LOS40

In 1966, a weekly Top 40 countdown called Los 40 Principales aired for the first time on Radio Madrid. It was Spain's first thematic radio show, and nobody at the time predicted it would grow into a multimedia brand spanning 11 countries. By 1979, the show had become a 24-hour station, still under Cadena SER. Satellite broadcasting arrived in 1985, and by the 1987-1988 season, the station had split off into its own entity, Cadena 40, while remaining part of Grupo PRISA.

Today, LOS40 plays a mix of pop, dance, electropop, Electro Latin, and reggaeton in both Spanish and English. Its target audience is listeners aged 12 to 30, and the station's on-air style is deliberately youthful and casual. You can find it on FM, national DTT, online streaming, and mobile apps. The brand reaches nearly three million listeners in Spain alone, with millions more across Latin America.

In the 2010s, the brand dropped Principales from its name and adopted a multicolor ribbon logo. The new slogan, Music Inspires Life, reflects a broader strategic shift toward digital entertainment and audiovisual content. PRISA Radio CEO Andrés Cardó has led this transformation, with strategic consultancy from Gold Mercury International. Each country market operates its own localized version, with region-specific playlists and DJs. [edit]