Prvih deset godina Radiotelevizije Zagreb
The First Ten Years of Radiotelevision Zagreb

Summary/Abstract: The founding of any television broadcaster demands substantial financial investments because the production of programmes costs the same regardless of whether one is producing a programme for millions or several thousand viewers. Almost all television broadcasters began their development as parts of radio stations (BBC in the United Kingdom, CBS and NBC in the USA). The television broadcaster founded by Radio Zagreb as one of its departments is no exception.The rapid development of television in the technological and programmatic sense after World War II led to it taking away an increasingly large media space from other information and entertainment sources, so that it quickly became independent and grew into the dominant mass medium. Public television in Croatia (Yugoslavia) underwent the same development path as other public television broadcasters in Europe, albeit much later than the broadcasters that served as its role models (BBC and RAI) and in significantly tougher financial and social circumstances. The enthusiasm and professionalism of the people involved in the creation of television in Zagreb were of decisive importance for its later development. All those who joined the project showed a readiness to master something completely unknown and to learn on the go.Many have written about the time and circumstances in which television appeared in Croatia as the time of enthusiasts of Radio Zagreb. As Ivan Šibl said, the enthusiasm and passion of these people for the new medium was not curbed by the eternal lack of money or by the political and social circumstances of the time. Starting from almost nothing, on their on their own initiative, with much ingenuity, professionalism, and, above all, much love, they created the first television broadcaster in Yugoslavia. Sadly, instead of affirmation, this pioneering work of Radio Zagreb caused much envy and obstructions.Still, once they had begun, they became unstoppable. They learned on the go and, learning from their mistakes, created a programme of increasingly higher quality. Even though they planned to make a television network in Croatia in only a few years (1956–1960), the financial and political circumstances did not allow this, so the whole process dragged out for almost two decades. But they managed to create the foundations of modern television from almost nothing. The increasing viewership through the years is a clear indicator of the success of their work.No less important, in the time and in social conditions in which they lived, was their courage to consciously choose to broadcast foreign television programmes, because they could not influence the contents of Italian and Austrian television. Even though these were mostly sports, entertainment, and cultural programmes, they opened a ‘window into the world’ for their audience.In a way, the beginning of television in Zagreb is linked to football. Everything always began with the broadcasting of football matches, from persuading individuals to attracting viewers at the very beginning. Of course, the sports programme was always the most viewed part of the television programme.However, once they began to produce a television programme, they became unstoppable. Thanks to numerous enthusiasts, starting from just one small, makeshift studio, they created the foundations upon which most public—and private—television broadcasters in today’s Croatia rest.

• Details
• Contents