Invitation to tender for the opportunity to provide national commercial radio media services: registration

The Media Council published its invitation to tender for the provision of national commercial radio media services through an announcement and on its website on 8 September 2017. Submissions were received from two tenderers; both were called upon by the Media Council to remedy to formal deficiencies on 15 December. After the formal examination of bids, the Media Council registered the bid of Hold Reklám Kft., but refused to register the bid submitted by the other tenderer, Advenio Zrt. The latter failed to properly remedy the deficiencies and its business plan was based on a wrong calculation, thus, its bid did not meet the requirements included in the invitation to tender. This is a formal error where the Authority has no discretion as to whether to refuse the registration or not.

Each step of the tender procedure is available on the Authority’s website under Invitation to tender for the opportunity to provide radio media services through analogue terrestrial broadcasting with nationwide coverage (2017). On grounds of refusal of registration, tenderer may file a request for a judicial review with the court, resulting in the suspension of the tender procedure. In this case, the Media Council will only resume the procedure after a court decision.

Further radio-related decisions

At the joint request of the media service providers concerned, the Council authorised the networking of the media service licences for Kiskunfélegyháza 91.1 MHz and Kiskunmajsa 88.2 MHz with the media service licence for Budapest 96.4 MHz as of 26 February. In addition, Sirius Rádió 91.1 will continue broadcasting as Rádió 1 Sirius, while Sirius Rádió 88.2 MHz will broadcast as 88.2 Rádió 1 in the future.

Grants under the Patronage Programme

Through thirty successful tenders, small community, commercial and community radios will receive a total of HUF 84.1 million in the fourth round of the tender for the support of the production of news programmes as well as thematic and public-service magazine programmes under the Media Council’s Hungarian Media Patronage Programme in 2017. In the news programme category, FM7 Rádió in Eger, Fortuna Rádió in Paks, Klubrádió in Budapest, Sárvár Rádió, Rádió 88 in Szeged, Gong Rádió in Kecskemét, Rádió 1 in Debrecen and Komló, Megafon FM in Balassagyarmat, Aktív Rádió in Szolnok and Karcag, Sirius Rádió in Kiskunfélegyháza and Kiskunmajsa and Rádió Szarvas won. Karc FM in Budapest, Európa Rádió’s stations in Kisújszállás and Nyíregyháza, Tisza-tó Rádió in Tiszafüred, Bajai Rádió, Rádió Törökszentmiklós, Kunság Rádió in Kiskőrös and KORONAfm100 in Kalocsa received grants for the production of public-service magazine programmes. Balaton Rádió, broadcasting in the eastern region of Lake Balaton, and Jazzy Rádió in Budapest will have the opportunity to make thematic magazine programmes. Rádió 1 Sopron, Forrás Rádió in Tatabánya and Rádió Antritt in Szekszárd received grants for the production of both news programmes and public-service magazine programmes.

Under the Escher Károly Tender for grants to support the immediate on-site filming of ad hoc events, The Council provided a grant of HUF 960,000 for shooting a key scene in the documentary on Brassaï, one of the greats in the history of Hungarian photography. The documentary is directed by István Borsody and the grant will be spent on recording an interview with 95-year-old pianist Attila Lengyel, the photographer’s recently found good friend living in Paris.