To mark the 100th anniversary of LRT RADIO, we revisit some of the most colourful moments in the broadcaster’s century-long story.

​Lithuanian radio history began on June 12, 1926. “Hello, hello – Lithuanian Radio – Kaunas,” were the first words broadcast on air. At the time, there were only 323 radio receivers in the country.​The radio studio in Kaunas was soon flooded with postcards carrying greetings and well-wishes from its small audience. At the same time, rumours spread that the new invention disrupted the natural order and even caused storms, with radio waves being blamed for changes in the weather.​The arrival of television​At 19:45 on April 30, 1957, Lithuanian Television began broadcasting.​“Attention, attention, this is Vilnius speaking and showing. We are beginning the trial programme of the Vilnius Television Studio,” announced the first transmission, marking the start of the television era in Lithuania.​The first announcers were Gražina Bigelytė and Juozas Baranauskas, who became broadcasting legends and some of the best-known public figures of their time.

​The LRT archives preserve a famous photograph showing Baranauskas presenting a programme with his feet immersed in a basin of water. The heat from the studio lights made working conditions unbearable, and he used water to cool off.​“It was June 1961, when US President John F Kennedy met Nikita Khrushchev in Vienna. There was no air conditioning. So I dressed appropriately, but put my feet in cold water. Viewers would not have wanted to watch a presenter dripping with sweat,” Baranauskas later recalled.​Programmes that stood the test of time​On September 28, 1957, the programme Nature, Hunting and Fishing (Gamta, Medžioklė, Žūklė) was broadcast on the radio for the first time. It was later renamed Nature – Everyone’s Home (Gamta – Visų Namai) and remains on air today.​On October 21, 1962, a programme dedicated to rural life was launched. It later evolved into Native Land (Gimtoji Žemė), which is still broadcast today. Its presenters continue to cover issues affecting rural communities and travel across Lithuania to meet contributors.​On December 25, 1965, the live television serial The Petraitis Family (Petraičių Šeima) premiered. It became so popular that streets would empty, and trolleybuses ran almost without passengers during broadcasts. The series was created by the legendary director Galina Dauguvietytė.