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PLAYDX - TRAVEL TO AZORES - AUGUST 2006

TRAVEL TO AZORES - AUGUST 2006 by C. Ghibaudo

During the first week of August, I spent some days in Ponta Delgada on the island of São Miguel, in the Azores. I decided to visit the local radio stations, in the city, in fact not a lot.  Only public RDP and 3 private stations. The first station, I visit was TSF Radio Açores, a small station, just in front of my hotel, in Rua Bruno Tavares Carriero N°34.

I go to the second floor, where I meet the commercial department hosted by a Brazilian born man, married with an Azorean.   I spoke about my interest in visiting local radio, and I ask him some stickers or other material.   This moment, nothing was available, but he gave me an appointment for the next day, same time.

TSF Radio Açores, is part of the Portuguese network TSF Radio Noticias.  The station belongs to the local newspaper Açoriano Oriental, the oldest Portuguese newspaper.   They have a relay of TSF Lisboa, and local programmes with news and music.  They have only one frequency of 99.4 MHz and the station in only heard in S. Miguel Island.

      

                                                                Radio Açores logo. Studio where are recorded the local commercials.

 After this visit, I went to the public RDP Açores, as the station was not very by feet.  Unfortunately, it was impossible to visit the station, and no sticker available, so I only take a photo of the station!

Next day, I decided to visit the other two stations, in the east of Ponta Delgada, they are in the same vicinity. Not very far from my hotel, so I’ll go by feet, as Ponta Delgada is a little city. First I arrived in Rua do Laureano, 444  house of Radio Atlantida.  Unfortunately, the station was no longer n this address and the new one was indicated, in Rua Bento José Morais n° 23.  Even it was indicated that the street was near the Commercial Centre of Hyper Mercado Sol Mar, I don’t found this street on my map.  So it’s better to go directly to Radio Horizonte in Rua de Nova Misericordia n° 271.   I found a 3 floors house, and a very friendly welcome in the small and old offices.  The receptionist gave me some stickers and the manager come later to make a visit of the house.   On the ground floor, we visited the Radio Horizonte studio, with live programme.  At the second floor an other studio for Top FM, an automatic musical station beamed to young people.  And the third floor another studio for Radio 105, a small local station, without live programme in August.   These stations belong to the same Group of Radio Horizonte in Ponta Delgada. Radio Horizonte started programmes in August 1987, from Angra de Heroismo in Terceira Island; later the station also got a frequency in Ponta Delgada S. Miguel Island. Now there is two programmes under the same name, in the day, Ponta Delgada station relay the main programme from Terceira. They told me that Radio Horizonte is the most popular stations in Azores.

After this interesting visit, I came back to my hotel trying to found the new address of Radio Atlantida.    In my room, I have another map, given at the airport, a map supplied by the Sol Mar shops.    So on this map, I found the Hyper Mercado Sol Mar, and of course the Rua José Morais.   So I was ready to go to visit Radio Atlantida.  The offices are in the north east of Ponta Delgada, it was better to use the local mini bus, so after paying the price of 0, 25 euro, I was in front of Radio Atlantida building, 10 minutes later!

Radio Atlantida is now in very modern office on the 5th floor of a nice building, from the studios we can have a global view of Ponta Delgada.   The manager gave me short visit and some stickers. Radio Atlantida is heard on the islands of S. Miguel, Santa Maria and parts of Terceira.   Programme is made of news, music, such as RTL made in France, a popular programme.   They started as a pirate station in 1988, the station was part of the newspaper “Correio dos Açores”.   They got a licence in January 1989.

                          

After some rest on the seaside of Ponta Delgada, it was time to go again in TSF Radio Açores.    Unfortunately, the Brazilian friend doesn’t found any sticker, but he gave me a wooden plate with the station logo.   A nice present, as this small plate was on the wall of the studio, we went in the studio with live programme to take it from the wall!

So I came back from the Azores, with a souvenir of the three private stations of Ponta Delgada.

Here are the addresses of the stations:

RDP Açores   Rua Castelo Branco,  9500-761  Ponta Delgada http://www.rdp.pt

TSF  Radio Açores  Rua Bruno Tavares Carreiro n°34-2°, 9500  Ponta Delgada   http://acorianooriental.sapot.pt

Radio Horizonte    Rua Nova Misericordia n° 271,  9500-336  Ponta Delgada   www.horizonteacores.com

Radio Atlantida    Rua Bento José Morais n°23,  9500-772  Ponta Delgada    www.radioatlantida.net

Christian Ghibaudo   August 16th 2006

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