Letters from around the world mark 90 years of Radio Bulgaria

On February 16, the team of Radio Bulgaria celebrated the 90th anniversary of the first international broadcasts of Bulgaria’s public radio.

On the occasion of the anniversary, the 11 language services — English, Russian, German, French, Spanish, Serbian, Greek, Albanian, Turkish, Romanian and Bulgarian — received numerous heartfelt greetings and good wishes from listeners around the world. We are pleased to share some of these with you:

‘Dear Radio Bulgaria, warm greetings from Colombia!

I would like to take this opportunity to extend my most sincere and heartfelt congratulations on the 90th anniversary of the station and its international services.

I listen to your Spanish-language programmes online every week — they are a truly excellent source of information about events in Bulgaria.”

Rafael Rodríguez, Colombia

‘On the occasion of Radio Bulgaria’s 90th anniversary, I would like to wish your team all the very best, great success in your work, and many more years of loyal listeners,’ wrote Marek Pis from Poland.

‘Ninety years is not an end, but a wonderful beginning of a new chapter in history! May your voice grow even stronger!” wrote Andriy Novgorodsky from Ukraine, a regular listener of Radio Bulgaria.

‘For nine decades, you have been bringing the most interesting, up-to-date and engaging information about Bulgaria to listeners around the globe in ten languages. Your programmes always stand out for their diversity of topics, depth, and the special warmth that every listener can feel.

I wish the Russian Service and all the other language departments at Radio Bulgaria continued prosperity, stability and confident progress so that your station can carry on delighting listeners worldwide with new programmes and inspiring projects and celebrate many more glorious anniversaries.

And to the staff of Radio Bulgaria: professional success, good health, well-being, and personal happiness!”

“Ninety years may mean old age for a person, but for a team and an organisation, it is a benchmark and a reputation — something that is not easily achieved. I would like to take this opportunity to once again express my sincere admiration and best wishes,” wrote Mei Lin from China.

She added, ‘I rarely have time to listen to your programmes, and my English and Bulgarian are not very good. Fortunately, your website is available, so I can read it slowly and carefully. Over the past few years, I have gained a deeper understanding of Bulgaria — the country of roses! In this special 90th anniversary year, I would especially like to thank Desislava Semkovska — her dedication to the audience motivates me to stay connected with the radio. Thank you once again for your hard work.”

'I would like to send you my congratulations — it is wonderful that you are celebrating your 90th anniversary this year. You can be proud of such an outstanding achievement,' wrote Eckhard Röscher from Germany.

Armando F. Mastrapa from the United States also sent congratulations on Radio Bulgaria’s distinguished anniversary.

In his message to the foreign-language service of Bulgarian National Radio, Idriss Bououdina wrote:

'I would like to express my sincere thanks to Radio Bulgaria for its long-standing commitment to quality international broadcasting, and for maintaining strong ties with listeners around the world.

Please also accept my warmest congratulations on the occasion of Radio Bulgaria’s 90th anniversary. Nine decades of broadcasting represent an impressive legacy of professionalism, cultural exchange and the provision of reliable information to audiences far beyond Bulgaria’s borders.”


Hari Madugula from the Young Stars Radio Club in India offered a retrospective look at Radio Bulgaria’s achievements over the years:

'Dear friends at Radio Bulgaria,
On behalf of the Young Stars Radio Club, I would like to extend our warmest congratulations to the entire team in Sofia. Radio Bulgaria is celebrating both World Radio Day 2026 and its 90th anniversary this year. Congratulations to everyone at Radio Bulgaria on reaching this magnificent milestone!

As we celebrate nine decades of your ‘Voice to the World’, we reflect on your station's remarkable journey and achievements:

• 25 January 1935: The signing of the Royal Decree by Tsar Boris III establishing Bulgarian National Radio
• 16 February 1936: Radio Bulgaria is born, as marked by its first successful shortwave broadcast heard across Europe.
• 1 May 1937: Regular foreign-language broadcasts begin, starting with English, French, German and Italian.
• 2004–present: Radio Bulgaria's successful transition to a modern digital platform, delivering content in 11 languages to a global audience.
• 2026: Celebrating 90 years of connecting cultures and linking Bulgaria with the world.

We are particularly enjoying the commemorative series of 12 QSL cards released this year to mark this anniversary. Your dedication to international broadcasting continues to be an inspiration to the global DXing and radio listening community. Wishing you many more years of successful broadcasting and professional excellence!”

We also received greetings from David Yuresia, one of our listeners in Argentina:

'Dear friends at Radio Bulgaria,
I hope you had a very happy 90th anniversary.

I truly enjoy the programmes you broadcast, as well as the photographs on the Spanish-language page. They evoke nostalgia and remind me of those who are no longer with us, such as Mihail, as well as those who have retired, like Daniela.

I am very happy to see Radio Bulgaria thriving again, as I remember the sad period when it was reduced to a website where only news could be read. Thanks to the efforts of the station's team and all the listeners who protested, your voices can once again be heard through podcasts. I still remember the joy I felt the day I heard that wonderful news. The battle was won!

I hope that one day you will return to shortwave broadcasting, although I understand how difficult that would be due to the costs involved. I would also like there to be a listener-focused programme broadcast at the weekend, when there is no news podcast.

I cherish the QSL cards, CDs of Bulgarian music and traditional red-and-white Martenitsa bracelets that I have received from you over the years.

