Panama has a wide variety of radio stations, the majority of which broadcast in Spanish. Stations such as La Mega, Marbella Estereo and Omega Stereo are among the most popular and there are several which broadcast solely online.

As with radio stations in the UK and the US each has its own particular sound. For example, if you want to listen to the top 40 then Power 92.1FM is the station for you, but broadcasting is in Spanish. A wider variety of music can be found at Radio 10.88.1 FM, which also broadcasts in Spanish but plays music from all over the world as well as the local Latin sound. Marbella Estereo is also a top 40 station, but if you want a station which focuses mainly on the local sound then Super Q 90.5 FM might be for you.

A popular station which broadcasts in English is the Power Hot Mix 100. This station is located in Panama City and plays dance music, so will perhaps appeal more to the younger generation. Those who prefer classic hits from previous decades might prefer Omega Stereo 107.3 FM, but the station broadcasts in Spanish.

The Panama Broadcasting Corporation was founded in 2006 and the purpose was to increase the amount of English language broadcasts on Panama radio. For the first few months just a few hours a week were broadcast in English with a programme which combined music, news and local interest features. The corporation developed and created its own studio in order to be able to produce more audio content for broadcast.

By 2007 the broadcasts had increased to cover more news and a programme called ‘Person to Person’ was created on which interviews with local English speakers and persons of note are broadcast. The corporation is now broadcasting on several programmes each day including a daily breakfast show from 7 am to 9 am on Cool FM.

Useful Resources

CPR La Primera
www.cprlaprimera.com

Radio Metropolis
www.radiometropolis.com.pa

The Panama Broadcasting Corporation
www.pbcpanama.com