August 31, 2026 marks exactly 90 years since the launch of Czechoslovakia’s international radio broadcasting service. On this day in 1936, the Czechoslovak Radio studio in Prague broadcast its first information about the young democratic country also in English.
The Foreign Ministry saw a growing need to counter propaganda coming from Germany, Hungary, Italy and the Soviet Union as Europe moved towards the Second World War. The aim was to present Czechoslovakia to the world and maintain contact with Czechoslovaks living abroad, encouraging them to remain engaged with and supportive of their home country. Another important motivation was to maintain the country’s international economic ties.
In 1937, international broadcasting was divided into two zones. Daily programmes were broadcast to Europe, while broadcasts to the United States were aired in Czech, Slovak and English on Tuesdays and Fridays. Once a week, programmes were also broadcast in Ruthenian, the language of Subcarpathian Ukraine, which was then part of Czechoslovakia.
During the Second World War, the foreign service fell silent in the Czech lands. For seven years, its shortwave frequencies carried only classical music.
The situation in Slovakia was different. According to radio historian Vladimír Draxler, Alexander Mach, who was responsible for propaganda at the time, did not approach the German Ministry of Propaganda about establishing broadcasts for Slovaks living abroad. Instead, he turned to the German security authorities. His request was successful, and Slovak Radio began international broadcasts in October 1940, although the service operated for only a limited period.
After the end of the war in 1945, Czechoslovakia briefly reintroduced itself to the world as a free country. It was a golden period for the foreign service.
The Communist coup of 1948, however, brought the country’s democratic development to an end, and Radio Prague was transformed into a propaganda outlet.
At the beginning of 1968, censorship was lifted as part of the reform process. This changed following the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia by Warsaw Pact troops on August 21 that year. Many editors spoke out against the invasion and subsequently lost their jobs. They were replaced by people loyal to the regime, in some cases without the necessary language skills.
The legacy of international broadcasting as a propaganda tool proved difficult to overcome after 1989. The country’s new democratic leadership had to be convinced that international broadcasting still had an important role to play.
The foreign service had emerged in response to intensifying Nazi propaganda, endured decades of communist manipulation and ultimately became a voice for a free country after 1989.
Today, international broadcasting continues to serve as an effective instrument of cultural diplomacy. Through interviews with primary sources and on-the-ground reporting, it provides audiences in several foreign languages with information about Slovakia and the Czech Republic and offers insights into a wide range of aspects of life and society in both countries.
Source: RSI, RPI
