Radio Regulations in Latin America

Abstract

The development of the radio industry in Latin America, its growth, and its consolidation as a commercial model have generated great business in the region. I propose an analysis of the Mexican case to review some of the problems to which the radio model in the region is subject and that have, in many cases, their roots in the rules that guide the operation of the mass media. This analysis also will provide the key to understanding the challenges that must be met by countries that are making fundamental changes, that through the law can appoint lines of action, that become communication policies, and that can develop more democratic ways of social participation in radio. Understanding the principles that shape the radio-communication model of a country is a determining factor for discovering the characteristics of this medium. Indeed, analyzing radio regulations tells us about the society that makes those regulations.