News

18-05-2013 19:36 CEST | Ian Willoughby

• Saturday is the 90th anniversary of the first broadcast by Czechoslovak, later Czech, Radio.  
• Politicians from across the spectrum have criticised Miloš Zeman’s refusal to name as professor an academic who opposed his candidacy for president.  
• The prime minister has criticised the composition of the new academic council of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes.  
• Conductor Lorin Maazel made his first appearance at the Prague Spring festival in 43 years on Friday night.  
• Jablonec have lifted Czech domestic soccer’s main cup competition after defeating Mladá Boleslav on penalties.  

Sunday Music Show

Josef Špaček – unforgettable at Prague Spring

19-05-2013 02:01 | Jan Velinger

In this week's Sunday Music Show we feature works from Czech violin virtuoso Josef Špaček's debut.  More

Play: (29:20)

Special

Prague students bring the past to life for the radio’s 90th birthday

18-05-2013 02:01 | David Vaughan

It is exactly 90 years since the very first regular radio broadcasts in Czechoslovakia began on 18 May 1923. These were humble beginnings, starting in a borrowed scouts’ tent on the edge of Prague. But within just a few years, radio became central to the lives of millions of Czechoslovaks and over the decades the archives here in the Czech Radio headquarters have become an Aladdin’s Cave of sound, a living audio source for anyone wanting to research into twentieth century Czechoslovak history.  More

Play: (29:37)

Arts

Best-selling author Robert Fulghum: all the ‘real’ writing happens when I am doing other things

17-05-2013 15:56 | Pavel Novák, Jan Velinger

It’s no secret that American writer Robert Fulghum loves the Czech Republic and that his books, published by Argo, have proven immensely popular here. He has been back at least ten times over the years to promote his work, from his famous All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten to his latest, Memories of One Adventure. More

Play: (07:00)

Marketplace

Planned university reform seeks to improve cooperation with industry

15-05-2013 | Jan Richter

Czech universities are set for the biggest change in years. After several failed attempts in the past, the Education Ministry is finalizing reform legislation that should help universities adapt to the changing environment; the reform seeks, among other things, to diversify the universities and change their financing. It should also improve cooperation between universities and industry. But how does the business sector see the ministry’s efforts?  More

Play: (09:26)

One on One

Corruption universal but corruption tourism unique to Prague, says tour boss Petr Šourek

13-05-2013 13:13 | Ian Willoughby

One of the more colourful news stories out of the Czech Republic last year concerned Corrupt Tour, which started running excursions – in Czech, English and German – to sites linked to graft. These include the villas of dodgy businessmen, Prague City Hall and the spot where the city’s “Olympic centre” was projected to stand.  More

Play: (10:01)

Czech History

Communist scholar Zdeněk Nejedlý subject of award-winning biography

11-05-2013 02:01 | Jan Richter

Zdeněk Nejedlý was an influential Czech musicologist and Communist politician. Most often remembered as a passionate admirer of the composer Bedřich Smetana, he was also instrumental in linking Communist ideology to Czech traditions. A new biography of Nejedlý by Jiří Křesťan offers a more complex view of the man whose life illustrates the perils Czech intellectuals faced in the 20th century.  More

Play: (11:50)