The project for a radio university in Barcelona at the beginning of the 20th century

Abstract

During the 1920s and 1930s, the University of Barcelona implemented a series of reforms aimed at modernising its structures and aligning them with the needs of a society undergoing transformation. One of the most striking innovations was the attempt to introduce radio broadcasting as an educational medium. This was a unique phenomenon, with European and Latin American precedents, which emerged almost simultaneously with the granting of the first licences for the establishment of the earliest radio stations in Spain. In this paper, we will focus on exploring and analysing the available information on what is known as the radio university of Barcelona, in an attempt to retrace its history. We will use sources such as the digital repository of the University of Barcelona and press clippings from La Vanguardia, El Debate, El Día Gráfico, La Correspondencia de Valencia, Diario de la Marina: periódico oficial del apostadero de La Habana, La Batalla, and Nova Iberia, among others. Among the main conclusions reached, a clear objective of social outreach becomes evident, as the university—through culture and intellectual production—aims to benefit society as a whole. This reflects a search for a more socially committed university, with a public service mission and concerned with more than just its traditional and inherent functions.