Jerzy Owsiak
Encyclopedia
Jerzy Owsiak is a Polish
journalist
and social campaigner.
He is a founder and President of the Wielka Orkiestra Świątecznej Pomocy
(known in English as "The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity"), one of the biggest non-governmental, non-profit, charity organizations in Poland.
He is the main initiator and activist for the group's Grand Finale, an annual worldwide festival involving music and other components intended to raise money for the medical care of children suffering from urological and kidney diseases. He is also the creator of Przystanek Woodstock (known in English as "Woodstock Festival"), a large rock music festival that takes place in Kostrzyn, Poland to thank all the volunteers and supporters who take part in the Grand Finale each year.
He is married; his wife, Lidia Niedźwiedzka-Owsiak, is the Medical Affairs Director for the WOŚP.
He is also a stained glass maker and has psychotherapeutic qualifications.
to Warsaw
, where he graduated from high school with an economic profile, and then tried to apply for the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw
. As a teenager he belonged to the society of hippie
s from Masovian Voivodeship
looking up to their "American brothers". It is because of that fascination and the legend of the Woodstock Festival 1969 that he came up with the idea of the "Woodstock Stop"
.
concerts with a band Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Chińskich Ręczników founded by him, and he started to run his programme in Rozgłośnia Harcerska (the Scout Radio Station).
After the termination of his work in Rozgłośnia Harcerska, his next undertaking was the broadcast of "Brum". He ran it in the 1991-1994 period in PR Program III
. It was broadcasted on Fridays. In 1994-1999 it changed its name for "Się kręci". Next, there was "Kręcioła" broadcast by PR Program I
and meetings with listeners on Saturday mornings in RMF FM
. However, they were all ended after only few broadcastings because of the conflict with the station authorities.
From 1991-2007, Jurek Owsiak cooperated with Telewizja Polska
. Since December 1991 he has started to prepare a TV programme "Róbta, co chceta, czyli rockendrollowa jazda bez trzymanki" for TVP2, which has changed its name for "Dziura w koszu" since summer 1994 and for "Kręcioła" since 1996.
In 2007 he came back to radio. On 4 July he ran (for the first time) "Dźwiękoszczelny magazyn Jurka Owsiaka" in the Radio WAWA. Now, he runs this programme at the Eska Rock radio station.
Whats more, in 2007 he undertook the production of the youth channel O.TV (Owsiak TV), which is available on the DTH platform n
.
He is the co-author of the book entitled "Orkiestra Klubu Pomocnych Serc, czyli monolog – wodospad Jurka Owsiaka", which comprises an extensive interview made by Bartłomiej Dobroczyński.
He also acted in the TV soap opera
"Klan"
as himself and in the "Autoportret z kochanką" by Radosław Piwowarski.
and 90's
Jerzy Owsiak was engaged in the organizations of many rock
concerts. He organized the series of marathon music concerts, which all had a common feature – his characteristic "stammering" announcing, and the participation of best Polish Punk rock
bands of that time. These concerts were, among others:
In 1991 and 1992 he ran Jarocin Festival
together with Walter Chełstowski. In the same team they also organized the first Przystanek Woodstock
(Woodstock Stop) in 1995 in Czymanowo
near Żarnowiec
, Poland.
in Poland. It was founded in 1993 by Jerzy Owsiak, Lidia Niedźwiedzka-Owsiak, Bohdan Maruszewski, and Piotr Burczyński. Its main objective is "Health Protection and Saving Children's Lives through Providing Medical Equipment to Public Hospitals" (from the deed of foundation).
The first fund-raising with participation of Jerzy Owsiak was organised spontaneously after an appeal of the cardiosurgeons from Centrum Zdrowia Dziecka (Centre of Child's Health) for financial support in purchase of medical equipment for dying children. In 1992 Owsiak invited doctors to his programme "Brum" broadcast on PR Program III
and kept on reminding its listeners in every edition about paying money on a given account. This action was also continued during the Jarocin Festival
the same year.
