Review of the parental lock recommendation

The Media Council has reviewed its parental lock recommendation, and established that its modification is not justified from a technical point of view, although still too few parents use such internet and television security solutions. Though service providers continue to provide an increasing range of options to protect minors, it is still often the case that they deviate from the recommendations and do not use the various tools indicating harmful content. Therefore, upon request by the Media Council, the National Media and Infocommunications Authority will solicit service providers to take the contents of the recommendation into consideration, and popularise the parental lock solutions to filter out harmful content. Based on the results, the Media Council will examine the practice conducted by the service providers in this area.

Festival funding

The Media Council provides a grant of a total of HUF two million for the prizes of the International Nature Film Festival of Gödöllő held at the end of May, supporting the first prize received by the winners of the Carpathian Basin Film Review and the natural values of the Carpathian Basin sections. The body will award HUF 1.8 million to the 3^rd Seven Hills Film Festival of Komló in September, awarding the first three places of the documentary, animation and short film categories. Additionally, it honours the winner of the public choice award of the 3^rd Zsigmond Vilmos International Film Festival of Szeged (28 May - 1 June) with HUF 500 thousand. The Media Council furthermore offers HUF 750 thousand to the winners of the three main categories of the 5^th Hungarian Special Independent Film Festival – in the special film, independent/professional film and parafilm categories.

Decisions concerning radio frequencies

The Board finalised the text of the invitations to tender for the usage of the Balatonfüred 96.2 MHz and Tardos 95.5 MHz local and the Győr 88.1 MHz regional community frequencies, and will publish them on its website on 18 and 24 April, respectively. The tender applications may be submitted for the relevant frequencies at the end of May and early June.

The Media Council also approved the draft text of the tenders for the community use of the local radio frequencies Keszthely 93.4 MHz and Szombathely 97.1 MHz.

In the local radio frequency tender procedure of Tihany 105.7 MHz, announced for commercial use, the board requested the correction of deficiencies from Rádió Helló Kft., following formal examination of the said company’s application. Lajta Rádió Kft., the other applicant, withdrew its tender application, and therefore ceased to exist as a client. The Media Council also requested the corrections of deficiencies from Magyar Katolikus Rádió Alapítvány, the sole applicant of the tender announced for the community use of the local radio frequencies Gyöngyös 102.2 MHz and Sátoraljaújhely 90.6 MHz.

Media Surveillance Decisions

The Media Council imposed a fine in the amount of HUF ten thousand on service provider 7.TV. of Békéscsaba, for broadcasting surreptitious advertising in one of the December shows of their programme titled Púder: in the context of home haircare, they presented a product family of hair cosmetics both verbally and visually that might have suggested to the viewers to purchase the product, while not openly admitting the commercial nature of the case.

The Media Council imposed a fine in the amount of HUF fifty thousand on service provider Aktív Rádió of Szolnok, as it aired less text assisting local community life and public service than that undertaken in the public contract.

When imposing a fine, the Media Council always determines the form and extent of the fine with due consideration to all circumstances of the specific case, including all other violations in the same subject previously committed by the operator and employs the principle of progressiveness and proportionality.

The full agenda of the Media Council’s weekly sessions can be found on the Board’s website, along with the minutes of meetings and all decisions taken; the latest decisions will be published after the required validation and administration period.