NMHH Media Council: nearly HUF 27 million for development to 15 television channels and radio stations

Published: 19 October 2017

The Media Council of the National Media and Infocommunications Authority has granted subsidies to six small community and nine community media in the second round of its call for applications for technical development financing. The Council has imposed fines for surreptitious advertising; it granted the request of Interax Kft., which broadcasts in Békéscsaba at the 88.9 MHz frequency, to sign another provisional public contract; the tender for the Tokaj 101.8 MHz frequency was unsuccessful.

HUF 26.8 million for technical development by community media

In the second round this year of the technical development tender announced under the Hungarian Media Patronage Program, the Council granted  HUF 26.8 million to small community and community media service providers. The eight grant recipient radio stations are Első Pesti Egyetemi Radio, Radio Szarvas, Alpha Radio and the Kornél Lánczos Grammar School’s broadcasts in Székesfehérvár, Táska Radio, Csillagpont Radio and Európa Radio in Miskolc, Trend FM in Budapest and Radio Sun in Gyomaendrőd. There were seven providers among the successful television bidders, namely Szentes Television, Trió TV Transdanubia of Sárvár, Centrum TV of Budapest, Irány TV in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County, TiszapArt Television, which broadcasts in Szeged and its environs, Körös Television of Szarvas and the Kistelek Municipal Television channel.

Sanctions for surreptitious advertising and deviations from the programming schedule

In its 17 July broadcast, 7.TV of Békéscsaba displayed in the top section of the screen various advertising (ranging from cleaning services through trailer rental to hairdressing), which were not flagged as advertising or separated from the program, and therefore the Media Council orders the television service provider to immediately ensure conformity with the requirement for lawful behaviour.

The Council ordered the provider of Dunakanyar Radio to pay a fine of HUF 10,000 because during the week under review it broadcast less new news reporting, fewer programs offering information about local public life and help in everyday life as well as fewer public service broadcasts and it aired more repeats than it had committed to. When imposing a fine, the Media Council always determines the form and extent of the fine with due consideration to all the circumstances of the specific case and employing the principle of progressiveness and proportionality.

Decisions concerning radio frequencies

Interax Kft., which is already broadcasting at the Békéscsaba 88.9 MHz frequency, was granted its request for signing a new provisional public contract for sixty days because the tender procedure issued in May for the use of the frequency has not ended. The Media Council closed and declared unsuccessful the tender procedure for the Tokaj 101.8 MHz local community radio frequency due to formal invalidity in the sole bid. The Council has ordered the bidders in the Budapest 98.6 MHz regional community frequency tender procedure to provide additional information. The Media Council has requested additional information from P1 Rádió Kft. in the tendering procedure of the Pécs 101.7 MHz regional commercial radio frequency.