A Personal Century: Reflecting on a Decade with Latvian Radio
Latvian Radio isn’t just a broadcaster; itS a cultural touchstone, a shared experience woven into the fabric of Latvian life. For Anda Buševica, a Latvian Radio editor adn publicist, it’s a deeply personal connection spanning ten years – and a lifetime of memories.
Buševica’s earliest recollections of radio stem from childhood, centered around the beloved program “Good evening, little friend!” and the comforting voice of Harry Misin. While she admits a preference for her mother’s bedtime stories, the program, complete with songs like those about the “Sleeping Elephant” and “Rip Rap Month,” nonetheless sparked a formative connection to the medium.
A more mature relationship with radio blossomed during school mornings,riding in the car with her father. Listening to Latvijas Radio 1, the commute was punctuated by news broadcasts and the vibrant jazz performances of the Radio big band. These moments weren’t just about information; they were about being “in real time, all at the same time united in a common wave of feelings.”
For Buševica, the enduring appeal of radio lies in it’s intimacy and accessibility. She champions the casual conversation format, highlighting its affordability and the uninterrupted flow of information it provides. “Radio is healthy for the human perception of the world, returning to the natural flow,” she argues, adding that it fosters a more genuine connection with the speaker. Ultimately, she believes that public media, like Latvian Radio, are vital for societal communication, built on a foundation of shared conversation and mutual understanding.
Buševica’s professional journey began at Latvijas Radio in 2007 as a producer for the program “Kultūras rondo,” a period marked by generational and technological shifts within the station. She vividly remembers the antiquated tape recorders – “the size of nightstands” – and the intricate process of physically cutting and splicing tapes. Listening to recordings from the radio library,she marvels at the dexterity required of past broadcasters. Though, she also notes a surprising stiffness in interviews from the mid-20th century, a result of broadcasters reading directly from scripts, a practice explained to her by senior colleagues.
The history of Latvian Radio is inextricably linked to pivotal moments in the nation’s story, most notably the Barricades of January 1991. This year, Latvian Radio 1 is broadcasting “Creating and broadcasting for 100 years,” a program prepared by Zane Lāce, which details the remarkable efforts to maintain broadcasting during a critical period.The program recounts how an option transmitter,Vējupīte,was prepared when the signal from the Zaķusala tower was interrupted,and how a makeshift evacuation plan – involving a board thrown across a neighboring windowsill – was devised to protect radio personnel.
Buševica also reflects on the vibrant social life that once surrounded the radio station. Anniversaries were grand affairs,filled with music,singing,and gatherings in the building’s stairwells and corridors. while those traditions have faded, the custom of greeting every colleague, regardless of familiarity, remains a cherished part of the station’s culture.
As Latvian radio celebrates its anniversary as part of the Latvian Public Media, encompassing audio, visual, and print formats, Buševica draws on her own experience as a journalist across all three mediums. She recalls the “revolution” of transitioning from the newspaper Kultūras forum to Latvian Television’s cultural program “100 grams of culture.” The biggest adjustment, she discovered, was recognizing that in broadcast media, how something is said is frequently enough as critically important as what is said.Initially frustrated by what she perceived as performative displays, she eventually learned to appreciate the serendipitous discoveries that emerged from allowing conversations to unfold organically. This approach,she explains,cultivates a heightened awareness – “to learn to press the switch of the recording equipment a second before the decisive moment and to hold the recorder like a gun,always on the arm. Because you never know when the program will start recording.”
