On February 13 we celebrated World Radio Day, this year under the UNESCOs slogan “Radio and Peace”, highlighting the role radio stations play as pillars of for conflict prevention and building peace.
Exploring this topic in the broader context of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine was a debate hosted by Radio Prague International, attended by journalists from Polskie Radio, Radio Canada International, SwissInfo and Radio Romania International.
Like other broadcasters across the globe, Radio Romania International also celebrated World Radio Day on 13th February. First established by UNESCO in 2011, this celebration was an opportunity this year to promote the idea of diversity.
RRI aired a special show hosted by Radio Canada International together with other international partners, such as Radio Romania International, Radio Prague International, Radio Poland and Swissinfo. Journalists from these stations discussed various issues related to diversity, whether in the newsroom or on airwaves.
Almost all big cities across Romania boast a Christmas fair, but the best known ones are those in Bucharest and Sibiu (centre). Over November 28-December 26, the Constitution Square venues the 2019 Bucharest Christmas Fair. The former great footballer Miodrag Belodedici, one of Romania’s three EURO 2020 ambassadors has lit the Christmas lights at the Fair. The organisers have laid out Santa’s House, a merry-go-round, a skating rink and have decorated a 30m tall fir-tree. Gourmets and those in search of traditional food have 130 huts filled with delicacies to choose from. The public can sing carols alongside their beloved singers and performers in the evening.
Another fair which already boasts a long tradition, “Peasant Christmas”, was hosted between December 13 and 15 by the Romanian Peasant Museum, one of the main attractions of Romania’s capital city. Another fair, a special one, was organised on December 8 by IWA (International Womens Association of Bucharest): IWA Charity Christmas Bazaar, which involved the participation of over 40 embassies in Bucharest. The funds raised at the fair will be donated to several foundations based in Romania.
Christmas markets in Prague
Prague’s main Christmas market on Old Town Square, which attracts crowds of foreign visitors, is traditionally rated among the best in the world. Gracing the square is a brightly decorated 22-metre tall Christmas tree, donated by the Semily municipality, north-east of Prague. Dozens of wooden stalls offer souvenirs and various local delicacies such as mulled wine, Prague ham, the popular pastry “trdelník”, roasted chestnuts, punch and tea laced with rum. The Christmas atmosphere is enhanced by live music, often a children’s choir; there is traditionally a life-size Nativity scene and a mini zoo for children.
Other Prague squares also have plenty to offer. The market near the Church of St. Ludmila sells mistletoe, candles, toys, advent calendars or a wide assortment of handicrafts. Most markets last until the Three Kings, on January 6th.
The Einsiedeln Christmas market in central Switzerland against the imposing backdrop of the monastery is one of the most beautiful in Switzerland. Every year 70,000 people visit around 150 market stalls.
The monastery looks back on 1000 years of history and is the most important place of pilgrimage in Switzerland. Einsiedeln Abbey is also an important stop on the Way of St. James, a network of pilgrimage routes throughout Europe, and the destination of several hundred thousand pilgrims a year.
Warsaw is blazing with Christmas lights. As every year, the famous Trakt Królewski (Royal Tract) is illuminated by millions of lights. The Christmas route leads from the New Town, through the Old Town Square, Krakowskie Przedmieście and ends at the summer residence of King Jan III Sobieski in Wilanów. During the 13 km walk you will surely get into the merry mood, you will visit the house of Father Christmas and his helpers, smell fresh baked gingerbread, see the 30-metre high Christmas tree on Castle Square and do some ice skating pirouettes. See how beautiful the city looks!
Canada is considered by many as an ideal destination to spend Christmas. In fact, it has been ranked as one of the most exciting countries for the celebration of the nativity in 2018 by the travel website Taxi2Airport. Some Canadian cities are also internationally renowned when it comes to Christmas festivities, such as Quebec City, the capital city of the French-speaking province of Quebec.
In terms of traditions, Canadas celebrations are mainly inspired by French, British and American cultures. However, some are common to every Canadian household.
The Christmas tree is one of them. It is the main symbol of Christmas in Canada. We can find it in homes, businesses and public spaces. The tree symbolizes the persistence of leaves, life and the magic of winter.
Canadians are also known for their illuminations. Many cities and towns display an array of decorations on their monuments. Some residents even create real light shows in their gardens.
Like European cities, Canada also has its Christmas markets. These are numerous in the provincial capitals, but also in the various neighbouring cities, like in Quebec, for example.
Finally, the national capital also celebrates Christmas in December. Ottawas Parliament puts on its best colours and even presents a spectacular multimedia projection show for the public.
Now, let us transport you to the various Canadian provinces with our audioslide. We will go from coast to coast to coast, starting with the far north.
