Radio Educación is Mexico’s first culture-focused radio station. It was launched in 1924 at the initiative of the Ministry of Public Education. The station broadcasts in Mexico City, Mérida, Yucatan (in the south of the country), Michoacán (in Central Mexico), Hermosillo (in the north of the country), and internationally.
Media assets
Radio: Radio Educación
State Media Matrix Typology: Independent State-Funded and State-Managed (ISFM)
Ownership and governance
The station has been operated by the Ministry of Culture since 2018, and its director is appointed by the President of the Republic.
Source of funding and budget
The station’s budget is entirely funded by a state subsidy. In 2022, it amounted to MXN 79.2m (US$ 3.9m), according to media reports. By 2023, it had increased to MXN 82.4m (US$ 4.88m), as per media reports.
Editorial independence
The station’s editorial content has traditionally been critical of the government, largely because Radio Educación has a union that defended left-wing positions before the change of government in 2018. The station’s design, however, allows governments to interfere with its programming. According to legal provisions, the station is subordinated to the Ministry of Culture and must comply with the institution’s demands, providing little legal support to be independent. Nevertheless, the station has managed to keep running shows critical of the government.
The government decree, published in October 2018, established Radio Educación’s tasks and its subordination to the Ministry of Culture. The decree mandates the broadcaster to “support the cultural tasks assigned by the Ministry of Culture.”
Nevertheless, generally, the station’s editorial content is critical, and its journalists report independently in most cases.
No domestic statute that establishes the independence of Radio Educación has been identified.
In addition to an Ombudsman and a Code of Ethics, Article 10 of the decree that legally established Radio Educación, states that the station must have a Citizen Council composed of five people to advise on its editorial policy. The council’s decisions, however, are not legally binding.
July 2024