On Aug. 1, 2023, The Library of Congress informed WJCU’s Hungarian-American community genre show, “Bocskai Rádió,” via email that the Hungarian website was selected for preservation in the Voices of Eastern and Central European Americans Web Archive.
In this collection, The Library of Congress digitally stores publications such as newspapers, web pages, printed material and photos from Eastern and Central European voices living in America.
Since 1984, “Bocskai Rádió, The Voice of Hungary,” has been on the air, serving Greater Cleveland’s Hungarian-American community. The program was first organized by a Hungarian student at JCU and remains one of WJCU’s longest community genre shows as well as the longest Hungarian language show in the nation’s diaspora.
“Bocskai Rádió” is supported by nationally-recognized Hungarian organizations such as American Hungarian Friends of Scouting, The Hungarian Scout Association in Exteris and The American Hungarian Federation from Washington DC. WJCU currently airs the show on Sundays from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Zsolt Molnar, director of Bocskai Rádió and chief editor of the corresponding website since 2019, illustrates the show’s ecstasy towards the news.“I was asked to give permission to the Library to archive the contents of the Bocskai Rádió’s website for current and future researchers.”
At first, he bypassed the email, interpreting the notification as a scam. After careful authentication, Molnar confirmed the email domain as the Library of Congress and celebrated the outstanding achievement.
“For the editors of the Bocskai Rádió, this achievement means that the work we do is important and valuable not only for us, but also for the world’s largest library.”
According to Molnar, the mission of the website and broadcast is to provide “a bridge between Hungarians living in the US diaspora and the Carpathian basin,” emphasizing that this reward would not be possible without the listeners of the show.
“This achievement is also a confirmation to our listeners that their financial support has been put to good use and led to the preservation of Hungarian heritage in the American diaspora.”
On behalf of the Hungarian-American community, Molnar accepts not only the honor but also the duty that he believes is bestowed upon “Bocskai Rádió” following this milestone.
“In the database of the US Library of Congress, there are only three other websites archived about Hungarians. Unfortunately, all three websites are inactive (online) as of today. So, the Bocskai Rádió’s website has a big task to keep being active as long as it can.”
After receiving the news, Molnar anticipates the future of the Hungarian show, having the show’s 40th anniversary on his radar. “Our plan is to engage more students and volunteers from the community. We also hope to increase the number of our supporters and sponsors to cover the expenses related to website maintenance and security.”
Most of all, he expresses his gratitude towards WJCU for accommodating a channel to reach the Hungarian community. “We are grateful for the air-time, the various opportunities and support WJCU provides to the Hungarian community living in greater Cleveland and people around the world, through its online reach.”