There was much positive feedback from these actions, and in March 1993, thanks to the initiative of Jerzy Owsiak and Walter Chełstowski, GOCC officially came into existence and its first Great Finale was organised on January 3, 1993. Since then, the Great Finale has taken place every year and Jerzy Owsiak is the main organizer and compere of TV programme under the same title, broadcasted on TVP2.
belonging to ITI Group
, was launched.
The decision to split with TVP
was made by Owsiak because, as he says, his programmes were not broadcasted enough, and the Great Finale of this year was limited only to several five-minutes-long aerial entries.
lifestyle and moral relativism
. A subject of criticism is also Owsiak's approval of some religious associations during Woodstock Stop (for example The International Society for Krishna Consciousness) which, according to some, is a threat for teenagers.
Moreover, he is also accused of interposing restrictive limitations on journalists accredited on Woodstock, and tolerating the use violence against them.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and social campaigner.
He is a founder and President of the Wielka Orkiestra Świątecznej Pomocy
Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity
The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity is one of the biggest, non-governmental, non-profit, charity organizations in Poland...
(known in English as "The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity"), one of the biggest non-governmental, non-profit, charity organizations in Poland.
He is the main initiator and activist for the group's Grand Finale, an annual worldwide festival involving music and other components intended to raise money for the medical care of children suffering from urological and kidney diseases. He is also the creator of Przystanek Woodstock (known in English as "Woodstock Festival"), a large rock music festival that takes place in Kostrzyn, Poland to thank all the volunteers and supporters who take part in the Grand Finale each year.
He is married; his wife, Lidia Niedźwiedzka-Owsiak, is the Medical Affairs Director for the WOŚP.
He is also a stained glass maker and has psychotherapeutic qualifications.
Life and activity
When Jerzy Owsiak was eight years old he moved with his parents from GdańskGdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
to Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, where he graduated from high school with an economic profile, and then tried to apply for the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw
Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw
Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw is a public university of visual and applied arts located in the Polish capital. The Academy traces its history back to the Department of Arts founded at the Warsaw University in 1812. As a separate institution it was founded in 1844 during the Partitions of Poland...
. As a teenager he belonged to the society of hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
s from Masovian Voivodeship
Masovian Voivodeship
-Administrative division:Masovian Voivodeship is divided into 42 counties : 5 city counties and 37 "land counties"...
looking up to their "American brothers". It is because of that fascination and the legend of the Woodstock Festival 1969 that he came up with the idea of the "Woodstock Stop"
Przystanek Woodstock
Przystanek Woodstock is an annual free rock music festival in Poland, inspired by and named for the Woodstock Festival, that has taken place since 1995...
.
Artistic career
Due to his acquaintance with Wojciech Waglewski, Jerzy Owsiak became well known in the music circle. In 1988 he has begun turning up at the Voo VooVoo Voo
-Band members:* Wojciech Waglewski - guitar, main vocals, and lyrics. Founder and leader of the band, its name comes from his initials. Father of Bartosz Waglewski and Piotr Waglewski, better known as Fisz and Emade. He also plays with the bands "Osjan" and "Gaya"....
concerts with a band Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Chińskich Ręczników founded by him, and he started to run his programme in Rozgłośnia Harcerska (the Scout Radio Station).
After the termination of his work in Rozgłośnia Harcerska, his next undertaking was the broadcast of "Brum". He ran it in the 1991-1994 period in PR Program III
Program 3 Polskiego Radia
Polskie Radio Program III , known also as Radiowa Trójka or shortly Trójka is a radio channel broadcast by the Polish public broadcaster, Polskie Radio. It is a music station playing a wide variety of music from rock, alternative, jazz and others. It is broadcast on FM, via satellite and online...
