Radio Interior transitions to a fifteen-year audiovisual license in Villafranca

The Governing Council of the Junta de Extremadura transforms the concession of Radio Interior, SLU on 91.9 MHz in Villafranca de los Barros (Badajoz) into a license for the provision of radio audiovisual communication services. The agreement was adopted in the session of October 20, 2026, and is published via the Resolution of October 28, 2026, by the Minister of Finance, Public Administration, and Social Dialogue, in the Official Gazette of Extremadura number 217, dated November 11, 2026 (reference 2026062832). The new license is valid for fifteen years from the date of transformation and is automatically renewed for the same period.

From concession to license: fifteen years and automatic renewal

The change in the enabling title is supported by paragraphs 2 and 3 of the second transitional provision of Decree 134/2013, of July 30, on Audiovisual Communication of the Autonomous Community of Extremadura, modified by Decree 13/2019, of March 6, in relation to its article 26 and article 28 of Law 7/2010, of March 31, General Law on Audiovisual Communication.

The agreement emphasizes the change in the nature of the service: what was previously configured as a public service subject to concession is now considered a service of general interest provided under a regime of free competition. The transformation is carried out subject to the essential conditions assumed by the holder in its offer, and the technical characteristics approved in the project and in the authorization for commissioning are considered essential conditions.

The license is also subject to Law 13/2022, of July 7, General Law on Audiovisual Communication, and the applicable regional regulations. The transformation does not grant any right to compensation in favor of the holding company.

A file opened in 2007 and litigated until 2016

The origin is the open tender for the operation under an indirect management regime of the sound broadcasting service on metric waves with frequency modulation for private commercial stations, processed under file number RSEP2007001. The provisional award was resolved on August 13, 2009, by the Secretary General of the Presidency of the Junta de Extremadura.

• December 18, 2013: the Administrative Litigation Chamber of the High Court of Justice of Extremadura issues judgment number 1345, which partially upholds appeal 1141/2009 by the entity and annuls the provisional award regarding 21 frequencies, including BA-19 Villafranca de los Barros.
• April 20, 2016: the Supreme Court dismisses the cassation appeal 766/2014 through judgment number 864/2016, confirming the previous ruling.
• May 4, 2018: the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Finance and Public Administration issues a new provisional award resolution for those 21 concessions; Radio Interior, SLU is the provisional awardee for Villafranca de los Barros.
• May 23, 2025: the Secretary of State for Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructures approves the technical project for the 91.9 MHz station.
• February 24, 2026: the same ministerial body authorizes the commissioning of the station, under file DGBA-2200567.
• March 12, 2026: the company pays the definitive concession fee in the amount of 936 euros.
• May 6, 2026: the Governing Council definitively awards the concession for ten years, an agreement published in the DOE on May 21, 2026.
• October 8, 2026: the administrative operating contract is signed.

Technical characteristics and return of the guarantee

The essential technical conditions of the license are those already authorized for the Villafranca de los Barros station, identified as DGBA-2200567 and with emission designation 256KF8EHF:

• Frequency: 91.9 MHz, vertical polarization and directional radiating system between 055º and 165º.
• Nominal power of the transmitter equipment: 500 W; authorized output power: 393.55 W.
• Maximum effective radiated power: 1,200 W; maximum antenna gain of 6 dB and feed losses of 1.15 dB.
• Mast height: 40 meters; height of the electrical center of the antenna: 16 meters; maximum effective height: 255 meters.

The agreement also provides for the return of the definitive guarantee of 12,000 euros constituted in cash in the Deposit Fund of the Junta de Extremadura on September 1, 2026, as the concession has been operated appropriately.

Prior registration and means of appeal

The license must be registered in the Extremaduran Registry of Audiovisual Communication Service Providers, and without this registration, the provision of the service may not begin. The registration will result in the collection of the applicable fees.

Against the agreement, which ends the administrative process, an optional appeal for reversal may be filed within one month, or an administrative litigation appeal may be filed before the Administrative Litigation Chamber of the High Court of Justice of Extremadura within two months.

The agreement fully affects the local radio map of Tierra de Barros: it consolidates the presence of Radio Interior, SLU on 91.9 MHz in Villafranca de los Barros for three lustrums and converts a concession created nearly two decades ago into an ordinary audiovisual license, which provides legal certainty to the station and its staff, and guarantees the continuity of the signal for the listeners of the region. The file, however, remains open: the transformation does not close the door to future spectrum reviews nor does it prevent third parties from appealing the decision.

Source: Official Gazette of Extremadura, no. 217, November 11, 2026, section III (official reference: 2026062832).