Origins RHC was created in 1939 by Felix O'Shea, founder of
Havana's CMK radio station, with stations in
Jovellanos,
Matanzas and
Victoria de Las Tunas; the network was then sold to
Cristóbal Díaz González. Cadena Azul began in 1939. In 1940,
Amado Trinidad Velazco became the owner and various Cuban stations merged with CMHI, among which were CMCF and CMKO thus forming Radio Habana Cuba, with its offices at Prado #54, corner of Capdevila Street. Díaz González was a partner with the Cuban telephone company, and with his connections the network had access to a telephone line repeater that could pass on the signals across the island.
Characteristics The goals of RHC Cadena Azul were to: • Promote Cuban-ness • Protect domestic artists • Position Cuban music in its "rightful" place as they saw it • Provide the listener with the best quality music • Raise the standards of music broadcasting by radio To achieve this Trinidad raised the artists' and technicians' salaries. RHC Cadena Azul employed 40 singers, 34 actors, 18 announcers, 20 writers, 10 composers and 10 bands. Some famous musicians of RHC Cadena Azul were
Iris Burguet,
Manolo Álvarez Mera,
René Cabell,
Vicentico Valdés,
Miguelito Valdés,
Joseíto Fernández and
Barbarito Diez; actors like
Rita Montaner,
Jesús Alvariño,
Rolando Ochoa,
Leopoldo Fernández Salgado,
Aníbal de Mar, Otto Sirgo and Rosendo Rosell. Singer and composer
Sindo Garay, was one of the network's most popular artists, with 116 songs. Mexican artists who worked at the studios between 1942 and 1946 included
Jorge Negrete,
Tito Guizar and
Pedro Vargas, and Argentine entertainer
Libertad Lamarque.
End of the Trinidad era In 1952, Trinidad sold the network to Bed Marving of the U.S., who changed its name to
Cadena Azul de Cuba. On March 1, 1954, Cadena Azul de Cuba was closed replaced by the
Circuito Nacional Cubano. ==References==