Jozef “Jopo” Poláček was among the biggest presenter stars of the 90s. He was the voice and face of the Deka hita show and also starred in the marquee morning show Teleráno, where he formed a pair of presenters with Kvetka Horváthová. He talked about how he got on the screens and why he suddenly left television in the podcast
He started compiling and hosting his own charts already in primary school. His love for music stayed with him even in his teenage years and after reaching adulthood, when he started earning his first money as a DJ. In 1993, an unknown man approached him at a disco in Trnava and invited him to audition for a newly emerging radio station.
“I made it and they took me to the Trnava radio station. That was in the years ’93-’94. And then many people went to Markíza TV from that radio. This was, for example, Vlado Voštinár, Marek Makara and several others. The current Minister of Culture also worked there, there were several smart presenters,” Jopo recalled.
The new reinforcement of Telerán caught the eye of Kvetka Horváthová, who chose him as her presenting partner. “The flower went like a rocket, and I wasn’t that good at these things yetbecause after all I was a DJ, not a presenter. Well, somehow I gave it. As it was a lot of trouble at the beginning in that Telerán, I had such a state that I didn’t even want to go there anymore, but somehow I just broke it off.” he said honestly.
He quit the morning show after ten months because he needed to focus on writing his thesis, state paper and finishing university. He thought he would see what would happen to him when the fateful phone call came.
Markíza was looking for a replacement for Slávka Halčáková, who was the host of the Deka hits show, and they approached Jop. “In June 1997, I had a state party in Istropolis. And I remember that I took off my suit, put on jeans and went straight from the state rooms to shoot my first Deka.” he revealed.
He launched the music charts in style, but in 2000 came a major turning point. “When I was about to turn 30, I said to myself: “Okay, Jožko, you always believed in the punk theory that you don’t trust anyone over 30.” So I told the marketing director and Rusk that I’m quitting because I’m going to be 30 and I think it’s disingenuous for a 30-year-old to entertain 15-year-olds.” revealed over time. He felt that he no longer had anything to give to the television project.
According to his own words, everyone looked at him strangely, but he perceived it that way. “I’m a person who tries to be direct, straight, do things and live the way I feel. It’s not always easy, but that’s what I told myself. I left when I didn’t have to, at the height of everything,” reviewed in podcase.
