Every Saturday, from 8:30 to 10:30 pm, the studio theater of the provincial radio station Radio Victoria is filled with magic. Qué noche la de esta noche (What a night tonight!), one of this summer's offerings, arrives to intoxicate the audience. It is a live program that has a special impact on people who participate.

Juan Manuel Maestre, director, scriptwriter, and music producer of the program, tells 26 that "the project is about rediscovering the sound of the 1960s and what it meant for people's lives. A time of almost hippie youth, with necklaces, long hair, and other characteristics; marked by Elvis Presley, Bill Haley and His Comets, Paul Anka... It was also the decade of liberation, where human beings rediscovered themselves, there was humanist thinking, and, of course, there was The Beatles' declaration of principles: ‘make love, not war’.

“But we also go back to the 70s, 80s, and early 90s, when there were still remnants of pop rock. Cinema, literature, music... everything echoes that feeling. We exploit the latest expression, with the guidance of Darletis Leyva González and Daniel Bofill, who give the broadcast a lively rhythm.”

Darletis, for his part, emphasizes that the program is a team effort, where everyone contributes, “from advisor Yakalis Díaz, who commutes from a place far from the city with her young children, to sound engineers Luis Javier Martínez Pupo, José Carlos Estrada, and Williams Vázquez, who contribute to the program's dynamism with their cuts and transitions.”

He also mentions collaborator Arianna Cedeño, Yerlanis Batista Rosabal (head of programming at the station), soloists such as Osmel Duarte, who support with their performances, the Anita Cruz (de Bartle) cultural center that has contributed artistic talent, and many others.

Questions from the audience, votes on singers or groups, live performances, spontaneous dances by guests, and calls from listeners are all part of the show. "The reception has been good. People need variety; not everything is reggaeton or rap. The music of the Prodigious Decade stirs emotions in people. Nino Bravo, Juan Gabriel, Roberto Carlos, and Camilo Sesto are some of the unforgettable artists. In a way, I was inspired to create the program in that spirit of rebellion that we carry within us and the most beautiful thing about human beings, which is love," Maestre points out.

He came with the experience of Casi como ayer, which was broadcast  by TunasVisión TV channel, but despite the similarity in some features, he affirms that “the radio program is a little more daring, as it brings together other elements.” “It's interesting because it awakens enthusiasm in a generation that is not always represented from the point of view of cultural consumption, but it also sows the seeds of good taste in different age groups. Besides, it's fun; we always try to make the audience, the listeners, happy during those two hours,” adds Leyva González.

They confess that they work as a team, that nothing is left to chance, that everyone contributes, and that this is largely responsible for the results shown by their four or five broadcasts to date. Amateur and professional artists are happy to join in, and at the end, there are both congratulations and suggestions. Darletis points out that they still have work to do in areas such as set design, but that their determination prevails and spreads to much of the station's staff.

The announcers have already worked together on other programs such as Desde el balcón. However, Qué noche... has allowed them to bond professionally to the point of paying attention to details such as coordinating their outfits. She sums it up simply: “To do radio, the team has to show harmony. More than just coworkers, we become friends.”

Thus, every Saturday night, Radio Victoria offers a different program, where knowledge, fun, and good music come together to stir emotions. In the end, they enhance the program's reputation, and as the days go by, the audience and listeners are left with the taste of a phrase: What a night tonight.