Radio Victoria and community mediations: an analysis of communication in local contexts

Abstract

This research examines the role of Radio Victoria in the municipality of Las Tunas, Cuba, as a system of community mediations between 2021 and 2024, from the perspective of the sociology of communication. Based on contributions from communication for social change and authors such as Orozco Gómez and Martín Barbero, the radio is conceived beyond its technical and programmatic function, assuming the role of an active social and territorial actor that constantly participates in the construction of reality, symbolic production, and meaning. It acts as an articulator of public agendas and the configuration of the local sociocultural fabric. The study adopts a qualitative, descriptive, analytical, and longitudinal approach, supported by the analysis of the station’s programming grids, complemented with documentary and institutional sources. Results show a gradual evolution from a predominantly musical-informative model to a more diversified one, with sociocultural, identity, generational, educational, and institutional mediations. However, structural limitations persist due to the absence of programs intentionally designed to address social vulnerability, neighborhoods in transformation, and the Municipal Development Strategy. It is concluded that Radio Victoria is a key actor of community mediations in the territory, with potential not yet fully exploited to address growing inequalities.