Radio Popular - Herri Irratia

What Radio Popular - Herri Irratia does

Radio Popular - Herri Irratia is a regional generalist radio station headquartered in Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain, broadcasting to the Bizkaia territory across four radio signals (100.4 FM covering Gran Bilbao and Enkarterri, 107.1 FM covering Durangaldea, 98.6 FM covering Busturialdea, Lea-Artibai and Uribe-Kosta, plus 900 AM medium wave). Founded in 1960 and owned by the Bishopric of Bilbao (Obispado de Bilbao), the station produces roughly 30 employees' worth of daily programming spanning hourly news bulletins, morning shows (EgunOn Bizkaia, EgunOn Magazine), Basque regional news (Euskadin Gaur), Athletic Club match coverage and analysis (La Emoción del Bacalao, Los Bacalaos del Athletic, Oye Cómo Va, La Gabarra, La Tertulia Athletic), religious programming (La Santa Misa, El Rosario), and cultural/music content (¡Música, Maestra!, La Traviata, Klassikbidea, Emocionarte, Ponte a Rueda). The 'Bacalao' goal-call tradition is a distinctive cultural brand with no parallel among regional competitors.

The station's underlying technology is conventional FM/AM broadcast infrastructure augmented by online streaming via radiopopular.com and on-demand podcast distribution across Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and iVoox. Distribution is further extended through six social platforms (Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, Telegram, TikTok) and direct listener engagement via WhatsApp. The platform does not expose APIs, SDKs, or proprietary AI/ML capabilities, and relies on standard third-party services such as Google Analytics and reCAPTCHA.

Radio Popular monetizes almost exclusively through advertising sales, offering spot ads (cuñas), advertorials (publirreportajes), press releases (comunicados) and micro-space segments to a mix of SMB advertisers and a handful of named enterprise sponsors (BBVA, KURAGO, Caritas Bizkaia). Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, structured as multi-year contracts coordinated through dedicated account managers. The church-owned, non-profit oriented ownership structure underpins programming choices but limits capital-raising and growth-investment flexibility. The station was recognized at the 2026 Indautxuko Sariak alongside Bizkaia Irratia for combined centenary radio heritage.

Name

Radio Popular - Herri Irratia

Legal name

RADIO POPULAR DE BILBAO – HERRI IRRATIA

Website

https://radiopopular.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Radio Popular - Herri Irratia is a regional radio station in Bilbao, Spain, founded in 1960 and owned by the Bishopric of Bilbao, broadcasting generalist programming — news, sports, religious and cultural content — to Bizkaia across FM, AM and podcast channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110), Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial Terrestrial Radio Broadcasting (AM/FM) (MPAIAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Independent Local Radio Stations (MPABACAD), Radio Streaming & Catch-Up Audio Platforms (MPAIADAJ)

Keywords

• Regional radio broadcasting
• FM radio advertising
• Basque media services
• Sports radio programming
• Podcast distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Bilbao

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Advertising Sales: Radio Popular generates revenue through the sale of advertising airtime including spot ads (cuñas), advertorials (publirreportajes), press releases (comunicados), and micro-space segments. The radio positions itself as a cost-effective advertising medium with satisfactory and profitable results.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Radio Popular - Herri Irratia operates a generalist regional radio station serving Bizkaia in the Basque Country with news, sports (notably Athletic Club de Bilbao coverage featuring the iconic "Bacalao" goal tradition), religious programming (Mass and Rosary), culture, and music content. The station broadcasts across four frequencies (100.4 FM, 107.1 FM, 98.6 FM, and 900 AM), offers online streaming and podcast distribution, and sells advertising airtime to local and regional businesses.

