Well-known Bulgarian TV host and journalist Milen Tsvetkov died in a car crash on on Sunday, Orthodox Easter. He passed away on his way to the hospital, aged 53.
It was an honor and pleasure for the Bulgarian program on SBS radio to receive Milen Tsvetkov's reports every week from Bulgaria between 1996-97.
Tsvetkov, born in 1966 in Sofia, was one of the most recognizable TV personalities in Bulgaria. He was known for his charismatic presence on screen, and for a passion that often verged on impatience and sarcasm, especially when dealing with those in power.
Tsvetkov started his career in the cult early 1990s comedy show “Ku-Ku” and as a news presenter on Bulgarian National Television. He was perhaps best known as a morning host – first with “Zdravei, Bulgaria” (“Hello, Bulgaria”), which started in 2000 and then on “60 Minutes with Milen Tsvetkov” which started in 2005, which morphed into “The hour of Milen Tsvetkov”.
He also worked as a radio presenter. Tsvetkov hosted a local edition of “Big Brother” in 2008. Besides journalism, he’s known also for a cameo appearance in the video “3 v 1”, one of the biggest hits of hip-hop band Upsurt.
Earlier this year, along with journalist Genka Shikerova, Tsvetkov started a new discussion show, “Alternativata”, on TV1. The last episode with him was broadcast on April 18 and tackled the current pandemic.
President Rumen Radev sent condolences to Tsvetkov's family, relatives and fellow journalists.
In the cable Radev says that "Tsvetkov will be remembered as an intransigent person with a strong character whose journalism was equally strong of character, close to his audience and
unbending to the interests of the powers that be”.
unbending to the interests of the powers that be”.
