The word dial has different meanings depending on its etymological root. When the term is taken as a derivation of the English dial , it refers to the graduated piece on which an indicator moves that is responsible for indicating a magnitude (a speed, a wavelength, a weight, etc.).
In this context, the notion of dial is usually used in the field of radio to name the plate on which a needle or other indicator is moved to select the desired frequency. All the radio stations that can be captured in a certain region are also called a dial.
For example: «We are FM Urban News, broadcasting on 99.7 of your dial» , «Do you know which station broadcasts the game? "I can't find it on the dial," "I have worked on a good part of the dial in this province."
Let's take the case of a station that transmits on the frequency 1480 kHz in AM (amplitude modulated). Anyone who wants to capture its signal and listen to its programming must select 1480 on the dial of an AM radio . Therefore, you will have to place the indicator at that number.
Currently, many radio receivers have a digital screen where they display the tuned frequency, which is why they no longer use the graduated piece or the dial needle. On the other hand, radio stations that transmit via the Internet do not appear on the dial of yesteryear either.
In addition to all the above, we cannot ignore that in Spain there is a radio station that uses the term in question in its name. We are referring to Cadena Dial, which belongs to the PRISA Group, located within the field of communication, and which was put into operation in 1990.
It is aimed at both a young and family audience, it has become the second most listened to radio music channel in the country after Los 40 and only offers music in Spanish.
To all this we must add that Cadena Dial has awarded awards that bear his name every year since 1996. The objective of these awards is none other than to recognize the singers and groups that sing in Spanish that have had the most success in those twelve months.
Since these awards began to be awarded, they have gone to artists of the stature of Malú, La Oreja de Van Gogh, Luis Fonsi, Pablo Alborán, Camila, Amaral and Sergio Dalma, among others.
Among the most significant programs that make up its schedule are “Dial as such”, presented by Manel Fuentes; "Atrévete", which on weekends has Rafa Cano as announcer, and "Dial Latino".
Dial, on the other hand, can also come from the Latin word diālis . In this case, the concept refers to that linked to a day (a temporary period of 24 hours).
In the same way, Dial is a brand of soaps and bath gels that was launched in 1948 in the United States and has the privilege of being the first antibacterial soap on the entire planet.