Radio Taiwan International was named the world’s best Spanish-language shortwave station for 2016 by a Brazil-based association of radio enthusiasts, RTI announced Feb. 10, highlighting the global reach of the state-run broadcasting service.
DX Clube Sem Fronteiras members from 14 countries, predominantly Latin American nations including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba and Chile, voted for the award online between Sept. 1 and Dec. 15 last year. RTI beat out Spanish-language competitors from Japan, South Korea, the U.S. and mainland China to claim the top honor.
Several of RTI’s programs also performed well in the awards. The station’s “El Cartero” show placed second in the all request category, while two of its broadcasts finished in the top 10 in the variety show rankings. RTI also had three representatives each in the categories for best male and best female presenters.
Established in 1928, RTI broadcasts worldwide from Taiwan, offering news and entertainment programs in 13 languages and dialects including Mandarin, Holo, Hakka and Cantonese as well as English, German, French and Spanish.
The radio service has been producing Spanish-language programs for 41 years, serving as a cultural bridge between the peoples of Taiwan and Central and South America. Over the past decades, RTI has interviewed renowned figures from across these regions, such as retired Paraguayan soccer star Jose Luis Chilavert and Antonio Castro, the son of late Cuban President Fidel Castro.
DX Clube Sem Fronteiras, founded in 2013 by Brazilian Antonio Avelino, promotes shortwave radio broadcasters from around the globe. In addition to voting for the world’s best Spanish-language shortwave radio station every year, the group publishes quarterly newsletters and stages a biennial members’ meeting. (KWS-E)
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