Croatia · 100 years of Croatian radio and television

On 15 May 1926, the station went on air for the first time with the words “Halo, halo! Ovdje Radio Zagreb!” (“Hello, hello! This is Radio Zagreb!”). They were spoken by Božena Begović, an actress and writer who served as the station’s first announcer. Initially, the programme included news, lectures, music and literary contributions, among other things. As with many early European broadcasting stations, reception was initially dependent on having a radio set and registering accordingly.

Broadcasting emerged in the then Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. It thus developed in a political environment that underwent several fundamental changes over the course of the 20th century. Radio Zagreb later broadcast within socialist Yugoslavia and was part of the network of Yugoslav broadcasting institutions. In addition to conveying news, the radio also served to disseminate Croatian-language literature, music, radio plays and educational programmes. This resulted in an extensive sound archive documenting everyday life, culture and political developments across different eras.

Thirty years after the first radio broadcast, the television era also began in Zagreb. Radio-Televizija Zagreb developed from the joint radio and television operation. In the course of Croatia’s political reorganisation around 1990, the broadcasting organisation received its present name, Hrvatska radiotelevizija, abbreviated as HRT. Following Croatia’s state independence, it continued as the country’s public-service broadcaster. Its services include radio and television programmes as well as digital information and archival services.

The coin issue therefore commemorates not only a technological innovation. The anniversary also represents the institutional continuity of Croatian-language broadcasting across different forms of government, political systems and media technologies. The occasion is also suitable for a commemorative coin because of the clearly datable anniversary and the nationwide role of public-service broadcasting.