Havana Cuba.- COCO Radio is a prestigious station founded in Havana, in 1933, by Luis Casas Romero from Camagüey, pioneer of Cuban radio. It was the first shortwave station in the country and quickly consolidated its merit as one of the most tuned in by radio listeners.
Its immense popularity was mainly due to the vast culture of Casas Romero, who in addition to being a veteran of the war for independence and a radio amateur, was a prolific musician. Romero conceived a varied and entertaining program, for all tastes. The COCO covered the informative, sports, humorous and musical profiles, with special attention to traditional Cuban music. His Sports Newscast has been a favorite segment for listeners then and now, as it is still going strong.
On January 28, 1948, it was acquired by the journalist Guido García Inclán, who turned it into COCO-CMCK, baptizing it with the slogan “El Periódico del Aire”, by which it is currently known. Led by its new director, who was a member of the Orthodox Party, the station became a means of denouncing the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista and constantly disseminating Marti’s thought.
Due to its vocation to denounce political-administrative corruption, the COCONUT It was closed on several occasions during the 1950s, which caused García Inclán to be forced to cede ownership of the station, although he continued to work in the news publishing house.
With the arrival of Fidel Castro to power and the nationalization of all the mediathe COCO also joined the defense of the revolutionary process, although a large part of its work was focused on the dissemination of sporting events, thereby ensuring the loyalty of the audience.
Currently the most popular programs are “Cuban flavor”, “De tarde en tarde”, the Noticiero Deportivo and the segment of announcements to the population; as well as spaces where Mexican, Spanish and tango music is broadcast.
