Radio Suaritos was a radio station broadcasting from Havana, Cuba, owned by the Laureano Suárez Valdés ("Suaritos"), initially on AM 750 kHz and later on AM 860 kHz. The station broadcast for 21 years, between 1935 and 1956, until it filed for bankruptcy due to lack of advertisers and audience, being sold to new owners.[1][2][3][4]
| Broadcast area | Province of Havana |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 860 kHz |
| Branding | CMBL Radio Suaritos |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | Spanish |
| History | |
First air date | 1935 |
Former call signs | CMCB |
Call sign meaning | CMBL (AM) COCM (SW) |
History
editIn 1933 the CMCB was inaugurated on the top of a Vedadense building (Calle 25 number 1111, between 6 and 8), by Miguel Gabriel Juri and Angel Cambó. Later, CMCB changed its address to Monte y Cárdenas.[1][2][3][4]
In 1935 Laureano Suárez Valdés ("Suaritos") purchased the old CMCB location and equipment, installed its radio there. Valdés is a businessman, technician, recorder, announcer and advertiser. The new poseor increases the power of the station, bringing signals to the entire Caribbean area and further expanding the musical collection in the history of Cuban radio.[1][2][3][4]
Figures that achieved stardom were their first artistic weapons on Radio Suaritos: Merceditas Valdés, Xiomara Alfaro, Celina y Reutilio, among others, thanks to the broadcaster. With the orchestra on the radio, they recorded global idols, such as Pedro Vargas, Tito Guizar and Toña la Negra.[1][2][3][4]
Suaritos created anti-pirate programming, as some Cuban stations recorded songs that were played exclusively on Radio Suaritos, when in the midst of any song, unexpectedly he heard his voice saying: "¡Aquí Radio Suaritos!" ("Here Radio Suaritos!"). Suaritos created a new advertising genre: double-meaning advertisements, with which the public rebels with laughter.[1][2][3][4]
In 1956, due to administrative problems at Radio Suaritos, Goar Mestre (owner of Circuito CMQ) tried to buy the station, but Laureano Suárez Valdés rejected the offer. A few months later, the "Cadena Suaritos" went bankrupt and Suaritos was forced to file for bankruptcy. The station went bankrupt due to lack of advertisers, selling all its frequencies to other entrepreneurs. "CMBL Radio Suaritos" was renamed "CMBL Radio Aeropuerto Internacional" to broadcast flight departures and arrivals and interviews with travelers in the capital Havana.[1][2][3][4]
In 1958, two years after the bankruptcy of "Cadena Suaritos" and its sale, Laureano Suárez Valdés dies.[1][2][3][4]
Collection
editLittle or nothing is known about the fate of the extinct broadcaster's collection, as it is shared among hundreds of people. Some claim that María Teresa Vera left around nine hundred recordings on this station.[1][2][3][4]
Frequencies
edit| Location | Call sign | Power [kW] | AM Frequency [kHz] | SW frequency [MHz] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Habana (Havana) | CMBL | 5 | 860 |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h Benito German Peña Galvez (11 December 2021). "Radio Suaritos CMBL, la cadena que hizo arte del doble sentido (Empresas de La Habana)" (in Spanish). Fotos de La Habana. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Argelio Santiesteban (9 December 2022). "Radio Suaritos: emisora que se impuso por el doble sentido" (in Spanish). En Vivo. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Radio Suaritos: emisora que se impuso por el doble sentido" (in Spanish). En Vivo. 9 December 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Rafael Lam (31 August 2020). "Radio Suaritos: la discoteca radial más grande de la radio cubana" (in Spanish). En Vivo. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
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