Dear readers.

This issue is rather untypical--it comes with a CD that is entirely devoted to Czech popular music. Yet the "pop" on the CD is not at all the commercial globalised mainstream kind, but consists of original works of a high standard, as well as showing a wide range of styles. Still, it IS pop-music, a genre that our magazine usually keeps away from. We shah be continuing to keep away from it, but this time we decided to take up the offer of collaboration with the Music Institute of the Theatre Institute in Prague, which has published the CD. If you find this taste of Czech pop-music enjoyable and interesting, we shall be pleased. If not. you will no doubt be able to think of ecological ways of disposing of it... The regular historical article spot is this time devoted to the beginnings of radio broadcasting in Czechoslovakia. Our interview with Michal Rataj, composer and radio producer, also picks up the theme of music and radio broadcasting. As we all know. the economic situation is gloomy everywhere in the world. The Czech Republic is no exception, even if the situation if far from as bad here as the journalists of various august "Times" newspapers seem to think (their geography is rather muddled, and they have confused the CR with other much-worse hit nations). I can therefore recommend J. Vavra's balanced article on the possible effects of the financial crisis on our cultural sector. Although, who knows what will happen a week from now ...?

Wishing you a beautiful spring