Argentina celebrates Radio Day marking 1920 first broadcast

Argentina celebrates Radio Day (Día de la Radiodifusión) every August 27 to commemorate the country’s first radio broadcast, which took place in 1920. The historic event was led by four medical students—Enrique Telémaco Susini, César Guerrico, Luis Romero Carranza, and Miguel Mujica—who became famously known as ‘Los Locos de la Azotea’ (The Roof Madmen) due to their makeshift antenna installations on rooftops.

Operating from the terrace of the Teatro Coliseo in Buenos Aires, the group used a rudimentary transmitter to broadcast Richard Wagner’s opera ‘Parsifal’. Although the initial audience was small, estimated at fewer than 100 people with galena receivers, the organized and continuous nature of the broadcast marked a global milestone in planned radio programming. This event laid the foundation for Radio Argentina and established the nation as a pioneer in wireless communication.

Decades later, the legacy of these pioneers continues to influence the medium, which has evolved from early experimental waves to modern streaming and digital platforms.