English Options on Czech Radio

With iPods and the Internet, the radio has become less necessary as a source of music. However, there is something about tuning into a regular show, such as personality of the presenter, the chance of hearing rare recordings or performances, to share opinions, find out what’s happening in our local area and the feeling of being part of some broader community of listeners. So what options are their for English speakers?The answer to that question depends on whether you’re interested in music or discussion. A search through the FM band at any given time uncovers plenty of English language tunes from a variety of genres from Top 40, classic rock to contemporary RnB. While most of the presentation is done in Czech, it probably wouldn’t hurt to contact them in English when requesting a song or asking for a track that was just played since English is pretty much the dominant language, for good or ill, of contemporary music.

runs under the slogan “víc hudby, míň slov”, literally “more music, fewer words,” or as they would say back home “more music, less talk”. Regular shows include Hity bez Reklam (Commercial Free Hits) Monday to Friday, except Thursday, from 15:55 to 16:55 and Osmdesátka (Eighties) and Devadesátka (Nineties) every week night starting at 8pm and 9pm respectively. If you prefer commercial pop, this would be the place to start.Radio Bonton 99.7 FM is another option for pop music aficionados. From 8pm until midnight, the show runs without a presenter. The music is a mix of popular hits from the last few years in a number of genres. If you want just music, this would be for you, though it does lack the human touch.

Fans of classic rock might want to tune into Radio Beat 95.3 FM in Prague (only in Czech). Sunday night from 8pm there is Hard ‘n’ Heavy. Wednesday from 8pm there is a special of live performances called Bez lupenu do kotle (Without a Ticket into the Moshpit. Kotel, literary ‘boiler’, is the slang for mosh pit.) You can send music tips during the show to the host Honza ‘Metal’ Hamerník by SMS: 724 58 58 58, or e-mail studio@radiobeat.cz. On Tuesdays and Thursdays there is the Midnight Album which you can vote for on-line. Otherwise, late in the evenings there is ‘non-stop rock’ to satiate your inner rock’n’roll animal.

Another English presenter can be found at Radio Wave, a part of Český rozhlas. His name is Craig Duncan and he hosts a show called Friday Ripple on Friday evenings at 5pm The show is truly eclectic and refreshingly diverse. You can hear Armenian post-rock, afro-punk from Trinidad, and Cambodian surf rock, and that’s just in one show. Duncan, who has been doing the show since 2008, clearly has a passion for his music. For him, cities like Soweto and Beirut are at “the forefront of modern music.” He thinks, “The future of alternative music is not the First World.” If you miss the show, you can catch it on the archive on the Jukebox.

The first radio station which comes to mind is the BBC World Service. In Prague, they broadcast 101.1 FM in English is 18 hours a day at 00:00 – 8:00, 11:00 – 13:00, 16:00 – 24:00. Of particular interest would be the chance to follow news about Europe in English.For more local content, Radio Praha is the most comprehensive station. Radio Praha is actually the international broadcast service for Český rozhlas. Apart from programs in English, the station broadcasts in French, Spanish and Russian. The easiest way to follow Radio Praha here is online. If you’re not familiar with the station, it covers wide range of topics from literature, history and current affairs.