CROATIAN RADIO CLUB NY ESTABLISHMENT

Strong desire, courage, and love for the Homeland led a few Croatians in the 1960s to set up a radio that would broadcast the news of our Homeland in the Croatian language.

Winter 1969. One evening in mid-February, a group of Croatians gather in the hall of the old church of the Croatian Parish of St. Cyril and Methodius at 550 West, 50th Street in Manhattan. Their wish is to launch radio shows for the Croatian community in New York and its surroundings. A cold, snowy night prevented many patrons from coming to the founding session of the Croatian Radio Club. That evening, there were members - founders: Mirko Baric, Jerko Colich, Fr. Mladen Cuvalo, Miro Gal, Bruno Govorcin, Ivan Kundid, Vinko Kuzina, Marko Kristic, Ivan Labrovic, Eduard Martek, Krunoslav Masina, Br. Vitomir Naletilic, Ante Nosic, Ivan Pintar, Duro Raguz and Bozo Radalj. Many of them today are no longer with us. Rest in peace.

The president was elected Miro Gal with the charge of finding radio stations in New York that could broadcast the Croatian program. Gal performed his task at a lightning speed. Only ten days after the founding assembly of the WHBI radio station, the 30  minutes program is held in Croatian language. But only then was it necessary to work hard and do something that none of these amateurs - the founder was experienced. The club did not have the required technique, even the gramophone board. And to make it worse, only two shows could be broadcast with the available money. It had to react quickly because the first show was followed in a few days.

First radio show was broadcasted on February, 22nd 1969.