Aleksandar Stanković (born April 8, 1970) is Croatian radio and television leader, journalist and writer, best known as the editor and host of a political TV show “Sundays at 2”. For more than two decades, Stanković talks to prominent guests every week in this iconic talk show show of HRT, which made him one of the most recognizable faces of Croatian television. In addition to his successful journalistic career, Stanković also distinguished himself as a writer and, through his books and public appearances, offered human and an open look into one’s own life struggles, including one with depression. Below is a detailed overview of his life, career and achievements, answering questions about who Aleksandar Stanković is and why he is important to the Croatian public.
Early life and education
Aleksandar Stanković was born in the village Bačka Topola (SFR Yugoslavia) in 1970, and he spent his childhood partly in Subotica in the north of Serbia. Father Dobroslav was a military person originally from the vicinity of Leskovac in Serbia, and mother Vera from Hrvatski Zagorje. Because of his father’s work, the family often moved, and after his father’s untimely death (when Aleksandar was seven years old), they moved to Croatia in 1977, to the city Karlovac. Stankovic finished elementary school in Karlovac, and high school (Centre for Administration and Justice) attended in Zagreb, where the family moved in 1985.
After high school, Stanković entered the Faculty of Law University of Zagreb and graduated in law in 1995 with the topic of the creation of Yugoslavia in 1918. Although he chose law because of his desire for a diplomatic career, the events and social circumstances of the early 90s influenced him to give up on that idea – He believed that there would never be a place in his name in diplomacy. He never worked in the profession as a lawyer, but turned to journalism after the faculty, following his passion for media and social topics. Even during his student days, he showed inclinations towards public performances – he was engaged in singing in choirs, and on one occasion he almost became a member of the professional choir of HNK.
Beginning of a career on the radio
Giving up diplomacy, young Stanković tried to start his career on radio. In 1993, he applied for a competition for radio announcer, but did not get a job. However, soon after graduation he managed to Croatian Radio (HRT) – In 1995 He started working on the First Program of Croatian Radio, in the Information and Political Editorial Office. Through hard work, he progressed to the editor of internal politics at radio (2000), and at the same time he tried his hand as the host of his own show. years 1998. He runs a political talk show program on Croatian Radio “Polygrapher”, in which he gained the audience’s first broader sympathies. It’s just for “Polygrapher” He also received his first professional award – HRT Annual Award for 1999. These early successes on the radio were a prelude to his imminent move to television.
“Sunday at 2” – the rise of television career
in 2000 Political-talk show has been launched “Sundays at 2” on the first program HRT (HTV1), which will mark Stanković’s career. Interestingly, the initiator of the show, Dubravko Merlić, originally planned his colleague Damir Matković as the presenter, but due to a combination of circumstances, this did not come true. Instead, they offered a leadership role Aleksandar Stanković, who readily accepted her. The first show was broadcast live October 8, 2000. year, and the guest was Dr.. Ivo Sanader, then president of HDZ. In the beginning, Stanković ran his radio “poligrapher” and a new TV show in parallel, but already after a year he decided to fully devote himself to “Sundays at 2”, which soon showed its potential.
Emission on Sundays at 2 She soon became one of the most watched and influential shows Croatian Radio and Television. Already after the first season, Stanković won the award of the Croatian Journalists’ Association for The best television talk show in 2000, which testifies to the popularity of the format from the very beginning. The concept of the show is simple but effective: every week Stanković hosts one current person from political, social or cultural life and leads with him One-hour live interview. That which on Sundays at 2 distinguishes her Stanković’s style of conducting an interview – He does not hesitate to ask the most unpleasant or provocative questions to guests, while maintaining insightful and sometimes insightful cynical tone. thanks to that polemic approach, the show often results in headlines in the media and increased public interest in the topics it opens.
