“Manager for a Day” at BNT

The student from the 33rd Secondary Language School “St Sofia”, Bozhidara Zhivkova, took on the role of Director-General of Bulgarian National Television (BNT) for a day. The public service broadcaster thus took part in the “Manager for a Day” initiative. Now in its 24th year, the initiative aims to build a bridge between education and the real working environment. Bozhidara particularly liked one of the control rooms for our studios, because, as she put it, it gave her a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes side of television.

Bozhidara is 17 and comes from Sofia. She describes herself as an ambitious and responsible person who strives for self-improvement. At the entrance to BNT, she was welcomed in her role as the broadcaster’s “Director-General” by Vera Alexandrova and Elena Yarumova, members of the Management Board, who acted as her guides. Her first chance encounter in the corridors was with Simeon Ivanov, presenter of the morning programme The Day Begins, and Stefan Shterev, presenter of 100% Awake.

Vera Alexandrova, member of BNT’s Management Board: “This is our Director-General for a Day. Let me introduce you.”

Simeon Ivanov, presenter of 'The Day Begins': “It’s a pleasure to meet you. You’re quite a serious delegation for a Director-General! And as for a pay rise, is there any chance...?”

Bozhidara Zhivkova, BNT Director-General for a Day: “We’ll talk about it and come to an agreement.”

Stefan Shterev, presenter of '100% Awake': “Your hand will be worn out from signing documents, as you probably already know. But you should also be prepared to receive plenty of complaints. So be a wise, cool-headed leader who, as they say, is open to people’s problems.”

Bozhidara toured the BNT museum, saw photographs of former directors and visited Studio 5, where the programme Culture.BG was being recorded, as well as the third news studio. She remarked that she had not imagined it would look like that. She also visited the newsroom, where the lunchtime news bulletin was being prepared, and was quizzed in a quick-fire interview by Dobrina Chesmedzhieva, presenter of Referendum, whom she met on her way out.

Dobrina Chesmedzhieva, presenter of 'Referendum': “What are your main ideas for us?”

Bozhidara Zhivkova: “We haven’t got to that stage yet. First, we need to look around and assess the situation, and then...”

Dobrina Chesmedzhieva, presenter of 'Referendum': “Who do you think you should meet first?”

Bozhidara Zhivkova: “Actually, I’ve already met quite a lot of people.”

Dobrina Chesmedzhieva, presenter of 'Referendum': “What is your impression so far?”

Bozhidara Zhivkova: “Very pleasant people, very kind.”

Bozhidara then turned to the real work of the day. She attended a meeting with potential partners for BNT’s Eurovision 2027 project, accompanied by Milena Milotinova. After returning to BNT, she finally got to sit in the Director-General’s chair, while Milena Milotinova found herself on the other side of the desk for the first time.

Bozhidara Zhivkova: “What is it like to be the Director-General of such a large television broadcaster?”

Milena Milotinova, Director-General of BNT: “It is an enormous responsibility, because this is one of the institutions with the highest levels of public trust. It is your responsibility to develop and strengthen trust in the institution, its programming, its team and its potential. It is also a responsibility to work all day alongside the entire BNT team, drawing on all its potential, creativity and talent, so that the broadcaster can continue to uphold the standards of objectivity for which it is recognised today.”

Bozhidara Zhivkova: “What strikes me is that everyone here is like one big family. Everyone knows everyone, and everyone talks to everyone.”

Milotinova told Bozhidara about BNT’s achievements over the past year and showed her the Eurovision award and the football from the FIFA World Cup. What will Bozhidara remember about her tour of BNT years from now? She explains that she particularly liked the control room for Studio 5.

Bozhidara Zhivkova: “I wanted to see how the process works behind what viewers watch. I’m not sure many people, when watching television, stop to think about what actually goes on behind the scenes to bring it to our screens. This day showed me just how much effort it takes.”

Photos: Desislava Kulelieva, BNT

Bozhidara said she would like to work at BNT as a marketing specialist, as that is what she is studying. Milena Milotinova offered her an internship. She also encouraged her to pursue her professional dreams, just as BNT had pursued its own ambition and gone on to reach Eurovision and achieve high audience ratings on television and online.