Arrival at FM
The station went on the air on October 1, 1975, on the 92.9 MHz frequency, coming on the air on FM broadcasting, becoming the second radio station owned by the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo, which already operated Rádio Estadão [pt]. In its early years, its programming consisted of news broadcasts and classical music. Although they belonged to a major newspaper, both stations were run-down and left to fend for themselves (outdated management, unmotivated staff, equipment in terrible condition, etc.), a situation that only began to change in 1982 when João Lara Mesquita, one of the heirs of Estadão, took over management of the stations and implemented a major modernization effort, leading Eldorado FM to begin investing in Música popular brasileira, adult contemporary music, and alternative genres.
In 2011, it was announced that what was then Rádio Eldorado ESPN would begin broadcasting on FM, taking over Eldorado’s frequency and changing its name to Estadão ESPN [pt]. With this change, the station moved on March 20 to the 107.3 MHz frequency, where Rádio Brasil 2000 [pt], owned by the foundation of the same name, had been operating. Brasil 2000 transitioned to an internet radio station following the broadcast change and ceased operations in 2016 (Brasil 2000 had already been a partner of the radio station since 2009, rebroadcasting sports games). The Brasil 2000 Foundation also became a content partner of Eldorado.
In January 2017, Grupo Estado [pt] launched a voluntary separation plan at the Estadão and Eldorado radio stations. As reported by the website Comunique-se, the plan called for the number of radio station operators to be cut in half. In February of that same year, it began simulcasting programming with Rádio Estadão until the station ceased operations. Eldorado FM absorbed part of Estadão’s programming.
End of operations and return
On April 23, 2026, it was announced that the radio station would cease operations on May 14 of that same year, bringing to a close a cycle of nearly 70 years of existence (including the time as Rádio Eldorado AM), with the 107.3 FM frequency being sold to the Grupo Bandeirantes de Comunicação. According to Grupo Estado [pt], the reason for its closure was the non-renewal of the partnership with Fundação Brasil 2000, combined with a lack of public interest in the station’s programming and a cost-cutting policy. As a result, some of the network’s programs, such as Som a Pino and Clube do Livro, will continue, but on other platforms, as will the Eldorado brand, which will now prioritize digital media.
Some of the station’s employees, as well as several journalists and artists, opposed the decision to shut down Eldorado FM, launching online petitions, organizing protests along Paulista Avenue, and even publishing editorials calling for the station to remain on the air and criticizing Grupo Estado’s decision. Some of the radio station's employees were laid off after the station went off the air.
The station went off the air at 11:56 p.m. on May 14, 2026, to the tune of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s Moving On. At midnight on May 15, 2026, Bandeirantes São Paulo [pt] went on the air at FM 107.3 MHz, announcing the new programming on the new frequency.
On September 10, 2026—four months after it had ceased operations—Rádio Eldorado FM announced the returnof its operations; this time, it would broadcast on the 107.9 MHz frequency, replacing Tropical FM. In this new phase, the station is sponsored by the company Porto, which opted not to exercise naming rights, thereby retaining the station's original name. The station returned to the airwaves at 8:05 PM on October 7, 2026, with a special live broadcast from Casa Natura Musical in the Pinheiros neighborhood. Immediately afterward, the station launched its new programming with the song "Moving On"—the very same track that had played last during the station's shutdown in May 2026.
