Head of National Radio Says This Media Outlet Is Bulgaria's Audio Memory

Nikolay Zabov

Bulgarian National Radio Director General Milen Mitev, Sofia, July 9, 2026 (BTA Photo/Milena Stoykova)

Sofia,

09.07.2026 18:57

(BTA)

Addressing an event dedicated to presenting the June issue of LIK magazine here on Thursday, Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) Director General Milen Mitev said that the BNR is the country's audio memory, just as the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) is its written memory. The June issue of the magazine is dedicated to opera singer Ghena Dimitrova's 85th birth anniversary.

At the start of his speech, Mitev thanked BTA Director General Kiril Valchev for the partnership between the two public media outlets and for the opportunity for material from the radio's archives to reach a wider audience through LIK.

Mitev reported that there are two main categories of recordings in the BNR archives. One consists of musical works, for which free access is often restricted due to copyright and related rights, and the other consists of interviews, which will gradually be made available to the public.

The head of the BNR noted that BNR, BTA, and the Bulgarian National Television have completed a project under the Recovery and Resilience Plan, through which they have digitized a significant portion of their archival collections. "Soon, even more materials, including audio recordings, will be available on the BNR Archive's website, allowing us to hear the voices of great Bulgarians, such as Ghena Dimitrova," he added.

Addressing LIK Editor-in-Chief Georgi Lozanov's comments on the belonging of Dimitrova, Mitev agreed that when a talent transcends the borders of their own country, they inevitably become part of world culture. He said: "When a voice is too great for the borders of a country, it inevitably becomes global. But it is important for these great artists of ours to represent our country with a sense of pride in the fact that they came from Bulgaria."

Mitev emphasized that opera is among Bulgaria's most successful cultural achievements on the world stage. He added: "Fortunately, opera is one of Bulgaria's finest and highest-quality exports. Bulgarian opera singers have enjoyed – and continue to enjoy – fame throughout the world." He stated that Bulgarians still owe a debt to their great opera performers, whose work should be more actively presented to contemporary audiences.

The head of the BNR shared that the National Radio has launched a series of albums featuring recordings by Bulgarian opera singers.

/RY/