New York is set to witness a celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Czech Radio in the US. This special commemoration will feature an exhibition, concert, live broadcasting from the US to Czechia, plus interviews and discussions with influential figures and foreign reporters. It comes as the US just recently celebrated the anniversary of its first live radio broadcasting last year. In Europe, the BBC was the first to provide regular radio programming (even before Radio Journal, the original name for Czech Radio).
Photo gallery © Czech Radio. Authors: Baalbaki Khalil; Jiří Šeda (concert); Andrea Filičková (transmitters)
“Czechoslovak, and later Czech Radio, always sided with the public. It informed, educated, and entertained all those who tuned in to listen. Czech Radio has maintained its position as the most reliable public service in Czechia, which attests to why those who work at the radio do their job so well. The exhibition put together in special collaboration with the Czech Centres only confirms how important of a partner Czech Radio is for other public institutions,” said René Zavoral, Director General of Czech Radio.
Miroslav Konvalina, Director of the Czech Center New York, added: “As a former overseas reporter for Czech Radio in the US, I’m happy to see that there will be programs not only for adults, but also for children and youth. The exhibition has already been opened by our colleagues at the Czech Centre Bratislava and Czech Centre Tel Aviv and was well received. The Radio Brass Quartet concert will be our most important cultural event this summer.”
The director of the foreign broadcasting department at Czech Radio, Ms. Klára Stejskalová, who is the creative behind this exhibition, said: “One hundred years is a long time and the radio history reflects the history of the country: the prosperity in the 1920s, the occupation of Czechoslovakia by the Nazis, liberation, the dark communist era, Prague Spring, the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Warsaw Pact, the Velvet Revolution, the split of Czechoslovakia, the Czech Republic’s entry into NATO and the European Union, etc. In many of these historical moments, the Czechoslovak and Czech Radio played a key role. By means of unique photographs from the radio's history, we offer a glimpse into its life, its past, present and future. The exhibition makes use of QR codes so that you can scan them and listen to authentic historical radio recordings.”
Accompanying events:
June 29 - August 31 Exhibition: 100 Years of Czech Radio
July 18 From Baroque to Jazz: A Concert on the Occasion of the “100 years of Czech Radio” Exhibition Opening