Product overview

Radio Popular - Herri Irratia is a generalist radio station based in Bilbao, Basque Country, founded in 1960 and owned by the Diocese of Bilbao. The station operates a multi-platform broadcast system combining traditional FM/AM radio with digital podcast distribution. The core product portfolio centers on live radio programming including news (Boletines de Noticias, EgunOn Bizkaia, Euskadin Gaur, EgunOn Magazine), Athletic Club sports coverage (La Emoción del Bacalao, Los Bacalaos del Athletic, Oye Cómo Va, La Gabarra, La Tertulia Athletic), religious programming (La Santa Misa, El Rosario), and cultural/music content (¡Música, Maestra!, La Traviata, Klassikbidea). Additional offerings include cycling (Ponte a Rueda), interviews (Entrevistas), and arts programming (Emocionarte). Content is distributed via FM/AM frequencies, live streaming, and on-demand podcasts across Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and iVoox, with advertising services available to businesses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EgunOn Bizkaia Morning news program hosted by Beñat Gutiérrez, Esti Ortega, and Dani Guerreiro, airing from 06:00 to 10:00, covering Bizkaia news, traffic, weather, and current events for general listeners in the Basque Country.
• EgunOn Magazine Morning magazine program hosted by Cris Maestro, Leire Argandoña, and May Madrazo, covering culture, society, and lifestyle topics for general listeners.
• Boletines de Noticias Hourly news bulletins providing local, national, and international news coverage, presented by Dani Guerreiro (mornings), Juanma Jubera (midday), and other journalists.
• Euskadin Gaur Comprehensive Basque country news program airing at 13:30, hosted by Juanma Jubera, covering regional politics, society, and current affairs.
• La Emoción del Bacalao Athletic Club Bilbao match coverage and sports analysis show, featuring live commentary, interviews, and the iconic 'bacalao' (cod fish) goal celebrations popularized by Jose Iragorri and continued by Raúl Jiménez. Includes the dedicated "Los Bacalaos del Athletic" goal highlights section.
• Oye Cómo Va Sports talk show hosted by Raúl Jiménez, Fernando Mendikoa, and J.L. Blanco, covering Athletic Club, Bilbao Basket, and general sports news. Includes the "La Gabarra" segment dedicated to rojiblanco team analysis.
• La Tertulia Athletic Weekly Athletic Club analysis show airing Mondays 14:00-15:00 from Hotel Carlton in Bilbao, hosted by Patxi Herranz with guest commentators for in-depth rojiblanco coverage.
• La Santa Misa Sunday morning mass broadcast at 08:00 from San Felicísimo de Deusto church in Bilbao, conducted by the Diocese of Bilbao for Catholic listeners in Bizkaia.
• El Rosario Daily rosary prayer broadcast from Monday to Friday at 20:30 from the Basilica of Our Lady of Begoña, patron saint of Bizkaia, for Catholic listeners.
• La Traviata Opera, zarzuela, and musical theater program airing Tuesdays 17:00-18:00, hosted by Margarita Lorenzo de Reizabal covering lyrical arts and theater for cultural programming enthusiasts.
• ¡Música, Maestra! Classical music education program airing Thursdays 17:00-18:00, hosted by Margarita Lorenzo de Reizabal covering composers, instruments, jazz, opera, and film music.
• Klassikbidea Classical music and opera program in Basque language airing Saturdays 22:00-23:00, hosted by Joseba Lopezortega, focused on classical music and opera in the Basque Country.
• Ponte a Rueda Cycling-focused program with two formats: Ponte a Rueda Xtra (Wednesdays 15:00-16:00 with Beñat Gutiérrez and Zugaitz Ayuso) and Ponte a Rueda OG (monthly deep-dive with expert commentators).
• May Space Weekly show hosted by May Madrazo featuring advice, curiosities, and music with stories behind the songs.
• Entrevistas Interview program featuring conversations with newsmakers, experts, politicians, artists, and authors covering current affairs and society.
• Emocionarte Opera and fine arts program airing Saturdays and Sundays at 17:00, dissecting operas with plot summaries and notable musical passages.
• Radio Broadcasting (FM/AM) Traditional radio broadcasting service covering Bizkaia with multiple frequencies: 100.4 FM (Gran Bilbao y Enkarterri), 107.1 FM (Durangaldea), 98.6 FM (Busturialdea, Lea-Artibai y Uribe-Kosta), and 900 AM (medium wave). Founded in 1960 under the Bishopric of Bilbao.
• Podcast Distribution On-demand podcast service enabling listeners to access past episodes of all Radio Popular programs across multiple podcast platforms including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and iVoox.
• Radio Advertising Services Radio advertising services including spot ads (cuñas), advertorials (publirreportajes), press releases (comunicados), and micro-space segments, with personalized customer service, dedicated account manager coordination, and professional campaign management for businesses targeting Basque audiences.

