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If we delve into the Czech Radio archives, we find recordings in English going right back to Radio Prague's beginnings 70 years ago. Some of the extracts we are going to feature in this programme have not been aired for well over half a century. They capture some of the most interesting and dramatic moments in our history.

This Thursday is Radio Prague's 70th birthday. On August 31, the first ever programme in English was broadcast from Prague and the date is considered the birth of the international shortwave service in Czechoslovakia. On that occasion we spoke to Radio Prague's editor-in-chief Gerald Schubert who stresses that in 2006, Radio Prague is much more than a shortwave radio station.

Radio Prague made its first ever broadcast 70 years ago, on August 31, 1936. Ahead of Thursday's anniversary I visited our original transmission centre in Podebrady, central Bohemia, in the company of Czech Radio's shortwave expert Oldrich Cip. In the second half of this two-part report, he and I discuss - among other things - the beginnings of Radio Prague, Communist-era radio jamming and the future of short-wave broadcasting.

This coming Thursday, August 31, is the 70th anniversary of Radio Prague's first ever broadcast. Ahead of the big day, I decided to pay a visit to the place our first programme was broadcast from in 1936; Radio Prague's original transmission centre is a very interesting building just outside the central Bohemian town of Podebrady, and is now home to a golf club. My guide was Oldrich Cip, Czech Radio's shortwave expert.

This week in Mailbox: Marathons in the Czech Republic; rent control; Science in the Streets project; RP on shortwave and the mysterious presenter Petr Skala; a look back at the annual listeners' competition. Listerners quoted: Teodor Shepertycki, Canada; Mark Coviello, Chris Krug, Mary Lou Krenek, US; Mukesh N. Tekwani, India; James Garvin, Northern Ireland.

The International Service of Czech Radio celebrate its seventieth birthday later this summer. Kristy Ironside sat down with Director Mirek Krupicka to talk about station's evolution and what the future holds for Radio Prague, as well as about the anniversary.

Nearly fifteen years have gone by since I made my first programme for Radio Prague. It was about Czech Cubist architecture, and I interviewed the rector of Prague's architecture faculty, lugging my huge, heavy recording equipment to the fourteenth floor. If you'd asked me about digital recording at the time, in my mind I would probably have conjured up a pianola reel.

Today's guest on One on One is Nick Carey, who was a reporter here at Radio Prague between 1999 and 2001. Nick has since moved into financial journalism and, after over a decade in the Czech Republic, is about to leave for pastures new. When we met at a café just around the corner from our studios, Nick Carey recalled his very first day at Radio Prague.

For international stations like Radio Prague it is quite difficult to find out exactly who your listeners are. That's why letters from listeners are so valuable, informing us about reception quality or voicing complaints and suggesting improvements. Over the years we have been receiving regular mail from listener David Eldridge from England, who listens to many international stations and now tunes in to Radio Prague every day. Recently Mr Eldridge visited Prague and we invited him to our studio for a chat.

This week in Mailbox we announce the winner of our April listeners' competition and we return to the debate on what makes good radio that we launched last week. We read from letters sent to us by: Gina Cenkl, US; Mary Lou Krenek, US; Zdenek Sotola, Czech Republic; Qiu Lei, China; Ted Schuerzinger, US; David Eldridge, UK; Don Schumann.