On March 11, 1974, the first transmitters of the Rodeador Broadcasting Park were switched on. The park was built near Brazlândia, in the Federal District of Brazil. Rádio Nacional began broadcasting on shortwave and expanded its reach on medium wave — using powerful transmitters and a large antenna system that spread its signal across the country, and beyond.
The radio documentary Parque do Rodeador: Half a Century of Transmissions tells the story of one of Latin America’s largest broadcasting complexes, built in 1974 during Brazil’s military dictatorship. The firsts episodes explores the creation of Rádio Nacional as a high-power station designed to broadcast to the entire world amid the Cold War. The construction of the Rodeador Transmission Park, in the Federal District, marked a political and technical milestone in the country. The following episodes explain how medium and shortwave transmissions allowed the station's signal to reach entire continents, delving into the physics of radio waves and why these frequencies remain relevant even in the age of streaming.
The documentary also revisits the history of Radiobrás’ International Service, which broadcasted in five languages and promoted Brazil’s image abroad. It reveals how this programming resonated with listeners around the world. In the final episodes, the focus shifts to what happened behind the scenes: the failed plans to expand the network, the challenges posed by aging equipment, and the fire that knocked Rádio Nacional da Amazônia off the air for eight months. The series concludes by examining the current state of the Rodeador Park — still standing, though operating with limited capacity — and looks ahead to its possible future with digital shortwave broadcasting.
The International Service of Rádio Nacional da Amazônia is broadcast at 10:50 p.m., 4:50 a.m., and 7:20 a.m. (Brasília time – GMT -03:00), on the frequencies 6,180 kHz and 11,780 kHz.
PARQUE DO RODEADOR: HALF A CENTURY OF TRANSMISSIONS
Research, interviews, script and hosting: Nathália Mendes
Editing and sound design (in original version): Messias Melo (episodes 1 to 4), José Maria Pardal (episodes 5 to 10) and Taiana Borges (episodes 11 to 29)
Editing and sound desing (in English and Spanish): Messias Melo
English voiceover: Nathália Mendes, Daniel Ito, Pedro Pontes, Pedro Lacerda, Thiago Regotto, Rafael Gasparotto, Mário Nunes, Ana Pimenta and voices generated by Vidnoz AI
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