Radio Tatras International

Radio Tatras International (RTI) was an English/Slovak radio station based in the Slovak Republic.[1] It was started on 9 April 2005, although the idea was created several years earlier. The RTI concept was to unite European Citizens and enable Europeans to practise their English skills via radio.

The station did feature some Slovak content, however it was mainly in English.

From the outset RTI has always been a service to encourage Europeans to look favourably at the Slovak Republic. In fact some moved from highly paid positions to enable RTI to exchange views, ideas and send positive messages about Slovakia from The Heart Of Europe to The World.

RTI done a few things that they were criticised for, even though they were assisting various communities: -

  1. Launching the first ever radio appeal to help children living in homes in the area, the former Poprad stations never bothered.
  2. Coaching a German citizen in Slovak so that he could ask his fiancée to marry him in Slovak live on air.
  3. Assisting in the launch of the Country Wide Cycling Proficiency scheme following the death of a toddler on his bicycle. RTI gained all the sponsors and the local Poprad Police commended RTI, in writing, for all its efforts.
  4. During the tragic fires in the Tatras RTI cancelled it's English programmes to broadcast informative messages in Slovak and English to ensure as many tourists as possible did not go into danger areas. Just broadcasting those messages in Slovak would have meant that non-Slovak tourists (German, Russian, Dutch, English speakers) would not have remained in touch with the latest news. The English broadcasts were monitored as far away as Washington D.C. and Stockholm both of whom called to offer assistance to the Slovak Republic.
  5. No other stations has ever entered into projects to generate new investment in the region by virtue of using its English language broadcasting, in the respect of foreign companies who do not learn a language before investing in a country - only looking at what the country can do for them. They can only establish these facts in a language that is unlikely to be Slovak. The RTI initiative known as Welcome To Slovakia has encouraged companies to come to the Tatry region and make jobs available in, one case, an industry that lost over 14,000 jobs in five years within the Slovak Republic. The RTI projects have already generated 250 jobs in that sector and the signs are that the investor will expand its operation in the region producing even more new jobs.
  6. An IT company has purchased capacity in Poprad purely due to the very same initiative.
  7. The world famous Ministry Of Sound didn't contact a number of stations when it was ready to book its 2009 special. It contacted RTI, primarily because they could communicate with RTI and that the station has a good reputation - that reputation, and even more important the reputation of the Slovak Republic as a good European partner, is now under threat purely because of the position RTI has been placed in.
  8. A young music writer was confronted with the same message from other stations "Come back when you are famous". That young Slovak musician has since had a top-selling album, been included in a top selling Slovak CD compilation, and has been booked to play in Germany and the USA. The Slovak musician was trying to get his English language track on air to share with the world. RTI was honoured to be the first Slovak station to play his highly acclaimed material.
  9. Since the start of RTI its profile has also seen other music artists benefit. This was totally due to English stations listening to the English shows that carry better quality Slovak music. RTI was honoured to put producers of English stations in touch with the Slovak artists so their material could be aired on UK only stations. Those producers spoke no Slovak and therefore the bands would have never had such contact without the English language shows.

The station is currently battling a legal dispute regarding broadcasting English language material on FM radio in the Slovak Republic.

RTI closed its international English service 11.00pm GMT on the 25th January 2009, despite a vast amount of support. It is hoped they will broadcast again after winning their legal battle.[2]

English Language programs still originate from its website

The station, February 2010, started broadcasting via the [AudioBoo service http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AudioBoo]. The official entry on AudioBoo can be found here [1]. There is also a user guide on [2]

References

  1. ^ World Radio and Television Handbook 2007. Milton Keynes, UK: WRTH Publications Limited. 2007. pp. 471. ISBN 0953586499. 
  2. ^ "Statement of Closure of RTI on FM in Slovakia and the Exchange Agreement.". 2009-12-24. http://rtislovakia.blogspot.com/2009/01/statement-of-temporary-closure-of-rti.html. 

External links