Birthdays are a good time to take a look back at past achievements. But when it is the birthday of the oldest broadcast media in the country – the Bulgarian National Radio – there is so much more to remember from times gone by. That includes millions of hours of concerts and interviews, news coverage and children’s shows, sports, literature, drama, music charts and competitions. Still, since 2001 – the year when the start was given to the BNR’s Sirak Skitnik awards - the focus has been on the work of all people who “make” radio.

For 16 years, on 25 January, the Bulgarian National Radio awards the Sirak Skitnik prizes, named after its first director – Panayot Todorov Hristov, the man who created the first radio programmes, live concerts, broadcasts in foreign languages, the Golden Fund audio archive library and the BNR’s orchestras, choirs and ensembles. That is the reason why it is such an honour to receive this prestigious award. The nominees for 2016 included top sound engineers, journalists from national and regional channels, shows, multimedia projects, technical achievements.

The Sirak Skitnik Grand Prix for contribution to the advancement of radio went to music editor and radio host Tomas Sprostranov who set a standard in music journalism in Bulgaria and upheld it for five whole decades. His music shows “Fascinating staff”, “Pulsating notes” and “The songs I love” are on the air to this day. The first one of them was launched in 1967 by Radio Plovdiv and holds the record in Southeastern Europe for the longest running show without interruption. That is why at the award ceremony, Toma Sprostranov thanked all people working at the BNR – starting with those who allowed him to host a music show at a time when only one song from the “West” per week was allowed on the air.

Sprostranov was also awarded the “Golden Voice” prize by the Nadezhda Jeneva foundation, set up to commemorate the late Nadezhda Jeneva, journalist at Horizont channel.

“Through these long years every week has been a test for me,” Tomas Sprostranov said for Radio Bulgaria. “Bulgaria has a highly intelligent listenership. The slightest mistake and you start getting letters about it. And every time I have to tell audiences something more, something they do not know about the singers they love.”

As to his music and literary collection, Toma Sprostranov says that one day he will leave it to the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts in Plovdiv where he lectures because it is something the students need.

The collective Sirak Skitnik award for radio show went to Radio Shoumen and its team which was the first to give coverage to the train derailment and explosion in Hitrino village in December. Upon receiving the award, Katerina Petrova from Radio Shoumen said:

“It is a great honour for all members of the Radio Shoumen team because for us those were very difficult times. Not because it was cold or because we had to double check everything, but because we were there with the local people and their drama. I can only hope we have done a good job.”

The Sirak Skitnik prize for radio journalism was awarded to radio host and producer from Radio Blagoevgrad Rosinka Prodanova.

English version: Milena Daynova