The Voice of Armenia: 100 years of public broadcasting

The Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) and the Public Radio of Armenia are partners within the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). This year, our Armenian colleagues are celebrating the 100th anniversary of their broadcasting service. To mark the occasion, they have sent the foreign-language services of Radio Bulgaria a special presentation on the history of the broadcaster and its relationship with its audience from 1926 to the present day.

Listen!

If you look at a world map or globe today, you will hardly notice Armenia. Among the world's 194 countries, we rank 138th in terms of area, covering just under 30,000 square kilometres. Only when you zoom in does Armenia come into view. Zoom in further and you can make out a country whose outline resembles the profile of a woman's face. Perhaps that is why we Armenians call our country "Mother Armenia".

But today's conversation is not about Armenia or its historical past. We would like to talk about an event that took place exactly 100 years ago, on 1 September 1926. On that day, the Armenian Radio addressed its listeners over the airwaves for the first time. The historic words were: "Listen! Listen! This is the Yerevan Radio Broadcasting Station speaking."

Regular broadcasts eventually began on 15 June 1927.

From 1929 onwards, programmes were presented for the first time by professional radio announcers.

Today, practically anyone with a smartphone and an internet connection can start a live broadcast from virtually anywhere. Decades ago, however, this was an insurmountable technical challenge even for many specialised institutions equipped with dedicated technology, let alone for individuals.

On 1 May 1934, the editorial team responsible for social and political programmes organised the first-ever live radio report from Yerevan's Lenin Square, today's Republic Square. It was presented by radio announcer Yegishe Hovhannisyan.

The first live sports broadcast took place on 15 September 1937 at Yerevan's Republican Stadium, during a football match between Spartak Yerevan and Dynamo Moscow.

The tragic fate of the Armenian people scattered us Armenians across the world. The time came when Armenian Radio decided to produce and broadcast programmes for our compatriots living abroad as well.

In 1947, the Armenian Radio began preparing programmes for the diaspora. The first such programme was broadcast on 10 September 1947 at 7 p.m. And the first words were: "This is Yerevan, this is Yerevan..."

Alongside all this, public broadcasting has another fundamental mission: preserving our audio heritage. Whether it is called an archive, a phonotheque, or a golden collection, the essence remains the same: safeguarding Armenia's national cultural treasures and passing them on to future generations.

Today, the Amernian Radio phonotheque contains 102,422 audio tapes with a total duration of 12,324 hours. Naturally, these recordings have been digitised, so they can no longer be lost, erased, destroyed by fire or simply disappear. They include music recordings, radio dramas, speeches by prominent figures, addresses and broadcasts, and by no means only in Armenian or exclusively related to Armenia. We also preserve recordings in the languages of many other peoples.

The Public Radio of Armenia has a rich heritage and a wealth of wonderful stories born out of collaborations with prominent Armenian writers, composers and artists.

Another distinctive feature of our broadcaster is that we have four resident musical ensembles. The oldest of them, the Aram Merangulian Honoured Ensemble of Folk Instruments, is also celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. They are joined by the Estrada Symphony Orchestra, the Sayat-Nova Ashugh Ensemble and the Arevik Children's Music Ensemble.

It was precisely the Arevik ensemble that represented Armenia at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest for the first time in 2007, finishing in second place. In 2021, Armenia's Junior Eurovision representative, Maléna, won the competition, and as a result, the following year's contest, in 2022, was held in Armenia.

Incidentally, Armenia also hosted the international Eurovision Young Musicians competition this year, in 2026.

Radio today is no longer simply radio. It is a multimedia platform, a major media holding comprising seven radio programmes, dozens of large and small recording studios, a website and video productions. The website of Radio Armenia is available in twelve languages and features both the languages of Armenia's national minorities and those of the countries in the region.

Today, the Public Radio of Armenia is a full member of the European Broadcasting Union. On this occasion, we would also like to congratulate our four partner broadcasters from Ireland, Croatia, Lithuania and Finland, which are likewise celebrating their centenaries this year.

Wherever you live, whoever you may be, if you ever find yourself in Yerevan, come and visit the Public Radio of Armenia. Right here at the entrance, you will be greeted by our singing statue, from which beautiful, sophisticated Armenian music can be heard every day. Our building, constructed in 1956 and still serving radio and the public to this day, is known as "Radiotun", the Radio House. This is our home. The home of our national culture, our music, literature, spirit and spoken word."

On the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Armenian Radio, we wish our colleagues continued success in their dedicated efforts to promote and preserve the cultural wealth of their country!

Edited by R. Petkova