40 years of obstacles to community radio stations in Spain (1979-2021)

The history of free and community radio stations parallels the history of Spanish democracy. However, their legal status remains precarious and currently very few radios with these characteristics are licensed to broadcast. The tension between the stateregional administration and the absence of public policies for the sector are some of the reasons. This article proposes a periodization of the evolution of free and community radio stations in relation to the legal obstacles faced by the sector. The thesis is that during these four decades the work of the Spanish State has been to block the sector, by action or omission. At the current moment of reform of the audiovisual law, a new opportunity opens up, perhaps the definitive one, but the movement is in decline.