Franci Pavšer’s Radio Opus Now Also Available on Streaming Platforms
In 2002, then still under the Založba kaset in plošč RTV Slovenija, in cooperation with the sports department of Radio Slovenia, we released a commemorative double CD of radio broadcasts by Franci Pavšer titled Listen, Playboy!*. It is now available on streaming platforms.
The collection features a selection of the finest excerpts from nearly four decades of Pavšer’s rich radio legacy. The Slovenian sports journalist reported from fifteen Olympic Games – likely still a record among Slovenian sports reporters – broadcast from various continents, and covered almost every corner of Slovenia. The 111 minutes of recordings revive memories of a time when Pavšer helped shape the euphoria surrounding skiing, when alpine skiing held cult status in Slovenia. Although he became best known for his vivid and passionate alpine skiing commentaries, Pavšer was a versatile journalist who also reported vividly on athletics, cycling, table tennis, mountaineering, and alpinism. In addition to live sports broadcasts, the collection includes outstanding feature reports – with a special place reserved for “Pavšer’s Old Man,” Triglav – as well as interviews with athletes and sharp commentaries. Three giants of Slovenian sport, with whom Pavšer shared many years at sporting events, have their own dedicated chapters: Brigita Bukovec, Leon Štukelj, and Bojan Križaj. Pavšer also initiated numerous technical innovations in radio broadcasting. Between 1964 and 1966, he carried out the first-ever live broadcasts from Mount Triglav, from Kredarica, and even from an airplane. At a time when many radio journalists were still hesitant to report live from the field, Pavšer was already traveling the world, delivering reports from distant locations. He also covered parades, military maneuvers, and Tito’s speeches.
He appeared as a reporter in a radio adaptation of H. G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds, and due to his distinctive personality, he was later impersonated by Sašo Hribar in the satirical radio show Radio Ga Ga. Although Pavšer primarily reported on others, the archive also contains several recordings that together form a kind of self-portrait.
*Pavšer was very fond of addressing his friends and acquaintances with this title. Most men were flattered by the nickname; some would frown awkwardly at first, but after a few sentences they were all smiling. When meeting women of all ages, he would call out: “Listen, young lady!” – a greeting that particularly delighted more mature ladies. Franci also had a habit of calling the men around him simply “Jože,” and it often happened in pleasant company that everyone started calling each other Jože. Before long, they had all become Jožes – Franci included.