. It was broadcasted on Fridays. In 1994-1999 it changed its name for "Się kręci". Next, there was "Kręcioła" broadcast by PR Program I
Program 1 Polskiego Radia
Polskie Radio Program I, known also as PR1 or radiowa Jedynka is a radio channel broadcast by the Polish public broadcaster, Polskie Radio. It is dedicated to information and easy listening music...
and meetings with listeners on Saturday mornings in RMF FM
RMF FM
RMF FM - the most popular and the first commercial radio station in Poland. RMF FM started broadcasting on 15 January 1990 in Kraków. The current director is Tadeusz Sołtys. The radio is wholly owned by the German Bauer Verlagsgruppe.-Frequency FM in Poland:-External links:*...
. However, they were all ended after only few broadcastings because of the conflict with the station authorities.
From 1991-2007, Jurek Owsiak cooperated with Telewizja Polska
Telewizja Polska
Telewizja Polska Spółka Akcyjna is Poland's public broadcasting corporation...
. Since December 1991 he has started to prepare a TV programme "Róbta, co chceta, czyli rockendrollowa jazda bez trzymanki" for TVP2, which has changed its name for "Dziura w koszu" since summer 1994 and for "Kręcioła" since 1996.
In 2007 he came back to radio. On 4 July he ran (for the first time) "Dźwiękoszczelny magazyn Jurka Owsiaka" in the Radio WAWA. Now, he runs this programme at the Eska Rock radio station.
Whats more, in 2007 he undertook the production of the youth channel O.TV (Owsiak TV), which is available on the DTH platform n
N (Poland)
n is a Polish DTH platform. It was launched on October 12, 2006 and is owned by ITI Neovision. On June 30, 2011 the company had reached 826,000 subscribers.- Channels :There are currently:* 94 encrypted channels...
.
He is the co-author of the book entitled "Orkiestra Klubu Pomocnych Serc, czyli monolog – wodospad Jurka Owsiaka", which comprises an extensive interview made by Bartłomiej Dobroczyński.
He also acted in the TV soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
"Klan"
Klan (TV series)
Klan is the longest-running Polish soap opera. It premiered on September 22, 1997 on the public TVP1 channel and is still on air. The show airs from Monday to Friday on TVP1 at 5.55 p.m....
as himself and in the "Autoportret z kochanką" by Radosław Piwowarski.
Organization of concerts
At the end of the 80's1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
and 90's
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
Jerzy Owsiak was engaged in the organizations of many rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
concerts. He organized the series of marathon music concerts, which all had a common feature – his characteristic "stammering" announcing, and the participation of best Polish Punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
bands of that time. These concerts were, among others:
- Letnia zadyma w środku zimy – in Stodoła club, WarsawWarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
– 27 January 1989 (organization debut), 1991 - Zadyma na TorwarzeTorwar HallTorwar Hall is an indoor arena in Warsaw, Poland. It opened in 1953, was modernized in 1999, and holds 4,838 people.It is located adjacent to Legia Stadium and is primarily used for popular music concerts, ice hockey and other indoor sports, and it is the home of the hockey team UHKS...
, Warsaw 1989 - 50 Rock'n'Rolli Na 1 maja – in Fugazzi club, Warsaw 1992
- WarsawWarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
-BerlinBerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
2 Step – Agrykola, Warsaw 1993
In 1991 and 1992 he ran Jarocin Festival
Jarocin Festival
Jarocin Festival was one of the biggest and most important rock music festivals in the 1980s Europe, by far the biggest festival of alternative music in the Warsaw Pact countries....
together with Walter Chełstowski. In the same team they also organized the first Przystanek Woodstock
Przystanek Woodstock
Przystanek Woodstock is an annual free rock music festival in Poland, inspired by and named for the Woodstock Festival, that has taken place since 1995...
(Woodstock Stop) in 1995 in Czymanowo
Czymanowo
Czymanowo is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Gniewino, within Wejherowo County, Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It lies approximately east of Gniewino, north-west of Wejherowo, and north-west of the regional capital Gdańsk....
near Żarnowiec
Zarnowiec
Żarnowiec is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Krokowa, within Puck County, Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It lies close to Żarnowieckie Lake, approximately west of Krokowa, north-west of Puck, and north-west of the regional capital Gdańsk...
