20 years ago
Radio Free Europe moves to Prague
Following the political changes that affected Europe in the early ‘90s, while facing the need to contain operating expenses, in 1995 the headquarters of the broadcasting station “Radio Free Europe”, moved from Munich to Prague. The building in Prague that would hold it, was the old headquarters of the Federal Parliament of Communist Czechoslovakia (where in 1989 the Czech editorial staff of Radio Free Europe was already established). The broadcasts from Munich ceased on 30 June 1995 and on 1 July they resumed from Prague. The station had begun broadcasting from Munich, also in Czech, on 1 May 1951, with the historic phrase: “The voice of free Czechoslovakia, Radio Svobodná Evropa, calls you”. In autumn 1995, the Czech RFE staff joined Český rozhlas to give life to Český rozhlas 6 / Svobodná Evropa. Today the radio broadcast in over 28 languages with about one thousand hours of weekly programming. In 2009 the main office was moved to the district of Hagibor (Prague 10) and currently the interim director is John Giambalvo.