HUF 30 million to cover operating costs of community radios and TVs

Published: 28 June 2018

The Media Council of the National Media and Infocommunications Authority (NMHH) contributes towards the annual operating costs of three television channels, two community and two small-community radio stations, provides support to immediate on-site filming for two projects and offers a HUF 500,000 special award for the Lakitelek Film Festival. In the tender for local radio frequency Veszprém 95.1 MHz, the Council announced the only bidder, FM 4 Rádió Kft., as the winner, which plans on launching its service under the name “Mária Rádió Völgyhíd”.

Grants provided under the Patronage Programme and award offered for a film festival

Under Media Council’s Hungarian Media Patronage Programme, grants totalling HUF 30.3 million were awarded for seven community media outlets that successfully applied in the fourth round of the tender for the support of running and operating costs. This amount will be used to provide two small-community radios (Rádió Sun in Gyomaendrőd and MaxiRádió in Gyöngyös) and two community radios (Friss FM in Kisvárda and Trend FM in Budapest) support to cover their utilities. For TV channels, successful applicants included Komló és Térsége Televízió, Kanizsa TV, and Völgyhíd TV in Biatorbágy.

This week, the Council also contributed towards the costs of immediate on-site shooting for two productions in the Escher Károly Tender supporting the filming of ad-hoc events under the Patronage Programme. Zsolt Marcell Tóth is planning on making a popular science documentary about large wild animals currently migrating back to Hungary and will receive HUF 1.6 million in support to shoot about bears wandering back into Hungary, with the help of nature conservation watch services. Director Róbert Kövessy will document the final days of the Wichmann Pub that will close after three decades, by speaking to famous patrons of the place; the Council will provide HUF 895,000 in support of this production.

With this week’s decision, the Media Council offered a HUF 500,000 special award for the Lakitelek Film Festival to be held 14-16th November, dedicated to the memory of the Balázs Béla Studio this year. Organising institutions accept submissions by 1st October. Films can be submitted in the chronicle, mirror of an era, cultural education, portrait and fictional shows categories. For details, visit the Film Festival’s website.

Radio decisions

The Council announced the only bidder, FM 4 Rádió Kft., as the winner in the tender for local radio frequency Veszprém 95.1 MHz. As a member of the Mária Rádió Group, the bidder will broadcast as a community radio under the name Mária Rádió Völgyhíd, networking under the licence for Budapest 88.8 MHz.

 The Media Council completed its 2017 verification of compliance with the obligations for radio music programming quotas: in the final phase, it identified infringements by two radio stations in Budapest, Music FM and Rádió 1, and imposed fines amounting to a few tens of thousands of forints on their service providers. Pursuant to the Media Act, radios are required to broadcast Hungarian music in at least 35 per cent of their annual music programming, with 25 per cent of said music covering works no older than five years.