site.btaBNR Envisages Programme for Bulgarian Communities Abroad

BNR Envisages Programme for Bulgarian Communities Abroad

Athens, November 7 (BTA) - The Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) plans to launch a programme about the Bulgarian communities abroad, said Hristin Strizhlev, member of the BNR Management Board, during a discussion within the 11th World Meeting of the Bulgarian Media, organized by the Bulgarian News Agency and the Association of Bulgarian Media Abroad in Athens.

It is time that BNR demonstrates the self-confidence of a serious public media, i.e. to find a way to extend its coverage including to territories outside the country - in regions, countries and settlements densely populated with Bulgarians, said Strizhlev.

An important aspect of this idea is to create a content that would be interesting for the Bulgarian communities abroad. It may be similar or different from the existing BNR programmes, a fully new broadcast or a compilation of existing programmes, he continued adding that BNR will be expecting opinions and proposals from the participants in the forum.

The programme is expected to be launched first in Chicago and will last two hours daily. Talks are being held with Bosilegrad and Dimitrovgrad in Serbia, Ukraine and Canada, Strizhlev stated.

Funding will be ensured through savings and within the Communication Programme of the Foreign Ministry.

Within the last eighth panel of the five-day meeting entitled, "Knowledge of Bulgarians across the World", statements were made by Silvia Avdala of the electronic publication, Aliya.bg, in Israel, Lyudmila Radeva of the "Izvor" [Spring] paper, based in Ukraine, and Georgi Donkov of the BG Glas [BG voice] website.

Development of an Internet forum and information channel that would be supplied with news from Bulgarian media from around the world was proposed during the discussion.

According to Georgi Donkov, by 2009 schools had been built at many points around the world inhabited by Bulgarians and the efforts of the modern Bulgarian communities are focused on preserving these educational centres regardless of the way in which financing is provided.

Dora Kostova, who has been issuing the "Roden Krai" [Homeland] paper in Ukraine for 26 years now, received the 2015 award for contribution to the spreading of Bulgarian culture via a Bulgarian-language media abroad by the 13 Centuries Bulgaria National Donation Fund. The award was given to Kostova within the 11th World Meeting of the Bulgarian media.

"The Management Board of 13 Centuries Bulgaria intends to make the award traditional. In the following months the Fund will propose a status of the award and a nomination procedure because we wish that media workers would be able to make nominations themselves," said the Fund's Executive Director Mitko Todorov.

In a conclusive address to the participants, BTA Director General Maxim Minchev said that for 11 years now the forum has been proving its useful mission. He urged the participants to come up with ideas about the agenda, guests and topics of the future editions of the forum and to provide assistance for making contacts with other Bulgarian media around the world.

The 11th World Meeting of Bulgarian Media took place with the support of CEZ Bulgaria, Coca-Cola Bulgaria, EKO Bulgaria, Mtel, Eurobank Ergasias, Postbank, Aurubis Bulgaria, Weiss Profil, and Sofia Med.