Cadena SER - Ràdio Barcelona streams news, talk and sports coverage in Catalan and Spanish from Barcelona, including FC Barcelona match commentary through its long running show La Graderia. It is free to listen right now, anywhere in the world, no account required.
Spain's First Licensed Radio Station
This station holds a genuine first in Spanish broadcasting. On November 14, 1924, EAJ-1 Ràdio Barcelona began regular transmissions as the first radio station in Spain to receive an official license under the government of General Miguel Primo de Rivera, according to the Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana's entry on the station. It was founded by members of the National Broadcasting Association, including Josep Maria de Guillén-Garcia, Royston Saint Noble, Eduard Rifà, Eduard Solà i Guardiola and Pau Llorens, a group of promoters betting on a technology still unproven commercially in Spain at the time.
From Independent Pioneer to National Network
Ràdio Barcelona kept its independence for only two years. In 1926 it joined Unión Radio de Madrid and briefly operated under the name Unión Radio Barcelona, before reverting to its original name while remaining part of the wider Unión Radio structure. That network became the direct origin of Cadena SER in 1940, meaning Barcelona's pioneering station was there at the literal founding moment of what is now Spain's biggest radio group.
Still Calling the Match in Catalan
Nearly a century later, the station remains a fixture of Barcelona sporting life. Its sports program La Graderia airs weekday afternoons and evenings covering FC Barcelona, continuing to broadcast matches in Catalan even as Cadena SER's national network operates primarily in Spanish, a linguistic commitment the network has maintained for its Catalan audience.
How to Listen
Cadena SER - Ràdio Barcelona streams free on Radio Shuffle. Press play above for news, talk and football from the station that started Spanish radio broadcasting in 1924.