Radio Zagreb’s Programmes for Children from 1926 to 1953

Abstract

The broadcast of Radio Zagreb began on 15 May 1926, and the first radio programme for children was aired eight days later. Several notable publications about the development of radio broadcasting in Croatia mention children’s radio programmes rather sporadically. Based on the analysis of available material from the Croatian Radio and Television archives – printed publications following the programming schedule of Radio Zagreb, reports on the work of Radio Zagreb, as well as occasional reviews and testimonies of employees who participated in the program – this paper attempts to reconstruct and systemise the data on the beginnings of the development of children’s radio programmes. To complement and expand on the previous Croatian radio broadcasting periodisation and other literature on radio broadcasting in Croatia, this paper presents the results of researching the available material on the first programmes for children. It then defines and critically describes the stages in the development of various radio programmes for children on Radio Zagreb from its first year of operation until the 1950s, i.e., from 1926 to 1953, when the School Radio, a radio program particularly aimed at schools, is established.