Zoran Šprajc (born in 1968 in Slavonski Brod) is one of the most famous and influential Croatian television presenters and journalists. His entire biography testifies to a diverse media journey – from radio beginnings on a local radio ship, to long-term management of HTV’s Dnevnik, to contemporary engagements on RTL and satirical shows the state of the nation. Šprajc is known for the sharp style of news management full of irony and humor, which is why it captivates the audience but also causes occasional controversy.
Biography of Zoran Šprajc It includes work on the main television stations, cooperation with regional channels (CNN’s N1 subsidiary) and numerous awards (eg Zlatni studio and Večernjakova rose) that confirm its popularity and quality. Below is a detailed overview of his life and work, the chronology of key events, and interesting things from his private life.
Early life and education
Sprajc was born as Zoran Jovanović August 2, 1968 in Slavonski Brod, where he finished primary and secondary school. Since his father left him, Zoran later changed his last name to Sprajc – Mother’s maiden name. After graduation, he moved to Zagreb and graduated from the Faculty of Political Sciences of the University of Zagreb.
He started his career in 1986 as a radio host in his native Slavonski Brod. He hosted a music show there on Radio Brod “According to your wishes”, in which – interestingly – he had to play mostly folk songs, even though he is a big lover of rock music in private. This early radio engagement showed Šprajč’s sense of fun access to the media and his love for music, and the introduction was to his longer television journey.
Career at HRT and appearing in the media
After his studies, Šprajc joined Croatian Radio and Television (HRT) as one of the internship students. The editor-in-chief of HTV, Marija Nemčić, received a group of students for an internship, including Šprajc. Just then, the editor of the news program, Vladimir Rončević, proposed him as a presenter Dnevnik HTV. From that moment on, he distinguished himself as a leader of an unusual style – he allegedly replaced his radio expression with the upcoming narodniks personal, sarcastic comments When presenting newspaper articles. This quickly made him popular with part of the audience, because he brought a fresh, fun tone into an otherwise very serious news show.
Sarcasm and critical commentary became his trademark. However, it was precisely because of such comments that he knew “across the border”. For example, on the occasion of the anniversary of the fall of Vukovar in 2011, he published an audio recording of wartime commander Mila Dedaković Jastreb, in which Tuđman allegedly refused to evacuate civilians. HRT characterized this as a violation of editorial ethics, so Šprajc was punished with a warning and temporarily removed from keeping a diary. In 2013, he caused additional reactions when he commented in HTV’s Dnevnik on the collection of signatures for the referendum on marriage, declaring that it was a “homophobic amendment to the constitution” – which is why the public (the initiative) on behalf of the family) criticized. In May 2013, Šprajc held the last Dnevnik as a presenter, after which he held the position of director of the HRT Information Program.
Despite the occasional pressure, the role of Dnevnik host left a strong mark on his resume. At HRT, he already became known as a presenter who does not keep “manners” in front of the cameras – he let people know what he meant in a direct way. He later transferred this distinctive style to other shows and channels.
N1 and RTL – new challenges
After HRT, Šprajč’s media journey continued on new televisions. In 2014, he was among the founders of the Information Channel N1, CNN’s Southeastern Europe subsidiary. He spent about a year on N1 as an executive producer and head of the Central Diary. However, already in 2015, he accepted RTL Television’s offer. At RTL, he took over the position of editor and manager of politics-magazine RTL Direkt (broadcast in the evening), which quickly became among the most watched news shows in Croatia precisely because of Šprajč’s leadership style.
RTL Direkt was known under his leadership for witty and sarcastic comments on current topics. As pointed out in the biography, the show was popular precisely because of Šprajc’s comments on political and social events. Both the audience and the critics appreciated the honesty and humor with which he dared to call out people and topics – which are the obvious success factors of this news show.
In January 2022, RTL announced that after seven years, Šprajc was leaving RTL Direkt to start a new, more demanding project on the same house. On that occasion, he stated that the new program project should be “adapted to my twisted view of people and current events”, thereby announcing that a different format awaits him – more demanding and innovative than RTL Direkt.
The state of the nation – political satire
The new project was soon presented as a show “State of the Nation”, Political-Satirical Weekly Show. The premiere of the first season was in the fall of 2022, and the concept of the show includes an ironic overview of the weekly news, skits and witty reviews of politics and society. The audience immediately accepted it – the first episode gathered almost half a million viewers, which is a sign that Šprajč’s transition to a new genre is quickly attracting attention. RTL.hr points out that “The state of the nation conquered viewers in record time and entered the ‘golden’ category”, alluding to the fact that the show became a candidate for the prestigious Golden Studio award already in the first year.