Quantifiable outcome

• Radio Popular is the leader in Athletic Club match broadcasts - the 'Bacalao' goal call is a cultural phenomenon recognized throughout the Athletic world
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

AI capability1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• KURAGOminorGTM or Marketing PartnerKURAGO, a Basque technology company, sponsors the technology news segments of the EgunOn Bizkaia morning show and La Emocion del Bacalao sports program. This partnership combines technology news sponsorship with sports content, targeting the station's morning and sports audiences.
• BBVAminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBBVA bank sponsors content on the Radio Popular platform, promoting banking products and services to the Basque audience through display advertising and sponsorship placements.
• Caritas BizkaiaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCaritas Bizkaia, the social outreach organization of the Catholic Diocese of Bilbao, regularly advertises on Radio Popular. The station also features content about Caritas programs and social initiatives, reflecting their shared connection through the Diocese.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• COPE: Spain's second-largest radio network, owned by the Spanish Episcopal Conference (Catholic Church). Highly comparable to Radio Popular due to the parallel Catholic-ownership structure, religious programming mix, generalist news/sports format, and commercial ad-supported model.
• Radio Marca: Spain's leading sports radio network, with strong Athletic Club coverage. Directly competes with Radio Popular's flagship 'La Emoción del Bacalao' and 'Oye Cómo Va' programs for Athletic fans and sports advertising budgets.
• Radio Euskadi: Public Basque-language radio station operated by EITB, broadcasting regional news, sports, and culture across the Basque Country. Directly competes for the same Bizkaia audience and the same local advertising budgets as Radio Popular.
• Bizkaia Irratia: Provincial public radio of the Bizkaia Diputación, sharing the same '100 years of radio' heritage recognition with Radio Popular in the 2026 Indautxuko Sariak awards. Directly competes in the same Bizkaia territory for listeners, advertisers, and the Basque-language audience.
• Radio Nervión: Local Bilbao/Bizkaia commercial radio station operated by the Cadena SER group. Competes head-to-head with Radio Popular for the same local audience, sports coverage (including Athletic Club), and Bizkaia SMB advertising dollars.

Others

• iVoox: Spain's largest podcast hosting and listening platform, on which Radio Popular distributes its on-demand content. Ecosystem/partner relationship rather than a direct competitor, but represents the digital audio distribution infrastructure that any Spanish radio broadcaster increasingly depends on.

Broad incumbents

• Onda Cero: Spanish national generalist radio network with presence in Bilbao. Comparable as a commercial AM/FM broadcaster selling regional and national advertising, though operating across many markets rather than specializing in Bizkaia.
• Cadena SER: Spain's leading commercial radio network and the dominant generalist broadcaster in the Basque market. Comparable as a commercial terrestrial AM/FM radio operator with national news, sports, and advertising sales, but at much greater scale and with a national rather than regional footprint.
• EITB (Basque Public Broadcaster): Public broadcaster of the Basque Country, operating Radio Euskadi, ETB (TV), and digital platforms. Competes for the same Basque audience and advertising market at a regional public-broadcaster scale, providing an alternative to Radio Popular's generalist programming.
• Los 40 (Prisa Radio): Spain's leading music-format radio brand, part of Prisa Radio's national network. Comparable as a commercial FM broadcaster selling advertising across formats, though Los 40 focuses on contemporary music rather than Radio Popular's generalist/news/sports/religion mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RadioPopular
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/RadioPopularHerriIrratia
• Facebookfacebook.com/herriirratia
• Instagraminstagram.com/herriirratia
• TikToktiktok.com/@radio_popular
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/radio-popular-herri-irratia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Radio Popular - Herri Irratia