Radio Universidad de Navarra starts its 26th season. This is what these 25 years on the air have been like

September 29, 1999 Radio University of Navarra sounded for the first time under the direction of Mr. Ángel Faus, professor of radio at the School of Communication. After a consolidated radio training since the installation of the radio programs of study in the academic year 1964-1965, pioneers in Spain and second in Europe, the radio station of the university took its first steps until its official presentation on October 6, 1999. The radio station was born with a vocation for collaborative teaching , knowledge dissemination and accompaniment of listeners; a practical method in which students began to apply the knowledge acquired in theoretical subjects. Elsa Moreno, a teacher at the School, was in charge of pressing the button for the first program in the current Studio 3. She recalls that they started with a song, Titanic.

25 years of broadcasting

Radio Universidad de Navarra became the first Spanish university radio station to broadcast for 24 consecutive hours since its opening on St. Gabriel's Day, patron saint of radio. Iñaki Llarena, former student of Aud. Com. and current professor of radio at the School, was one of the young people who participated in the original project . He remembers one of the first programs, Punto y seguido, with which they spent so many hours in the programs of study that Iñaki was even locked inside the School. "Did you sleep in there?" his classmates asked him the next day.

The students' radio

Since its beginnings, the university community has been a fundamental pillar of its identity, as a space for service, participation or as a reflection of its diversity. "It has always had a vocation as a professor and a commitment to the university community, which has increased over the years. Radio builds bridges between different disciplines," explains María del Pilar Martínez Costa, radio professor at the School.

Through programs and podcasts, hundreds of students have addressed current affairs, culture, music, sports and research activities, without forgetting the local content of Navarra. After a quarter of a century in operation, the station has been adapting to the digital era with streaming and on-demand radio services, expanding its reach beyond the classroom and campus. Although its essence remains intact, its reach has evolved and its projection has increased, as witnessed by the School's radio professors; Avelino Amoedo, María Pilar Martínez-Costa, Elsa Moreno, Eva Lus and Iñaki Llarena.

The offer, as varied as its students, has included programs such as "Cara B", in which Iñaki Llarena organized a concert with the students in the cafeteria of Fcom. The radio programs of study have even hosted a session with txalapartaris, which was attended by Santi Alcanda, current director and presenter of "Como lo Oyes", a program on Radio 3. The programs of study Radio Universidad de Navarra have witnessed the beginnings of great referents in the world of radio.

knowledge dissemination, current events and support

The radio programs of study have undergone several transformations from their original location in the tower of the Central Building, to the second floor of the School of Fcom, their current location. Despite its continuous renovation and the passing of different generations, the goal of the radio remains the same: to disseminate knowledge, culture and research.

Nowadays, the concept of the project has evolved to the point of being formally integrated into radio subjects such as Radio Production, Radio Genres and Programs, or Voiceover Techniques. It lends itself as an opportunity to experiment, innovate and give reins to creativity; designed as a project by and for students.

Avelino Amoedo was also part of the team that promoted the radio. His work consisted of organizing the teams and the technical part. 25 years later, he recognizes that "although the project is different, it maintains its DNA". In addition to considering the project as a platform for knowledge dissemination and support, the idea is "to conceive the station as a radio school," says Eva Lus, the radio's coordinator.

Vocation of service

The university's radio station has projects of solidarity vocation, such as "Radio D-Espacio", with which they reinforce their commitment to the community and the city. Professor Eva Lus emphasizes the solidarity and social character that has always distinguished the radio station beyond the sound return. The program opens the space to people with disabilities, working with the association D-Espacio and together with Tantaka.

A flexible medium: new formats

Today, radio continues to be an engine of creativity through initiatives such as podcasts, specials or sound fiction: they are the test of its validity and capacity for innovation. Since 2021, Radio Universidad de Navarra has had an archive of podcasts that reaches nearly 5 million downloads per year from countries such as Germany, the United States and China. The website contains all the programs produced by students and experts from the university.

In the near future, Radio Universidad de Navarra seeks a technological evolution and the exploration of new forms and formats adapted to teaching. Currently, with the rise of the videopodcast format, they are considering a remodeling of the facilities and their concept. Its participation in international initiatives, such as the World College Radio Day, and national ones, such as the association of University Radio Stations of Spain (ARU), chaired by Professor Eva Lus, are evidence of its desire to continue connecting with ever wider audiences.

The team of Radio Universidad de Navarra thinks "forward". It has been a pioneering radio station in Spain and has always been accompanied by the spirit of the avant-garde. "The students show us the way, they make the professors keep us alive. It's a constant training , we get feedback in teaching," explains Professor Elsa Moreno.

Twenty-five years after its birth, the School of Communication's radio station continues to fulfill its mission statement: to educate, disseminate and accompany. Its bequest is not measured only in broadcasting hours, but in the voices it has helped to find, in the bridges it has built between generations and in the stories it has been able to tell.

Today, as yesterday, Radio Universidad de Navarra beats to the rhythm of its students, who with each program continue to demonstrate that sound also shapes, moves and transforms.