Over the years, Stankovic has become famous for the occasional pushes boundaries in TV. For example, in one show, he took off his jacket and shirt in front of the cameras in order to symbolically respond to the performance of the guest, artistic photographer Stephan Lupin. On the other hand, he did not hesitate discontinue the show before time If the guests behaved inappropriately for a public service – a case with the Rijeka rock band was noted Flight 3, when, due to the provocative behavior of the guests, the conversation was suddenly concluded. Stanković himself kicked some of the guests out of the studio, while some left voluntarily when they did not like the questions. Such moments of controversy only increased the viewership of the show. The audience appreciated the authenticity and immediacy Stankovic’s style – on Sundays at 2 For years, it has recorded a constant increase in viewership, confirming the status of Stanković as one of the most popular Croatian TV presenters.
Through on Sundays at 2 Many of the most prominent actors of the Croatian and regional scene passed – from prime ministers and presidents, through artists and athletes, to controversial entrepreneurs. Stanković tries to make every such conversation relevant for the “ordinary” viewer, asking questions that the audience would like to ask themselves. More than 20 years since the broadcast, Aleksandar Stanković still holds the attention of viewers every Sunday at 2 pm, and his show turned into synonyms for the Sunday afternoon of many citizens.
Literary and documentary work
In addition to journalism, Stanković also expresses himself through written word. In his spare time, he was engaged in writing poetry and has so far published several books and journalistic works. Below are listed The most important books of Aleksandar Stanković:
- Mornings of the defeated (2001) – collection of poetry, Stanković’s literary debut.
- Igor Mandic on the moon (2010) – a collection of poems, dedicated to the Croatian essayist Igor Mandić.
- I was mostly loved by older ladies (2011) – collection of poetry with satirical reviews, his third and most notable collection of poems.
- hundred faces and aca (2013) – the book of anecdotes and short stories behind the scenes of the show on Sundays at 2. In it, Stanković recounts interesting events and conversations with numerous guests who took place immediately before or after the show.
- depra (2023) – Personal confession and review of a long-term struggle with depression (written by a combination of poetry and prose).
- F32 (2025) – Continued on depra, in which the author continues to thematize life with clinical depression (the name of the book refers to the code of diagnosis of depressive disorder).
Through his literary work, Stanković showed know-all – From poetry and prose, to journalistic records about one’s own show and health struggles. his recent books depra and F32 They have attracted a lot of public attention because they speak openly on the topics of mental health through The prism of personal experience – What do we write more about below (see chapter Fighting depression) ).
In addition to books, Aleksandar Stanković also tried his hand at creating documentary and travel content for television. He is the author of two notable documentary films: “My wishes, my dreams” (2004) on the problem of unemployment and “Dad goes to Pan” (2005) about MMA fighter Mirko Filipović. He is also a big fan of motorcycles and travel and even recorded Five seasons travel series “Wind in your hair” (2014-2018) in which he visits various parts of Croatia and neighboring countries on a motorcycle. It is interesting to mention that Stanković occasionally appeared in the role of amateur actor – For example, in a popular comedy series “Batches and Princesses” and drama series “good intentions” He played cameo roles, playing himself (that is, a recognizable “bald” TV presenter). All these activities showed Stanković’s desire not to limit himself to just one field, but to express his creativity in various ways.
private life
Although by nature he was withdrawn from the spotlight, some details from Aleksandar Stanković’s private life are known to the public. Some of them shared it through interviews or books, while others found themselves in the media because of the audience’s interest in the popular presenter.
Stanković se married relatively late, in his early forties. his wife Željka (Djevojački Crnogaj), journalist and editor of the Gloria.hr portal, met In 2006 In her own show – Željka was then a student who was a guest in the audience with a group of colleagues. on Sundays at 2. Soon after, they started a relationship, at first keeping it away from the public eye. The couple first appeared together in public at the New Year 2007 in Budapest, confirming their relationship. After many years of living together, Stanković proposed to Željka in a romantic and unusual way – On the medieval ship Karaka in Dubrovnik in 2012, and that same evening they got married on a ship, surprising even their closest friends.
Aleksandar and Željka today have two kids. first daughter, UnaShe was born in 2009, while they only had a second child after a break of almost ten years – son of Mak, born in 2019. According to media reports, their son arrived just around the seventh anniversary of their marriage, to the joy of the whole family. Stanković tries to protect his family from excessive media attention, so his wife and children rarely appear in public. The family lives a peaceful life in the place Holy Sunday near Zagreb.
