“When we mark World Radio Day we are in fact celebrating a form of mass media cherished by people the world over. Radio is the voice of the voiceless, the road leading to education for the illiterate, radio saves lives when there are natural disasters. Radio is the true force, forging ahead to freedom of speech and pluralism, it occupies a key place in building an inclusive knowledge-based society, asserting the principles of mutual respect and understanding among people,” says Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, addressing the journalists and listeners of the oldest electronic media in the country, born in the 19^th century. At the suggestion of the Spanish Radio Academy, in November 2011, UNESCO proclaimed February 13 World Radio Day - the day when in 1946, the United Nations Radio had its first broadcast. This year’s World Radio Day is dedicated to gender equality and empowerment of women through radio. Gender equality is a top priority for the organization, said Irina Bokova for Radio Bulgaria.

“We shall be releasing a global media monitoring report soon with an assessment of the leading tendencies. The data are very interesting. A mere 24 percent of all people who have been polled or have stated their opinion on a given matter in the media are women. Their voice is not heard. Radio newscasts are rarely presented by women. Especially when opinions are expressed in prime time hours, in most cases they are expressed by men. Women tend to very rarely ask questions or state their views in spheres such as politics, economy, science, technologies, sports or military conflicts. In most regions of the world only one in four news stories are by women. The most tangible presence of female reporters is in Europe – 40 percent, in Africa and Latin America this percentage is 38, in the Middle East and North America – 29, in the Caribbean – 26. We are currently working on indices that will help us evaluate the actions aimed at promoting gender equality in the media, as radio is a powerful medium of public opinion formation and women’s voice must be heard.”

“Don’t stop disseminating information, giving people access to everything you consider to be important in the hustle and bustle of everyday life,” this is the message Irina Bokova conveyed to the people working at Radio Bulgaria. The history of Radio Bulgaria goes back to 1936 – to begin with its broadcasts were in Bulgarian and Esperanto. Nowadays we live in the age of new technologies. We are now part of a department called Multimedia Programmes and you can find us in the BNR’s new website in English, French, German, Spanish, Russian, Turkish, Greek, Serbian, Albanian and Arabic.

“This is an incredible instrument of information about everything happening in the country,” says Anton Mitov, Director of Multimedia Programmes. “We need to redirect our efforts towards short formats. We now need to provide information about everything happening in Bulgaria, so that non-Bulgarians can get a better picture. Foreigners coming to Bulgaria or people living abroad are interested in this country, they want to know more about everyday life here, about our music, about the beautiful spots around the country, about the Bulgarian spirit and history.”

Radio Bulgaria now publishes an English-language magazine – Zoom Bulgaria. Readers will find there interesting items, uploaded also to our website, but also information that will be of use to all those with an interest in Bulgaria. The magazine is there to welcome arrivals to Bulgaria at the airport. It is free of charge and we plan to publish it in other languages as well, Anton Mitov says with pride.

English version: Milena Daynova