The station, launched on March 1, 1936, is part of Poland’s public radio network.
It broadcasts programmes on developments in Poland and the wider region, Polish foreign policy, the economy, business and foreign investment.
Polish Radio’s External Service, or Polskie Radio dla Zagranicy, aims to provide objective and impartial information about Poland and the country’s stance on international affairs.
It reports on developments in Polish society, its daily life as well as scientific and cultural achievements.
The polskieradio.pl website, part of Polish Radio’s External Service, is a leading English-language resource for Polish news.
Updated regularly all day, every day, the website covers domestic and foreign affairs, the economy and business, culture, sports and human interest stories.
The founding date of Polish Radio’s External Service is considered to be March 1, 1936, when regular bilingual Polish-English shortwave programmes began airing from Warsaw three times a week.
A year later, a second shortwave station was launched and the schedule expanded. Letters soon began arriving from the United States, often praising the “very interesting talks about Poland” and the “lovely Polish music.”
More shortwave transmitters followed, along with programmes in additional languages — including Portuguese, Italian, Czech, French and Hungarian. This dynamic growth was abruptly halted by the outbreak of World War II in September 1939.
Foreign-language broadcasting resumed in 1944. Throughout the postwar communist era, Polish Radio’s External Service produced programmes in numerous world languages, expanding its reach to audiences in South America, Africa and the Arab world.
At its peak, the service employed around 600 full-time staff.
In the 1990s, after the fall of communism, the focus shifted eastward, with the creation of Belarusian and Ukrainian editorial teams.
In 2007, Polish Radio’s External Service launched its news website, now available at www.polskieradio.pl.
Today, Polskie Radio dla Zagranicy broadcasts in Polish and five foreign languages: English, German, Ukrainian, Russian and Belarusian.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the broadcaster has been running a dedicated 24-hour Polish Radio for Ukraine service.
(mo)
Source: polskieradio.pl