“I have dedicated 40 years of my life to radio. I used to stop at the entrance of the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) and look around to check if the passers-by would notice what an important institution I was entering,” says Lidia Mihova, a favorite radio voice of generations of Bulgarians, tears in her eyes.

Those are tears of gratitude - for all her colleagues at the BNR, who had taught her everything she knew about being a radio presenter.Her best wishes for the 87^th anniversary of the oldest electronic media in Bulgaria are emotional and sincere. And they go especially to the audience of the Bulgarian National Radio:

"Happy holiday to all of us, because we are connected and we can't do without each other. I wish you health and countless good things in life. Be critical, but don't forget to praise the work of the journalists on the National Radio. It's as if we're more used to being critical than being grateful for the good feeling we get from learning something new and interesting.”

Grateful she felt in 1974 when - struck with awe - she first stepped through the threshold of the Old House (the first building of the BNR) as an employee.

“I won a casting for radio presenters and I was offered a job on the editorial office "Broadcasts for Bulgarians Abroad" (at that time part of the program “Hristo Botev” and later in the foreign language program “Radio Bulgaria” - ed.). In the beginning, I didn't get to be a journalist, but only a speaker, which was wonderful nonetheless. We used to have feedback from our listeners, who were constantly writing to us,” says Lydia about the first several months of her radio career.

The position of “speaker” existed until 1992, when it was cut after a change in the program scheme of the Bulgarian National Radio. Lidia Mihova admits that she has been lucky because throughout her career she did not have to report any alarming or breaking news.

"However, I remember that I was on duty in the Hristo Botev program when the announcement came about the removal of Todor Zhivkov as Leader of Bulgaria’s Communist Party. I saw my colleagues trembling, says Mihova. - They had no idea how to report such news that came out of the blue. It's not easy to be on duty and read such life-changing news.”

Not a single moment of her 40-year career as a speaker and journalist did she consider to be insignificant.

Journalism is becoming a vocation for her son Dimitar Ganev, whose voice is on the regional station of the Bulgarian National Radio - Radio Sofia. Some of the most important lessons on how to be confident in front of a microphone, he has learned from his mother.

„We talked about many things, says Lydia Mihova. - He also learned a lot about orthography, but most of all about patience - a quality that is a must for anyone who wants to dedicate himself to a career in radio.

After her retirement from the radio Lidia managed to make her childhood dream come true: she became an actress. Although not on stage, but in the dubbing of hundreds of documentaries, feature films, children's films and series.

Bulgarian viewers unmistakably recognize her voice as she dubs the New Year's concert of the Vienna Philharmonic, broadcast on the Bulgarian National Television. The dubbing of this musical event is a special moment for her.

“For me New Year’s Eve starts at 12:15 PM on January 1^st, says the actress and the topic of the conversation shifts to her newest adventure – audiobooks. 

“Reading the text is important but there are also dialogues in which one can show one's artistry. I don't want this to be my swan song in the profession, but so far I've managed to fulfill everything I've dreamed of in my life.“

Editting: Elena Karkalanova

English version: Elizabeth Radkova