The Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) celebrates its 81st anniversary on Monday.

On 25 January 1935, Tsar Boris III signed a decree which made radio diffusion in the then Kingdom of Bulgaria a state property.

BNR’s history of broadcasting began with a seven-hour program, which used to include news broadcasted two times a day for ten minutes.

After 1 May 1937, programmes became regular - five times a week, in Bulgarian, Italian, French, German and English.

In September, 1940 the radio made its first direct emission with the celebration of the restoration of Southern Dobruja region to the Kingdom of Bulgaria.

Today Radio Bulgaria issues programmes in eleven languages: Bulgarian, English, German, Russian, French, Spanish, Serbian, Greek, Albanian, Turkish and Arabic languages.

On Monday the radio awarded its annual Sirak Skitnik prize to its folklore music orchestra.

The prize is awarded for considerable contribution to the development of BNR and is named after the pen name of the radio's first appointed director.