In his private time, Stankovic nurtures his exercise hobby – He has been in the gym for years to maintain his fitness, and for a time he trained and boxing. He says that in this way he “recharges batteries” and releases stress accumulated throughout the week. He is also an avid motorcyclist, which can be seen through his travel series. Despite the serious topics he deals with in the show, his colleagues describe him as witty and cordial in informal socializing.
Fighting depression
One of the most important (and most difficult) aspects of Aleksandar Stanković’s private life has only been revealed in recent years – his long-term struggle with clinical depression. Namely, Stankovic suffers from depression from In 2010, but he did not speak publicly about it for almost fifteen years. It was not until 2023 that he decided speak openly about your mental difficulties to help other people in a similar situation and reduce the stigma surrounding depression, in their own words. He turned his experience into a book “Depra” (colloquial name for depression) that was released in September 2023, published by Telegram. In the book, Stanković describes what it’s like to live and work with depression: for example, he stated a situation when, due to an extremely bad mental state, it’s over canceled the live show, feeling strong anxiety and physical symptoms that threatened his ability to lead a conversation. However, he managed to maintain continuity with therapy – He ran “Sunday at 2” for years while taking antidepressants at the same timeand the audience was not aware of it.
Book depra it caused a great response. Stanković later revealed that it was only after her publication that he realized how many people around us were going through similar fights – many of them publicly and privately reported share your own experiences and provide support. Already in the first few months, the book saw several editions and a sold-out edition, which means that it hit the right topic at the right moment. Encouraged by this echo, Stanković continued to write about depression and is in 2025 published a sequel called “F32” (Depression Diagnosis Code). In this way, he ranked among the rare public figures in Croatia who openly talk about mental health, which made an important contribution to the destigmatization of depression. For his involvement in this field, he received a special award of the Lifeline for the Promotion of Mental Health in the Media (2023). Stanković’s example shows that people who appear on the screen strong and confident They can fight silent battles in privacy – and that it’s okay to seek help and talk about it. Many readers have pointed out that they are grateful to him for his honesty, because his story made them feel less lonely in their own problems.
Prizes and awards
During his career, Aleksandar Stanković won a number of professional awards and recognitions, which confirmed the quality of his work and the influence he has as a journalist and manager:
- HRT Annual Award (1999) – for the best radio show (Polygraph).
- HND award “Marija Jurić Zagorka” (2000) – for the best TV talk show (on Sundays at 2).
- HND Award “Journal of the Year” (2009) – the highest recognition of the Croatian Journalists’ Association, awarded to Stanković for his journalistic work and influence that year.
In addition to the above, Stanković is also respected among the audience and colleagues as journalist of integrity. His show enjoys the status of a cult television institution, and he himself is often mentioned as one of the protective faces of HRT. The openness with which he approached the topic of his own mental health in recent times also brought him the respect of the wider public outside the framework of politics and the media.
Conclusion
Aleksandar “Aco” Stanković He left a deep mark on the Croatian media space with his work. From a young man who blew up newspapers in his native Subotica and fantasized about diplomacy, through a journalist who built a career on asking difficult questions to the powerful, to an author who bravely shares his the most intimate battles With the audience – Stanković’s professional and life path offers inspiration and an important lesson. As a longtime host of the show on Sundays at 2, he became a voice that calls out injustice and seeks answers, and as a writer who spoke about depression, he became a voice that provides support and understanding.
His biography shows how one person can be sharp at the same time critic of the company, but also an empathetic interlocutor to those who suffer in silence. Stanković continues to create new shows and content, so we can expect that in the years to come he will contribute to the public dialogue in Croatia. Will you still follow on Sundays at 2 And read Stanković’s books? Share your opinion – Aleksandar Stanković will certainly encourage us to think and talk about important topics in the future.
Cover photo: Shaholjubac, CC BY-SA 4.0, Via Wikimedia Commons
