Sociocultural Mission of Myron Surmach in the Establishment of Ukrainian Diaspora Radio Broadcasting in the USA

Abstract

The aim of this study is to highlight Myron Surmach’s sociocultural mission and to provide a comprehensive analysis of social communication mechanisms in the development of Ukrainian radio broadcasting in the United States in 1930–1935 as a means of preserving the national identity and consolidating the ethnic community.

The methodological framework of this study is based on a comprehensive approach that combines content analysis of announcements on the front pages of the newspaper Svoboda with discourse analysis of detailed reports on radio broadcasts published in its internal sections. A historical-genetic approach was used to trace the evolution of broadcast formats (from 15-minute segments to the Ukrainian Hour), and a systems approach was employed to analyze the interaction between the bookstore Surma and radio projects as a unified communication system.

Results. The study demonstrates that M. Surmach developed a resilient model of media operations based on a combination of institutional support, community-based funding (including early forms of crowdfunding through appeals urging audiences to «send a dollar»), and sociocultural interaction initiatives (such as the organization of Radio Balls events). The study further reveals that radio broadcasting served as a platform for popularizing national cultural products (sheet music, records, tickets to the opera Mazepa). Within this context, educational lectures functioned as a key instrument for audience engagement and for consolidating the ethnic community around shared values.

Novelty. For the first time, based on the systematic analysis of archival data from the newspaper Svoboda, the social communication activities of the enterprise Surma have been reconstructed. This allows the interpretation of early Ukrainian radio broadcasting in the United States not merely as a cultural project, but as a successful model of independent broadcasting that surpassed the standards of other émigré media at the time. The study demonstrates that the integration of educational lectures, interactive formats, and community-based funding established a unique precedent for self-organized media.

Practical significance. The findings of this study can be used in the development of courses on the history of journalism, media management, and applied communication practices. The experience of Surma in financial self-organization remains relevant for contemporary independent media and digital diplomacy initiatives of the Ukrainian diaspora.

Key words: history of radio, crowdfunding, Ukrainian diaspora radio broadcasting, social communication, social communication technologies, Ukrainian diaspora, Ukrainian-language broadcasting, media funding.