Radio Prague: A History of International Czechoslovakian Public Radio

In 1930, just seven years after radio broadcasting was first established in Czechoslovakia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had the idea to create a shortwave service that would present the country abroad. Six years later, Radio Prague aired its first broadcast. Radio Prague, set up to provide state propaganda and information in the world's major languages (as well as special programming for Czechs and Slovaks living abroad), went through many ups and downs throughout the 20th century. Yet, with the exception of two breaks, it has remained on the air for close to 80 years!

In 1938, with the Nazi invasion of the Czech state, Radio Prague was severely curbed in its activities. The Nazis allowed only two hours of programming a day - consisting of an officially approved 10 minute news bulletin and music. After the end of the war, the international service resumed its broadcasts.

However, the station was to go through another difficult period. Half a century of communist rule stunted its growth, with censored scripts focusing primarily on government programs, five year plans for the economy, and the achievements of communist countries around the world. The period after the crushing of the Prague Spring was particularly hard: several hundred people were forced to leave Radio Prague and the international service was one of the most highly affected. Of three hundred and fifty employees, more than one hundred and fifty left or were fired.

The station was to live through another twenty years of communism before the Soviet block finally collapsed in 1989. Somewhat paradoxically, after having survived half a century of communism, on May 7, 1990 Radio Prague fell silent once again -- this time in a free and democratic country. The reason for this pause was the uncertain future of the international service combined with personnel and technical cutbacks at Czechoslovak Radio.

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