Bulgarian National Radio is taking additional measures to cope with reductions in its budget. In 2011, the organisation closed correspondents’ posts in Skopje, Belgrade, Bucharest and Berlin. It also cut some mediumwave broadcasts.
Now comes the news that the foreign service, Radio Bulgaria, is also about to make cuts. Programmes in 10 Balkan and European languages will be transferred from shortwave to the internet as from 1 February 2012, according to information in Bulgarian on the station’s website.
A website has been launched by the station’s frequency manager, Ivo Ivanov, where listeners can sign a petition “to save the broadcasts of Radio Bulgaria on shortwave and mediumwave.”
(Source: BNR/Radio Bulgaria)
on Jan 13th, 2012 at 21:43
Meanwhile the apparently shocked frequency manager Ivo Ivanov sent out a message about this development, noting “there will be no short waves, there will be no frequency manager. For all people who work in Radio Bulgaria that bad news is shock and horror. Beginning of the end.”
He specifies that transmissions on both shortwave and mediumwave will cease on 31 Jan at 2200 UT. The latter concerns 747 and 1224 kHz, the last remaining high power MW transmitters in Bulgaria. I assume they will be closed down altogether, too.
And: “P.S. SW txs Kostinbrod & Padarsko will be destroyed in the next few months.”
on Jan 14th, 2012 at 00:35
Not really going to be missed by millions. Radio Bulgaria like so many of these tiny little stations really have no purpose anymore. Not like the VOA, BBCWS, Radio Australia that provide a news and information service to regions where other platforms are not available or censored. If people who want information and news about Bulgaria there are other places to turn to, when you consider where the country has most of it’s trade. Also who is the audience? I have never picked them up here in the Asia/Pacific or on my travels in Africa and Latin America. And if I did why would I tune to them for news when I have the VOA, BBCWS, RA, and NHK World.
on Jan 14th, 2012 at 19:22
Hello! I am the owner of the blog swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com I and the frequency manager of Radio Bulgaria Ivo Ivanov decided to create website petition for saving the broadcasts of Radio Bulgaria on shortwave and medium waves: http://www.saveradiobulgaria.com ! Some of you don’t know how many people listen to Radio Bulgaria, especially Bulgarian people, living in Africa, Americas and Asia.
on Jan 14th, 2012 at 20:51
In this moment just now I heard about the closing. Is very, very sad.
on Jan 15th, 2012 at 10:11
More people listning via the am than the internet.
on Jan 17th, 2012 at 01:47
Hope the Bulgarian government can keep RB alive. It’s one of the only remaining voices from the Balkans and still keeps people informed of developments there!