The members of the production, including Šprajc himself, expressed their satisfaction with this success. In an interview with RTL.hr, Šprajc said that he is proud that “in a few months they managed to set a format that has never been done before”. According to him, the biggest confirmation is entering the final of the Golden Studio – recognition awarded by viewers. The audience, he believes, needed a show that “Wishing for a more relaxed review” The week combines criticism, satire and entertainment, with an approach that “its out information that sheds new light” on topics. In short, Šprajc tries to be as honest and direct as possible – which, as he believes, the audience appreciates and why the state of the nation Today, it is among the most watched domestic shows of a satirical nature.
Key moments in career
- 1986. He begins as a radio host on Radio Brod in Slavonski Brod, where he hosts a music show “According to your wishes”.
- 2005. (approximately) moves to HRT, begins work as a manager Dnevnik HTV in which he quickly stands out with his irony and comments.
- 2011. Due to the publication of Mile Jastreb’s archival audio recording in Dnevnik, he receives a warning about “Infringements of public obligation” and was temporarily removed from the diary.
- May 2013. The last time he hosts Dnevnik, after which he becomes the director of Vijesti on HRT.
- 2014–2015. Co-founder of CNN’s Regional Information Channel N1, where he has been the presenter and executive producer of Dnevnik for a year.
- 2015–2022. Editor and head of information magazine RTL Direkt (RTL), which he makes famous with his commentary style. During that period, RTL Direkt won high viewership and audiences.
- 2022-today. launches and runs a satirical show the state of the nation, which initially becomes a television hit. The show and Šprajc itself were regularly nominated and awarded at domestic television awards.
Prizes and awards
– Golden studio – Šprajc has been awarded multiple times for the status of the most popular TV presenter of the year. He is the winner of the category Tv host (gold studio) in years 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2024.
– Večernjakova rose – He won three Prestigious “roses” in the category TV person of the year (2015, 2016 and 2019).
– Weekend Media Festival – 2016 declared the most popular and best television journalist at the Weekend Media Festival.
These awards confirm his popularity with the audience and recognition of professional circles. In 2023. the state of the nation also entered the final of the Golden Studio for the best TV show, which is proof that Šprajč’s career and new projects remain in the “golden” league of domestic television space.
Personal life and interesting things
Zoran Šprajc lives modestly and is mostly focused on his family. He is married to Lidija, who is a proofreader by profession (she also hosted TV shows about spelling). The couple has three children: daughter Franka and sons Miron and Darjan. Šprajc often pointed out that the family is in the first place for him – his wife takes more care of the children, although he also tries to spend the most free time with them.
A few interesting things reveal his off-camera personality: even after more than 20 years of experience in the media, Šprajc admits that he still gets a slight trepidation before each show, which he considers positive because he makes him concentrate as much as possible. Considering the stressful schedule, she relaxes with long walks with her labrador Bela and listening to music. He was an avid smoker for a long time, but later he almost completely weaned himself from that habit – today he prefers to drink more coffee than smoking cigarettes.
Some interesting facts highlights the more human side of his biography:
- Sneak‑Peek Public Scene: He repeatedly played himself or the presenter in domestic films/series. Examples are children’s film “Coco and Ghosts” (2011), comedy series “The Law!” (2009) and the crime series “Wrong Man” (2018). Although small roles, they established his distinctive TV image in fiction.
- Blog and writing: Šprajc occasionally writes a personal blog and has published columns about love and relationships in the past. (The situation from 2013 was known when he sued the media for unverified gossip about his relationship.) Also, even at the time of RTL Direkt, he announced that he was writing his own blog, even though today the main platform is his TV show.
- Approach to the audience: It is interesting that Šprajc developed an “informal” relationship with viewers – people often recognize him on the street and look for photos, which shows how popular he is. In addition, it is known that he likes jokes about himself (he once commented that “it is too much for him” to call the show after his name).
Conclusion
Throughout his career, Zoran Šprajc established himself as a presenter who is not afraid to publicly say what he thinks, while maintaining a high level of professionalism. His biography testifies to his success in several stages: on radio, HRT, N1 and RTL. Specific examples – such as transitioning from a formal diary to a cynical RTL direct or launching a satirical states of the nation – show his ability to adapt and innovation. With many awards and great viewership, it is clear that Audience and critics reward Šprajca’s journalistic commitment and fun approach. For viewers who want to follow his work, we recommend following the show the state of the nation On RTL or reading the latest interviews and posts on official channels – with all the achievements so far, Šprajc still never ceases to attract attention with his exclusively personal comments and humor.