Radio Romania boasts a 91 year long history, which started on November 1, 1928. Radio Romania kept company with the Romanians in the interwar period, throughout WWII and during communism, constrained by the limitations and censorship specific to both fascist and communist totalitarian regimes. After 1989, Radio Romania regained its role of public media service. We now invite you to listen to some excerpts of recordings kept in the radio tape library: comedians Stroe and Vasilache presenting the popular show “Ora veselă” (Happy Hour), the great historian Nicolae Iorga, the famous Romanian composer George Enescu, Romanian-born physician and scientist George Emil Palade, a Nobel Prize winner, the great Romanian interwar diplomat Nicolae Titulescu and the former sovereign of Romania, king Michael I.
Sounds of Czech Radio
On Friday 18 May, 1923, at 8.15pm the following words started coming out of a canvas tent in Prague’s Kbely neighbourhood: “Hello, Hello, here is the Radiojournal broadcasting channel …”. The transmission went on for about an hour and Czechoslovakia had thus begun regular radio broadcasting just six months after the BBC — the world’s oldest broadcaster. The first transmission was a music performance, but the radio station soon expanded its programme to sports news, weather forecasts and stock market updates. In fact, Czechoslovak Radio can boast to be the first ever European live sports broadcaster.
Most importantly however, Czechoslovak Radio has played an important role multiple times in key events during the country’s history. The “Battle for the Radio” took place in 1945, during the final days of World War Two and the radio station did not stop broadcasting even while the heaviest fighting was raging around it. Another battle for the radio took place in 1968 when Czechoslovakia was invaded by Warsaw Pact forces. Although Soviet soldiers occupied the building in the end, radio employees continued to broadcast from various rooms. Both battles ended up costing dozens of lives. During the period after 1968, commonly referred to as the “normalisation era”, hundreds of journalists were forced to leave the institution and Czechoslovak Radio became an ideological tool for the Communist regime. A return to free broadcasting came after the Velvet Revolution in 1989. Today Czech Radio is a public broadcaster, which runs four nationwide stations as well as regional broadcasting, digital radio stations and an internet news site.
Polish Radio, the state-owned national public-service, was founded on 18 August 1925. For over 90 years, Polish Radio broadcasts have accompanied Poles in Poland and abroad. The rich history of the station was interrupted on 1 September 1939, after the German invasion of Poland. However, before the Polish Radio went silent for six years, it broadcasted significant messages warning Poles about German attacks. The battlefield recordings are a very valuable archive of those cruel times.
What did swissinfo.ch sound like for the first seven decades of its existence? The short answer: a radio station.
From the mid-1930s to 2004, Switzerland’s international service was Swiss Radio International (SRI). The first few decades of SRI’s existence were the heyday of shortwave — it was often the only way of getting news directly from other countries.
A brief history of SRI, the predecessor of swissinfo.ch, helps explain why you hear what you do in the video above.
What began as the Swiss Short Wave Service in 1935, would grow from broadcasting programmes in German, French, Italian and English to include other European languages and Arabic, and eventually change its name to Swiss Radio International.
The international service was considered a voice of neutrality during times of war, first during World War II, followed by the decades of the Cold War and up to and including the first war in the Gulf in the early 1990s.
This decade would mark the beginning of the end for Switzerland’s shortwave broadcasts. Shortwave transmitters gave way to relaying programmes via satellite, and this in turn would give way to the internet when swissinfo went online in 1999 as SRI’s website.
In 2004, the plug was pulled for good on SRI as part of budget cuts, but not swissinfo. Now producing exclusively online, the international service extended its linguistic reach by adding Russian, Japanese and Chinese, and publishing more video and audio reports.
Journalists working in swissinfo’s current ten languages collaborate closely to set the editorial agenda, providing the necessary context in their stories so they are understood wherever they are read, seen, or heard in the world.
Since February 25, 1945, Radio Canada International has been Canada’s voice to the world, first on shortwave radio, then on the web.
During its 74 years of existence, Radio Canada International has broadcast in 23 languages. Today, listeners and web site visitors on five continents interact with us in five of the most-spoken languages in the world: English, French, Spanish, Chinese and Arabic.
Radio Canada International also produced recordings that helped Canadian artists become known throughout the world including: Glenn Gould, Oscar Peterson, Jean Carignan, Diane Tell, Karen Young and Oliver Jones.
For 74 years, Radio Canada International’s mandate hasn’t changed: allow people who know little or nothing about Canada to learn about its culture, society and democratic values. Through its news reports, interviews, programs, and in-depth web series, Radio Canada International continues to fulfill its mandate.
For Canadians, Radio Canada International offers unique view of the country and creates links with people around the world.
Radio Canada International has become an anchor, a reference point and an integration tool for people whether they’re potential immigrants, new arrivals or simply have a deep curiosity about Canada. Radio Canada International continues to create these links in both of Canada’s official languages, as well as Arabic, Chinese and Spanish, the mother tounges of thousands of our listeners and web site vistiors, many who have been following us for years.
For its 74th anniversary, Radio Canada International looks back on its history offering you a singular perspective of the country: multi-cultural, uniquely Canada and resolutely looking to the future.
