THE ROLE OF THE NATIONAL AND SHORTWAVE RADIO BELGRADE IN THE SPREAD OF SERBIAN FOLKLORE AND SCHLAGER MUSIC IN THE 1930s

Abstract

In 1929, the regular broadcast of Radio Belgrade began in the broader area of the Yugoslav capital. The royal government immediately noticed the new media’s potential. The regime invested in state-of-the-art broadcasting technology, which soon made it possible for a radio signal to reach even the most distant corner of the country. Almost expectedly, the ruling elites edited and censored the program from its very beginning. Regular broadcasts included news, sports events, and talk shows, but – as in other countries – mostly music. Although virtually all the genres were present in the musical program, editorial board members underlined the significance of Serbian folklore and schlager. The former genre was associated with the majority of the population living in the rural areas of Serbia. The latter drew explicit references to the growing urban population, most notably Belgrade, which had developed Jazz nightlife and begun a process of proto-westernization. These tendencies went even further into the mid-1930s when a shortwave program dedicated to the Yugoslav diaspora commenced. According to some evidence, which will be presented in this paper, these broadcasts became popular to an unprecedented degree. The first and second generations of Yugoslav expatriates sent letters and telegrams from all the continents, suggesting the type of music they wanted to hear. The article explores how the popular music selection of the national and shortwave Radio Belgrade managed to capture the collective attention of the Serbs and other Yugoslavs worldwide in the era long before the Internet.