, Poland.
Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity
The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity is one of the biggest, non-governmental, non-profit, charity organizationsCharitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
in Poland. It was founded in 1993 by Jerzy Owsiak, Lidia Niedźwiedzka-Owsiak, Bohdan Maruszewski, and Piotr Burczyński. Its main objective is "Health Protection and Saving Children's Lives through Providing Medical Equipment to Public Hospitals" (from the deed of foundation).
The first fund-raising with participation of Jerzy Owsiak was organised spontaneously after an appeal of the cardiosurgeons from Centrum Zdrowia Dziecka (Centre of Child's Health) for financial support in purchase of medical equipment for dying children. In 1992 Owsiak invited doctors to his programme "Brum" broadcast on PR Program III
Program 3 Polskiego Radia
Polskie Radio Program III , known also as Radiowa Trójka or shortly Trójka is a radio channel broadcast by the Polish public broadcaster, Polskie Radio. It is a music station playing a wide variety of music from rock, alternative, jazz and others. It is broadcast on FM, via satellite and online...
and kept on reminding its listeners in every edition about paying money on a given account. This action was also continued during the Jarocin Festival
Jarocin Festival
Jarocin Festival was one of the biggest and most important rock music festivals in the 1980s Europe, by far the biggest festival of alternative music in the Warsaw Pact countries....
the same year.
There was much positive feedback from these actions, and in March 1993, thanks to the initiative of Jerzy Owsiak and Walter Chełstowski, GOCC officially came into existence and its first Great Finale was organised on January 3, 1993. Since then, the Great Finale has taken place every year and Jerzy Owsiak is the main organizer and compere of TV programme under the same title, broadcasted on TVP2.
Splitting with TVP
Jerzy Owsiak, the director of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity split with TVP after 16 years of cooperation. In public television he ran such programmes as the annual GOCC Great Finale, "Kręcioła", "Bezpieczne Wakacje" and "Róbta co chceta". On 6 October 2007 at 10 a.m., a new channel O.TV on DTH platform nN (Poland)
n is a Polish DTH platform. It was launched on October 12, 2006 and is owned by ITI Neovision. On June 30, 2011 the company had reached 826,000 subscribers.- Channels :There are currently:* 94 encrypted channels...
belonging to ITI Group
ITI Group
ITI Group , known as Grupa ITI in Polish, is a large media conglomerate headquartered in Warsaw, Poland. ITI Group controls the Polish television network, TVN, among its many holdings.The ITI Group was co-founded by businessmen Jan Wejchert and Mariusz Walter in 1984...
, was launched.
The decision to split with TVP
Telewizja Polska
Telewizja Polska Spółka Akcyjna is Poland's public broadcasting corporation...
was made by Owsiak because, as he says, his programmes were not broadcasted enough, and the Great Finale of this year was limited only to several five-minutes-long aerial entries.
Criticism
The activity of Jerzy Owsiak is often a subject of criticism from the Right. He is often accused of promoting the motto „róbta co chceta” („do what you want”), which can be interpreted as an encouragement to hedonisticHedonism
Hedonism is a school of thought which argues that pleasure is the only intrinsic good. In very simple terms, a hedonist strives to maximize net pleasure .-Etymology:The name derives from the Greek word for "delight" ....
lifestyle and moral relativism
Moral relativism
Moral relativism may be any of several descriptive, meta-ethical, or normative positions. Each of them is concerned with the differences in moral judgments across different people and cultures:...
. A subject of criticism is also Owsiak's approval of some religious associations during Woodstock Stop (for example The International Society for Krishna Consciousness) which, according to some, is a threat for teenagers.
Moreover, he is also accused of interposing restrictive limitations on journalists accredited on Woodstock, and tolerating the use violence against them.
Filmography
- Historia polskiego rocka (2008, documentary, directors: Leszek Gnoiński, Wojciech Słota)
External links
- Official blog of Jerzy Owsiak (pl)
- Jerzy Owsiak at the IMDBInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...