July has been a turbulent month for the Guatemalan airwaves. A tense relation between the Government and the independent radio sector flared up with President Berger insulting a Radio Sonora reporter. There was also the kidnap and subsequent release of Victor Hugo Herrera, director of FGER (Federación de Escuelas radiofónicas de Guatemala). All this against the backdrop of the shutting down of community radio stations by government forces under pressure from commercial frequencies. The following is an excerpt from an article published in Inforpress on this:

"Over the past few months, complaints from the Guatemalan Radio Chamber (CRG) have resulted in the closure of 22 community radio stations in Jutiapa, Quetzaltenango, Chimaltenango, Huehuetenango and Sacatepéquez, fuelling the controversy over the role of community radio stations in Guatemala .

The most recent case occurred on May 23 in Santa María de Jesús, Sacatepéquez, where the Catholic radio station Apocalypse was closed down by the police.

According to radio station volunteers, Rodolfo Gómez and Freddy Godoy, the police acted in a heavy-handed manner. As a result, over 1,000 people took to the streets, demanding that the police return the confiscated equipment.

The closure of community radio stations by the police has coincided with an aggressive campaign against community radio stations by the CRG, which represents Guatemala ’s commercial radio stations.

The government differentiates between stations legally registered — commercial radio — and the "illegal" or "pirate" stations, which also encompasses community radio.

A key difficulty noted with regard to the unionization of community broadcasters was the lack of clarity over the term "community radio station." There are an estimated 800 community radio stations in Guatemala , the majority of which define themselves as community radio stations.

The granting of hundreds of licenses to commercial stations has effectively censored non-commercial radio stations, since most communities are unable to afford a license. In the past, licenses have been awarded to former members of the military, Congress members and the business sector, who have little interest in democratizing access to the media.
 

This situation has affected the recent consultation in Sipacapa on the Marlin mine project. The article continues:

"Local radio stations can also provide a space for citizen participation, as was the case of Sipaestereo in Sipacapa, San Marcos, which mobilized people to take part in the consultation regarding the controversial project put forward by the Canadian mining company Montana Exploradora, a subsidiary of Gladis Gold.

Backed by environmental organization Colectivo MadreSelva, local residents raised nearly $30,000 to lease the use of the frequency from a private owner.

According to Magali Rey Rosa, director of MadreSelva, "without Sipaestereo, the consultation would have never been carried out.""

This issue the freedom of the local media in Guatemala has been written about extensively by CERIGUA (Centro de reportes informativos sobre Guatemala). For a little insight into the independent press in Guatemala and the challenges it faces alongside commercial radio here is an old report (2003) by Ruben Zamora of El Periodico for the UN.

You can find more links here to radio online in Guatemala.