Vatican Radio ended more than 80 years of independent existence on
December 31, 2016, having being absorbed into the new Secretariat for
Communications.Broadcasting programs will continue—at least for the near-term future—but Vatican Radio will no longer have its own corporate identity.
Ironically the radio station, which has always been operated by a Jesuit administrator, will disappear during the reign of the first Jesuit Pope.
Founded in 1931 by Guglielmo Marconi, Vatican Radio today employs more than 200 people, providing content in many different languages.
However, with the reform of Vatican communications operations, Msgr. Dario Vigano has indicated that he plans to pare down short-wave radio operations.
The broadcasts are seen as an inefficient use of limited Vatican financial resources; Vatican Radio has been losing between €20 and €30 million annually.