Radio Prague Int. launches 90th birthday celebrations amid fears of closure
Radio Prague International, the international service of Czech Radio, on Tuesday launched a year of anniversary events with an exhibition mapping its 90-year history. The exhibition’s opening at Czech Radio headquarters was attended by ambassadors, representatives of cultural institutions and business chambers.
The head of Czech Radio René Zavoral greeted the assembled guests in all the languages in which RPI currently broadcasts .
“Welcome! Willkommen! Bienvenue! Bienvenido! Добро пожаловать! Ласкаво просимо! Vítejte!”
The station, established 90 years ago, to counter growing Nazi propaganda has gone through thick and thin, passing through the dark years of WWII, four decades of communist rule and the return to democracy in 1989 that allowed the station to flourish in the country’s new-found freedom.
Today RPI broadcasts to the world in six languages –including a Ukrainian service, set up shortly after the start of the war to help Ukrainian refugees, mainly women, children and elderly people integrate into Czech society.
Much has changed since the fall of communism, with the station moving from reel-to-reel tapes and shortwave transmissions to modern technology and satellite broadcasts, and providing multimedia service to listeners the world over.
Its basic mission has remained the same – presenting the Czech Republic to the world, explaining its position in international affairs, defending its values, assisting business, trade and cooperation, cultural exchange and nurturing bilateral ties and people-to-people relations.
Czech Radio’s Director General René Zavoral said he was proud of what the international service has accomplished.
“There have been many changes over the years. We particularly feared for the station’s future when it ended shortwave broadcasts –which had become costly and ineffective – and its main platform became the Internet. But it quickly established a strong presence online. Its website radio.cz was one of the first online news websites in the Czech Republic, established even before Czech Radio itself moved online. Today RPI is truly a multimedia service, encompassing a website, podcasts, social media channels, videos and more. I am proud of the fact that Radio Prague International annually draws 8 million visits and I personally consider it to be a highly effective tool for promoting the good name of the Czech Republic abroad, for reaching business leaders and tourists and serving as a great cultural platform.”
The pride in the station’s history on its 90th birthday is somewhat dampened by fears that it could be the last. The Foreign Ministry, which finances the service from state coffers, has moved to slash its budget by almost a quarter and signaled plans to discontinue the service as of 2027. Mr. Zavoral said this would be a great loss.
“I want to thank all those of you who support the international service of Czech Radio and consider it to be an effective and useful tool in public diplomacy – similarly as stations in neighboring countries and EU member states. We will be grateful for your support in defending its raison d’etre. Because if the plans to slash the station’s funding down to zero materialize then that would be the end of the road for Radio Prague International and I do believe that none of us here would want that to happen.”
Many of the ambassadors present voiced words of support and encouragement, saying that in today’s turbulent world the voice of Czechia’s international service has gained even greater significance.
The French ambassador to the Czech Republic, Stephan Crouzat, expressed the hope that RPI would be around to celebrate 100 years on the airwaves.
“I wanted to say how happy I am to be here, along with a lot of my colleague ambassadors, and I think that says a lot about what we think of Radio Prague International. My own experience is that when I Google things about Czech life, news and so on, I very often end up on an article by Radio Prague International. And the fact that you broadcast in six languages is absolutely essential in this day and age. We need more and more communication that is reliable, that is trustworthy, and your listeners know that this is the case. And so, Mr. Director General, you said that you would hope that we would support your endeavors for the future, to make sure that we will be able to celebrate the 100th anniversary in 10 years, with a new government. You can count on me in any case, and I'm sure I can vouch for the other ambassadors to make that point to the foreign minister.”
The ambassador of Argentina, Claudio J. Rozencwaig, stressed the importance of Radio Prague international in fostering understanding, good relations and cooperation among nations.
“First of all, thank you very much, Mr. Director, and thank you to all the colleagues for being here.
For us, Radio Prague is a cornerstone of our culture and our history. Having read about your 90 years of history, I realized that Radio Prague International in Spanish is not only a way to provide information about Prague to Spanish-speaking audiences, but also a means of informing Czechia about us.
I am sure that we can work together and base our cooperation not only on history and culture, but also on trade and on creating more opportunities for Czech entrepreneurs in our region, in Latin America. This is our task, our duty, and something of great importance.
So I am very proud and happy to be here. Happy 90th anniversary, Radio Prague!"
Finally good wishes from Spain, Mexico and Sweden.
Counsellor Guillermo Rebollo Díez, head of Consular and Cultural Affairs, at the Spanish Embassy: "Happy 90th anniversary Radio Prague! 90 years informing, giving news, sharing opinions, creating debate. Happy birthday and we hope that we have you for another 90 years, sharing news and information with all of us.”
Salvador Tinajero Esquivel, head of the Consular Dept. of the Mexican Embassy: "Happy 90th anniversary Radio Prague! ¡Feliz 90.º aniversario, Radio Praga! We listen to you, we read you from Mexico, los escuchamos y los leemos desde México. For 90 more years, ¡por 90 años más!"
Martin Severyn press secretary at the Embassy of Sweden: "In the world of new media everyone thought that radio is dead, but it's not true and it's not the reality. The "word" is even more important today and it's super important that we understand each other. Radio brings a great deal of information in the language you wish and it's super important for the international community. It's very important, not only for us, not only for diplomats, but for the public as well. And it's very important that we understand each other more."
In the course of the year, Radio Prague International will look back on its 90-year history in a special series highlighting the station’s milestone years. The series is now running in Czech on Czech Radio’s PLUS channel but will be available in English in the summer months – in the run up to the anniversary of the start of foreign language broadcasts in August of 1936.
Related
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Radio Prague International celebrates 85 years on the airwaves
The birth of Radio Prague International is traditionally dated to August 31, 1936, when regular foreign language broadcasting began on Czechoslovak Radio.
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Celebrate 100 years of Czech Radio by telling us where you listen to us!
Write to let us know where you heard Radio Prague International’s special Czech Radio centenary show on 18 May to receive a QSL card made especially for the anniversary!