Well, dear friends, may the celebrations, memories and plans for Radio Bulgaria's great future continue on the path towards its centenary!

With love,
David Yuresia, Argentina”

Our colleagues in the Albanian-language section received many greetings shared on Facebook — from Kemal Bala in Elbasan, Rudina Malaj and Zeki Bajrami in Tirana, and Erlin Ago, who lives in Plovdiv.

'Best wishes to our colleagues at Radio Bulgaria!' wrote Edison Myrteza, who is originally from the Albanian city of Korçë and now lives in Beijing.
'The very best! Happy 90th anniversary!' added Kemal Vlacaj from Tirana.

'I always carry Radio Bulgaria in Albanian in my heart. You are wonderful,' wrote Fadil Ribari from Pristina. His compatriot from Kosovo, Fadil Osmani, was brief but heartfelt: ‘Respect!’

'I will always stand by you,' promised Lek Bushpepa from Lezhë in Albania, who shared a deeply personal memory:

‘Thank you, Radio Bulgaria! In 1997, when I was an emigrant in Greece and communicating with my family was difficult, several of us kept in touch through Radio Bulgaria. It was a hard time for our people. Our relatives could hear our voices through Radio Bulgaria. The wonderful radio team made this connection possible by recording our messages on cassette tapes and broadcasting our greetings to our families.

Please convey our warmest regards to the staff from those years and our deepest gratitude for their dedication. May Christ protect and bless you and your families. Amen.”

'Happy 90th anniversary to dear Radio Bulgaria! It is a programme worthy of admiration, where the memory of legendary hosts is cherished, yet the true star is still Radio Bulgaria itself. May we never be without it. I will always present Bulgaria to the world!' pledged Hugo Longhi from Argentina.

'Zdraveite and Namaste to all my friends at BNR – Radio Bulgaria,

I take this opportunity to extend my heartiest felicitations on your glorious 90th anniversary. Radio Bulgaria’s excellence in broadcasting has earned the trust of a global audience to an unprecedented degree — educating, entertaining, and connecting us through the magic of today’s digital media.

As a long-time devoted listener, I wish to see Radio Bulgaria continue its triumphant march toward celebrating its centenary jubilee with pride and distinction.

May God bless Bulgaria and the dedicated members of BNR.

Warm regards from India,
Jayanta Chakrabarty”

“Dear friends, I would like to congratulate the best radio station in Europe broadcasting for listeners abroad on its 90th anniversary. You have always offered interesting and high-quality programmes, and I am confident that you will continue along this good path in the decades to come. I am very sorry that you did not receive the New Year’s card with my good wishes that I sent you. Please accept my wishes for happiness and success in your future work!”
— Miodrag Ristić, Serbia

Greetings also came from Cairo, Egypt, from Tarek Zeidan, a shortwave listener (SWL) and DX enthusiast since 1984.

“I am a General Manager for Marine Sales at an oil company in Cairo. In the 1980s, I listened to Radio Sofia in Arabic and English. I would like to wish you all the best on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of your first international broadcast. I wish you at least as many more years ahead!”

“I have been listening to Radio Bulgaria since the 1980s and followed both the expansion of communism in many Eastern European countries and their liberation from the regime. I appreciated the Arabic-language programmes before they were discontinued, and I still listen to the French broadcasts online. Nine decades of dedication, professionalism and renewal… Happy 90th anniversary, Radio Bulgaria — and many more years of success and achievement!”
— Ouni Amor Horbit, Germany

Horbit also shared a special keepsake — a brochure from his personal archive listing broadcast schedules from two to three decades ago.

From Hamburg, Germany, we also received a message from Emilia Yucker, Chair of the Bulgarian Women’s and Families’ Club: 

'Happy anniversary, Radio Bulgaria!
For ninety years, you have embodied hard work, affection, Bulgarian culture and language, and the connections between people and events. Thank you for featuring us in your programmes over the past 20 years. Thank you for your attention and for the high quality of your journalism. Thank you for your work. We wish the Radio Bulgaria teams good health, continued success and a bright future, as well as ongoing cooperation with Bulgarians in Bulgaria and around the world.”

'Happy anniversary to Radio Bulgaria and to everyone who makes it what it is,' wrote Snezhina Galcheva from Chicago on Facebook.

We also received congratulations from many other compatriots around the world, including Veneta Terzieva in Berlin, Elena Tsaneva in Chicago and Denitsa Yurge in Hungary.

Elka Ruskov from Los Angeles wrote: 'Happy anniversary, friends! Stay healthy and keep up the great work. We follow you and enjoy your programmes!”

Dimitrinka Yordanova from Italy added: 'Wishing you creative success and new horizons! Bulgarians abroad are waiting for you!”

Sabina Hristova from Papenburg, Germany, wrote: 'BNR is the Bulgarian media outlet that sets the standard. Keep building on it! Happy anniversary!”

We would like to thank everyone who took the time to read our publications, and we would like to congratulate the Radio Bulgaria team, whether they sent us a message, an emoji or a card. Thank you for your friendship. Your attention delights and inspires us.

Further reading:

• Radio Bulgaria draws a true map of Bulgaria on the world map
• Radio Bulgaria through the eyes of colleagues and listeners
• Radio Bulgaria at 90: A voice to the world
• Radio Bulgaria: If you don't know, let us recall…
• Radio Bulgaria: The mission goes on
  
  

Editor: Elena Karkalanova

Posted in English by E. Radkova