Zrinka Turalija is a Croatian television journalist, editor and presenter with a long career at HRT. She was born in Vinkovci, and was first employed at Croatian Radio and Television in 1993. During her 30 years at HRT, she became the “protective face” of the show Culture news, where she successfully edited and managed a late night magazine dedicated to art and cultural events. With her shows, she tried “to tear the viewers away from difficult and ugly topics for a few minutes near the end of each day” and bring them “much nicer stories”, emphasizing the importance of spreading positive cultural news. In her rich career, she also interviewed numerous world cultural names – for example, opera diva Montserrat Caballé, actors Armand Assante and John Malkovich and pianist Ivo Pogorelić – and she also paid special attention to domestic scene.
Early life and education
Zrinka Turalija grew up in Slavonia, her native Vinkovci. After her high school education, she moved to Zagreb, where she studied Croatian studies (Croatian language and literature) at the Faculty of Philosophy and simultaneously enrolled in journalism studies at the Faculty of Political Sciences. Already as a student, she showed interest in the media, and in 1993 she was given the opportunity to become part of the HRT editorial office teletext.
- Study in Zagreb (1990s): graduate student in Croatian studies, parallel journalism.
- First job (1993): He is employed at HRT’s teletext, where he acquires his first journalistic skills.
Career at HRT
Turalia’s television career was marked by rapid progress. Already a few months after the start in teletext, the then editor of the Information and Media Service (IMS) noticed its potential. She got the chance to work on Zagreb panorama and as a reporter reporting live in Central Diary of HRT. At that time, she combined her journalistic experience with a love for culture. She found her professional home in the HRT Culture Editorial Board, at the invitation of Mira Marenić.
editor Culture news
A special chapter of Turalia’s career makes Culture news – a show that has been bringing news from the world of art and culture in a completely unique way since 2005. According to his own words, this show is “the only one in the Croatian media space” and in just nine minutes a day manages to cover the most important events from the domestic and international cultural scene. The audience quickly recognized her engagement: “Many viewers ritually await news from culture before going to rest”, and in cultural circles it is often said: “If something has not been published in VIK, it is as if it has not happened”. Turalija and her team won the trust of numerous artists and institutions due to their dedicated work.
Some of the significant interlocutors of Zrinka Turalija were:
- Montserrat Caballé – The legendary Spanish opera diva.
- Armand Assante – a famous American film actor.
- John Malkovich – world-famous American actor and producer of Croatian origin.
- Ivo Pogorelić – Prominent Croatian pianist.
Each of these interviews resulted in a quality reportage that further raised the reputation of the show and demonstrated Turalia’s skill in asking open, meaningful questions.
New challenges after HRT
In March 2025, Turalija ended HRT’s “story” three decades long. According to index.hr, she accepted the severance pay as part of a wider reorganization of television. Immediately afterwards, a new chapter of her career started. She started working as the head of the Media and Public Relations Service of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (HAZU). At the same time, she maintained a connection with the public through art and culture: she spent the summer months of 2025 in Dubrovnik as a co-host of Novi Podcast Festival Dubrovnik Summer Festival. In that podcast, she and her colleague Željko Ogresta hosted a number of famous faces (from Dubravka Šeparović Mušović to big movie stars), and the goal of the show was “An Honest Story without a Mask” – artists freely, without scripts and without the usual journalistic ones. The engravings talked about motherhood, career challenges and life challenges. The new episodes of the festival can be watched on the official YouTube channel of the Dubrovnik Summer Festival, with which Turalija continues its dedication to cultural dialogue and education of the audience.
reactions and recognitions
The departure of Zrinka Turalija from HRT caused strong reactions among colleagues and spectators. Director Krešimir Dolenčić pointed out in an open letter that “it is strange that the alarm did not arise” on HRT because of her departure, since it symbolizes Culture news as a program that celebrates all “aspects of humanism”. In his opinion, the loss of her editor for public television is not only the loss of an employee, but the loss of a “great editor, admirer and fan of Croatian culture”.
On a professional level, Turalija received several awards and recognitions. For example, in 2022, the Croatian Journalists’ Association (HND) awarded it the “Marko Polo” award for promoting cultural heritage with a show Culture news. This award confirms that her work is appreciated among experts in travel and cultural reportage. In a statement on the occasion of receiving recognition, Turalija proudly emphasized how much the show gave to the audience – for example, over 3,500 minutes of programs dedicated to culture were realized in just one year – but she also emphasized that her praise from the viewers and the expert jury were her greatest recognition.
Conclusion
Zrinka Turalija remains one of the most recognizable and respected Croatian journalists in the field of culture. Her career shows how dedication, expertise and sincere dedication to “nice stories” can attract and hold the attention of a wide audience. Although she left HRT after 30 years, her influence on the media presentation of culture is still visible – either through award-winning shows, or through new formats such as festivals and podcasts.
For all fans of media and culture, we invite you to follow her work in new roles: sign up for the YouTube channel of the Dubrovnik Summer Games or follow the show Culture news on HRT to stay up to date with her latest stories. Share this article with others who find interesting domestic cultural topics and stay informed about important journalistic biographies and current events.
Sources: Detailed information about Zrinka Turalija’s career is taken from several journalistic and media sources, including HRT magazine, interviews in Večernji list and Jet Set magazine, and reports Index.hr, Gloria.hr and Jutarnji list. Each data is verified and correct.
