The personal story of Anton Mitov with the Old House – that is how we call the Bulgarian National Radio, started more than 35 years ago, continuing with the vision of a useful, interesting and funny multimedia platform.

“In 1977 I had just finished my army service and I began a new job with the Literature Section of the Hristo Botev Program. I remember how I saw the on air presentation of exhibitions as something very amusing – I still don’t get it. I spent a year there and I moved to the Horizont Program, where I worked as a reporter. Later on I returned to Hristo Botev, the Youth Section. At one moment I was even the editor-in-chief of the program. There was no competition at all, regarding electronic media. Radio Luxemburg was the only competition back then with very nice rock music they played. There was nothing else but the Radio and TV Committee which included the Bulgarian National Radio and the Bulgarian National Television. As I have been with both major programs of the radio, now I head a brand new and modern section – Multimedia Programs. I am proud to say that we do have fewer problems than our colleagues abroad, when we talk about an adequate upgrade of technologies. Our transfer to the so-called digitalization was really successful, we are good with the music – speech ratio, we pay copyrights. At the same time all this is cheaper to happen with us. We can be the public radio on the Internet as well, via different types of multinational programs – for instance, Radio Bulgaria and Radio Binar. The www.bnr.bg Internet gate can be added to that section. Practically this brand new structure is as powerful, as the BNR itself as all the mainstreams of its national programs and the 8 regional stations go through there. I would like to say that Radio Bulgaria has a brand new vision today. It used to be a propaganda tool in the past while today it is sought across the globe for completely different reasons. We don’t talk only on historical landmarks nowadays and how to get there. The program is a trustful source of information on the cultural, social and political life in this country. We closed the cycle of the new media environment in February 2014, when we started the release of the ZOOM paper magazine in English with Radio Bulgaria – 10 editions per year. It is distributed to Bulgarian embassies across the globe and its digital version is online. In Bulgaria it can be found at some of the good hotels. To sum up, Radio Bulgaria is much better known abroad nowadays than years ago when it was on the air only. The proof – a growing number of online radios have begun to borrow the product of Radio Bulgaria in Bulgarian and the Smart FM London radio has recently started to play our broadcasts in Bulgarian and English.”

The audience is not much more different than the old one, but the channels to reach it are numerous now. Anton Mitov agrees with the claim that radio listening is now back, but underlines – via the Internet. According to him the streaming of the separate BNR programs attract an ever younger audience, easing the access to information on Bulgaria for our compatriots abroad. However, there is still more to be wanted, Mr. Mitov goes on to say. He does want the topics to be presented in a more interesting and curious manner, not a “yellow” one, of course.

“As I am a really huge fan of Michael Palin, I recall a documentary series of his, dedicated to his travels across 20 East European states, including Bulgaria. It was named Michael Palin: New Europe back then in 2007. All the stories were presented with an incredible sense of humor, with a wink to the serious side of life. Maybe that is the wink we all miss sometimes.”

Anton Mitov says that objectivity and facts are the most important things under the BNR logo, especially regarding the social and political situation in this country over the past couple of years. It makes it even more complicated for Radio Bulgaria, as its program should present the best image of this country in 11 languages. “It’s complicated, I know, but still, some irony and sarcasm would be good for our topics,” he says. Anton Mitov worked as a journalist with the BNR till 2001, when he opted for the private sector. Here is how he spots the differences today:

“One struggles all the time in a private media, thinking about the number of listeners, how many ads he can attract, calculating taxes, fees and bills on new appliance – it is really tough. I would say that the number of private radio stations in Bulgaria is pointlessly large. I always give Hungary as an example with its 40 private radios with nearly the same territory and population as ours. In Bulgaria we have more than 400 of those and I don’t know how they survive.”

The situation is still different for the BNR journalists – being a public media, we receive our maintenance from the state budget. We only have one task to solve – how to make our own profit from the production, from the online broadcasts. Mr. Mitov thinks it is not impossible, just the right ways should be found. Asked why he returned where his career had started from, he answers: “Probably it was due to nostalgia and the chance they gave me – to do something new, big and important to me – the multimedia renewal of the first and oldest radio in this country”.

On the threshold of this incredible for each media 80^th anniversary, Anton Mitov wishes his colleagues more smiles and more love for their job. “It is complicated – good things are still few, but I wish them more time and energy to see and realize those”. The goal has always been the same – the radio should be the most wanted one by listeners.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev