Radio Archives and Preservation in Latin America: A Preliminary Overview

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This article surveys efforts at preservation and diffusion of archival radio in Latin America. The region’s largest radio archives are housed within large sound libraries in Brazil and Mexico. Mexico’s Fonoteca Nacional, for example, houses the archives of XEW/Televisa Radio, the nation’s most important radio network. In countries like Argentina and Chile, radio preservation and diffusion has been a component of efforts to document and preserve the public memory of revolution and dictatorship during the Cold War era. While much remains to be done to secure the region’s radio patrimony, Latin American radio preservation has advanced significantly in recent years.