The Interpretation Centre of the Cathedral of St James

Last night in the area of the multimedia hall “St. Michael” inside the Interpretation Centre “Civitas Sacra” the premiere of the documentary film “Radio days of Vinko Kužina” was held.

The film is a tribute to a hard-working and modest man who did not seek the limelight or words of praise.
Vinko Kužina, engineer, radio editor (Šibenik, April 2, 1921), dissatisfied with the political system of communist Yugoslavia, emigrated to Italy on September 11, 1956 with his wife Nada and ten-year-old son Zoran. In World War II, he saves two American pilots who later enable him to live in America after he emigrated from Yugoslavia.
He is one of the founders and the long-time president of Croatian Radio in America, where he spent all his time, almost until the end of his life, in addition to working in the Croatian community.

The story of radio begins in mid-February 1969, when in the hall of the old church of the Croatian parish of St. Cyril and Methodius are gathered in Manhattan by a group of Croats. Their desire is to start radio shows for the Croatian community in New York and the surrounding area. This made it possible for the Croatian community to finally have its authentic voice and a powerful means of public information and connection.

The program was recorded in Jerko Colić’s home in Rego Park, Queens, and was hosted by Krunoslav Mašina and Vinko Kužina in Croatian and Ljubica Gal in English. The cameramen of the first show were Jerko Colić, Miro Gal, Eduard Martek and Luis Mervar.

Croatian Radio’s program opened musically with an aria from the opera “Ero s onoga svijeta” by Jakov Gotovac, followed by information about the purpose of broadcasts on Croatian radio and an overview of news from the homeland and the life of the Croatian community in New York. After the first show, the recording of the program moved to Brooklyn, in the home of Ivan and Marija Pintar. Ivan Pintar, moreover, was the technical director and administrative manager of Croatian Radio for a number of years. They were in that home, preparing radio programs from the beginning of the radio until the end of 1971.

In December 1971, the Croatian Radio studio moved to 28-85 Valentine Avenue in the Bronx, to the premises donated to Radio by Croatian activist Ante Nosić and his wife Anka.
In 1972, the club bought its own building. The first show from the new studio was broadcast on January 16, 1971. In the middle of 1972, Hrvatski Radio introduced a second permanent show, on Monday evenings, and in 1973 another one, on Thursday evenings. Thus, the Voice of Free Croatia arrived in the homes of Croats three times a week.
In 1975, the television station WBTB-TV, specializing in foreign language programs, invited the editorial staff of Croatian Radio to broadcast a one-hour television program in the Croatian language on their channels. The first show was shown on November 8, 1975. It was the first Croatian television show in the USA. It was edited and filmed by Krunoslav Mašina and Fr. Mladeno Čuvalo, prof. Bogdan Radica, Miro Gal and Miho Miketić.

Hrvatski Radio – Voice of Free Croatia broadcasts the program even today, and thanks to the Internet, it is available all over the world.

The premiere of the film is part of the official program marking the Day of the City of Šibenik and the feast of St. Michael, and it was attended by Paško Rakić, advisor for social activities, on behalf of the City. Vesna Banović, producer of the film, Sandra Basso, director and screenwriter of the film, Ivana Gudelj, collaborator on the script, and Nenad Bach and Jere Kursar, interlocutors in the film, were also present at the film premiere.

The film will soon be shown on HTV’s First Program.