How Slovak Radio_FM improved my life
Rádio_FM, the fourth broadcasting channel of the national Slovak Radio, is bringing music of many alternative genres and being a leader in the support of the fresh Slovak music scene. In the Slovak alternative community, Efemko (how Radio_FM is often called) is considered as one of the most important institutions. Today, at the 3rd of November, it’s been broadcasting for 15 years.
I encountered Efemko approximately in the half of its today age, in early 2012. I barely knew any of the artists who were being presented there, that culture was unknown to me. But I liked it. My playlist suddenly changed from Rihanna-like to The-xx-like, I started to enjoy the music, started to think about it and my life turned to a different direction.
I remember the exact moment when I was talking with a new friend, Renata, and she said: „Monika Kompaníková said so yesterday at Kušnierik’s…“ I had listened to the same talk show, Slová_FM, the day before, and I remember that my feeling towards this radio changed from the institutional to something personal, communal. Since then it was not only the platform that connects, but also the platform that we are a part of. Many other times did I hear people I know talking on the radio as guests. Or seeing a post-it with a few times written on it (eg. 13:50, 14:32) on my friend Maťa’s desk knowing that she was marking down times when songs she liked had played and she wanted to check them later and add them to her playlist.
As I checked my gmail history, I sent 18 e-mails to the studio during the last 6 years, which I remember three were read on air. I won a T-shirt, I attended several concerts that were organised by the radio, and every year I obsessively watch the live stream from the Radio_Head Awards (last time I was physically there), the only genuine Slovak quality music scene awarding. It is also a happening that is equally important to me as, say, elections.
„Hi, we know each other, right?“ addressed me Martin Staňo, the host of the morning show that’s been broadcast since I remember, on the RHA night. „From the social network,“ he clarified in the very public-media way. Even though he said „good morning“ to me more times than anyone else, the thing that he actually knows me was really touching. I felt happy being a part of this community though I hadn’t been living for almost 5 years in Slovakia at that time.

The Slovak music scene is something that I very much appreciate. A friend, Dany, marked me once as a latent nationalist, when I was saying how much I love it and how is the world (and Czechs) unfair to our scene. It’s not always the best, I sometimes scream at the speaker to stop playing this or that, but generally Slovak music makes more than 20 % of my last.fm scrobbles. And that’s just because of Rádio_FM. Per capita, Slovaks have the highest number of bands after the UK and Sweden (source: my mind, therefore it’s not probably truth). Just one playlist for all — long list of songs nominated for the award last year.

I know the vast majority of my favorite and most rotated artists via Rádio_FM, many times I prefer listening to it to spotify or podcasts and if I would name things that would make me move back to Slovakia, Efemko would certainly be one of them.
I’m addicted. To the music, to shows and mostly to the team behind. Všetko najlepšie, milé Rádio_FM, ďakujem za každú odvysielanú minútu, za všetky našlapané relácie, za Ráno na Efemku, Demovnicu, Wilsonic, Pohodu_FM, Baláža a Hubináka, Pomalú hudbu, za už ukončené Slová_FM a Od veci_FM. Nech sa vám / nám naďalej darí.
