60 years of the Radio Free Europe

For millions of people who lived behind the Iron Curtain for over 40 years, Radio Free Europe was the only source of the factual and independent news. Year 2012 marks the 60th anniversary of the first broadcast on May 3rd, 1952, from Munich, Germany. Between the Polish Pope, John Paul II, Solidarity leader and Polish President, Lech Wałęsa, and the American President, Ronald Reagan, Radio Free Europe shines with its own accomplishments.

Founded by the United States, Radio Free Europe gave hope to all Eastern European countries terrorized by the communist regimes. Among the Polish broadcasters, Jan Nowak-Jeziorański(1914-2005), the Polish section leader, is the most recognizable person of his time.

As a young boy, during the 80′s, I vividly remember the family friend glued to an old radio turning the frequency knob every 10 seconds to catch the Radio Wolna Europa news. For people who realized how evil the communist regime was, listening to the station was a must. Radio Free Europe was an inspiration to portable Solidarity movement radio stations (Radio Solidarność) in several Polish cities. Reaching couple hundred meters and broadcasting from a tape recorder, those makeshift radios provided another avenue for the Solidarity movement to be heard.

The Polish-language history, photos, articles, and movies about the Radio Wolna Europa are available at www.wolnaeuropa.pl. The 1964 movie, “This is Radio Free Europe”, gives the inside glimpse of the RFE.

One would think that the collapse of the communism in the Eastern Europe would be the end of the Radio Free Europe. Not so. In 1995, the RFE headquarters were moved from Munich to Prague, Czech Republic, to continue the broadcasting work as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Some interesting facts from their website:

Countries: 21 (including Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Russia )
Languages: 28
Platforms: Radio (AM, FM, Satellite), Internet, Television
Broadcast Hours: approximately 1,100 hours/week
Audience: 24 million/week (radio, web, streaming audio) (FY2011)
Employees: 500+ in Prague and Washington and 750 freelancers in 19 bureaus across the broadcast region.
Budget: $92.7 million (FY2011)

Judging from the broadcast map, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is here to stay. At least until all the craziness in the Kreplakistan-like states finally disappears.