
For many residents of southern Gran Canaria, this represents a small "cultural blackout" that is only partially compensated for by online alternatives.
The contrast is evident: while the print media and traditional radio are losing ground, digitization and public-private collaboration are helping the south of the island adapt to the new times, prioritizing energy efficiency over the erosion of classic news channels.
