Radio Mars

What is Radio Mars?

Radio Mars is a private radio service. HACA, the audiovisual regulator, lists it among private radio services, with Atlantic Radio, Hit Radio, MFM Radio, Chada FM, Medradio, Luxe Radio and others.^[1] Its page for the service names the operator as “Société RADIO 20” and describes the service as a “Radio multirégionale axé sur la thématique « Sport & Musique »”, broadcasting “24 / 24 heures”. It names Hicham Lakhlifi as président directeur général.^[2]

The cahier des charges HACA publishes identifies the operator, in Article 3, as RADIO 20 S.A., a Moroccan société anonyme. Its Article 1 gives the licence's object as “un service radiophonique axé sur la thématique « Sport & Musique » , non relayé, à couverture nationale, diffusé par voie hertzienne terrestre en modulation de fréquence (FM)”.^[3]

The station's own site describes it as “Sport 'N' Music”.^[4]

What does Radio Mars cover?

The regulator's description. HACA's page states that the service “Propose une programmation relative au sport, et composée de musique, d'information générale, de magazines économiques, culturels, littéraires et de société, jeux, service & vie pratique…etc.”^[2]

The quotas. Article 21 of the cahier des charges sets the weekly schedule between 6 a.m. and midnight, excluding repeats and advertising, at “50% maximum de programmation musicale”, “30% au moins de programmation sportive (y compris la retransmission d'événements sportifs), dont 30% au moins d'émission de débat”, and “20% au moins de programmation diverse”. It adds that “70% du volume horaire hebdomadaire occupé par la programmation sportive, hors retransmission d'événements, doivent être consacrés au sport national”. The same article commits the operator to “traiter et à couvrir l'actualité sportive nationale dans toute la diversité de ses disciplines” and “à traiter et à couvrir de manière équilibrée et constante l'actualité sportive des différentes régions du Maroc”.^[3] Article 20 commits it “à consacrer 40% du volume horaire réservé à la programmation musicale, aux œuvres musicales d'expressions marocaines et aux artistes marocains”.^[3] Article 8 requires a programming “qui reflète la diversité et la cohésion des composantes essentielles de l'identité nationale et du pluralisme linguistique”; the document names no broadcast language.^[3]

The station's own site. Its Arabic menu runs from programmes and frequencies to the national championship (البطولة), the national team (المنتخب الوطني), Moroccan professionals abroad, international news, other sports and e-sports.^[4] On 26 September 2026 it led with football items, among them “العصبة الاحترافية ترفض ضمانات أولمبيك آسفي”, on the professional league's refusal of guarantees offered by Olympique de Safi, items on the Wydad's squad and its match against Wydad Témara, and the appointment of a Cameroonian referee for Morocco's qualifier against Lesotho.^[4]

How large is Radio Mars's audience?

No radio audience figure for Radio Mars was retrieved. CIAUMED, whose site describes the measurement it publishes, reports television audiences.^[5] No radio audience measurement body's figures were retrieved, and no audited figure for radiomars.ma.

The regulator documents the reach the licence covers. HACA lists the service's audience basins as “Bassins d'audience du Grand Casablanca-Chaouia-Ouardigha, de Rabat-Salé-Gharb et pays Zayane et Zaër, de la région de Fès- Meknès et pré-rifain, du Plateau des phosphates et Tadla, du Centre, du Nord, du Rif, et de l'Oriental”.^[2] That is a licensed coverage area, not a measured audience.

Since when has Radio Mars existed?

The licence. HACA announced on 23 February 2009 the results of the calls for tender that the Conseil Supérieur de la Communication Audiovisuelle had launched on 11 August 2008. Under call n° 2, for two radios with multiregional coverage across eight audience basins, it listed “Radio MARS (Sté. Radio 20) : un projet de radio thématique à dominante sportive”.^[6] The cahier des charges HACA now publishes states in Article 2: “La licence est reconduite pour une durée de cinq (05) ans à compter du 24 février 2024.” Its Article 37 states: “Le présent cahier des charges est publié au Bulletin Officiel”; the gazette issue was not identified.^[3]

No first-broadcast date for Radio Mars was found on HACA's page for the service or on the station's own site.^[2][4] The service was on air by 31 May 2010: HACA's Decision n° 35-10 of 1 June 2010 concerns the programme “MAG MARS” broadcast that day.^[7]

Why does Radio Mars matter in Morocco's sport?

Radio Mars is a private radio service whose licence, as HACA publishes it, obliges it to devote at least 30 per cent of its programming to sport and 70 per cent of its non-event sports hours to national sport, and whose own site has sections on Moroccan football from the national championship to the national team.^[3][4]

Regulator's decisions. In Decision n° 35-10 of 1 June 2010 the Conseil Supérieur de la Communication Audiovisuelle found that Société RADIO 20 “a porté atteinte aux constantes du Royaume”, and ordered a 48-hour total suspension of the service, a fine of 57,000 dirhams and the broadcast of a message.^[7] Yabiladi reported on 31 March 2026 that HACA had issued Radio Mars a warning and ordered the programme “Al Hakika F 90 Dkika” suspended for a week from 30 March 2026, “en raison de propos insultants et portant atteinte à la dignité des personnes”, with a statement on the sanction to be read at each of the programme's usual broadcast hours; HACA's own text of that decision was not retrieved.^[8]

Reporters Without Borders, whose 2026 index places Morocco at “105/ 180, Score : 50.55”, writes that “The economic environment is far from favourable and the media fail to attract enough advertisers.” It adds: “Media outlets that support the government benefit from more accessible financial resources.”^[9] Those are RSF's words; its entry does not name Radio Mars.