Radio broadcasts in Ukraine, at the time
part of the USSR, began in
Kharkiv on 16 November 1924, and a nationwide radio network was initiated in 1928. (In the first years of the USSR Kharkiv was the capital of Ukraine, from December 1919 to January 1934, after which the capital relocated to
Kiev, together with headquarters of Ukrainian Radio.) Programs in the Ukrainian language were initially limited in time and content – more than 70% were political education and agitation: radio newspapers, reports, conversations, news, conferences and meetings. Later the programs of radio stations in Ukraine were extended with music, literature and drama programs for children and youth. During the
World War II, Ukrainian Radio never ceased its operations. At first it had to return to Kharkiv, then to
Stalingrad, and later to
Saratov, from where regular Ukrainian language broadcasts were conducted. Today's residence of the Ukrainian Radio at 26 Khreschatyk str. in Kyiv was built in 1949–1951 at the first national TV and radio center, fully equipped with domestic equipment. On 6 November 1951, the first TV broadcast came out of its studio. Ukrainian TV was located there until the 1990s, then moved to new TV-center "Pencil", so residence on Khreschatyk remained the headquarters of radio. During the USSR period, the State Committee on Television and Radio Broadcasting of the Ukrainian SSR had conducted the broadcasting on the channels of the Ukrainian Radio. In the early 1990s, the committee was transformed into the State Broadcasting Company of Ukraine. In 1995, the National Radio Company of Ukraine was isolated from the State Broadcasting Company of Ukraine. In 1995–2016 the National Radio Company of Ukraine was a state-owned company. 16 November is celebrated as the Day of radio, television and communications workers in Ukraine in honor of the start of broadcasting of the Ukrainian radio in 1924. It is a news and current affairs channel that also features literary and musical programmes, programmes for children and youth. Ukrainian Radio also broadcasts live sessions of the Ukrainian parliament (the
Verkhovna Rada). In 2018, it entered the Top 5 nationwide radio stations in the
news listening rating, according to
Internews. == Sister stations ==