Radio Wave planning public party to launch “street” studio
Czech Radio’s youth and alternative station Radio Wave has just begun broadcasting from a glass-fronted studio right on Vinohradská St. that allows it extremely close contact with the public. What’s more, the futuristic-looking studio will be launched with a free street party on the adjacent Balbínova St. this coming Saturday. As preparations for it were being finalised, I asked Wave’s director of programming, Robert Candra, how the public had been reacting to such proximity to the station’s studio.
“As you can probably hear, there are speakers outside, so you can hear what’s actually going on, on air.
“People are waving. On the very first day, some people even came by with a banner wishing us the best and congratulating us on the new studio.
“So I guess the reaction has been pretty great, so far.”
Do you have any particular plans for the studio?
“We definitely want to use its potential, in terms of ‘contactfulness’.
“On the very first day, on Monday, we tried a live band, playing inside, and that’s something we’d like to do much more often – to present the bands we usually broadcast on our daily playlist live to the audience.
It’s a fabulous place at the front of the Czech Radio building on the historical Vinohradská St. Is getting this space a kind of vote of confidence in Radio Wave from Czech Radio?
“I believe it’s just like that. It just shows that Radio Wave – broadcast for a young audience – is something that Czech Radio as a whole is proud of and is confident about.
“It shows that the Radio wants our station to be seen and presented to the public. That’s a very strong vote of confidence for us.”
Tell us what’s happening on Saturday. There are already signs up on Balbínova saying the street is going to be closed on Saturday.
“Exactly. From the point where we are standing right now, next to the studio, on the corner, the whole of Balbínova St. will be cleared of cars and there will be a street event, with a stage and of course live music going on, from 2 pm until 10 pm.
“Besides that there’s going to be food stalls, drink stalls.
“So hopefully this whole area will be full of people, full of live music. The idea of interaction which is connected with the studio is going to be widened to this whole area, on the street.”
