Media Council: four calls to tender for municipal radio frequencies are open for comments

Published: 28 September 2018

At its latest session, the Media Council of the National Media and Infocommunications Authority (NMHH) adopted the draft calls to tender for the radio frequencies in Baja, Budaörs, Dabas and Solt that are due to expire in February next year. Furthermore, the Council selected Pannon-Sopron Kft. as the winner of the tender for the Sopron 94.1 MHz frequency, approved a networking request and registered the only bid submitted for the Kecel 99.6 MHz frequency. Under the Hungarian Media Patronage Programme, the Media Council decided to provide an ex-post grant for filming additional footage of the renovation of the Opera from the ad-hoc tender budget.

Radio-related decisions

The Council approved the frequency plans for four regional radio media services and their draft calls to tender. Media service providers’ licences for local frequencies Baja 88.7 MHz, Budaörs 104.8 MHz, Dabas 93.4 MHz and Solt 94.1 MHz are due to permanently expire in February next year after 12 years and the Council decided for each of the relevant tenders that these frequencies will remain in commercial use. A public hearing on the drafts is expected to be held on 19th October.

Having performed a content-based examination in the tender for the Sopron 94.1 MHz local frequency, the Council selected the current service provider, Pannon-Sopron Kft., as the winner that will continue to broadcast networked with Budapest 96.4 MHz under the name Rádió 1 Sopron 94.1 MHz.

The Media Council authorised FM7 Heves Kft. to have its media services on the frequencies Gyöngyös 101.7 MHz and Hatvan 87.9 MHz networked with Budapest 96.4 MHz from 1st October. The networked frequencies the service will be broadcasted under the name 101.7 Rádió 1 instead of the previous FM7 101.7 and 87.9.

Having carried out a formal examination in the tender for the commercial use of the Kecel 99.6 MHz frequency, the Council registered the only bidder, Gong Rádió Kft.

Immediate filming grant

Under the Hungarian Media Patronage Programme’s Escher Károly Tender supporting immediate on-site filming costs, director Csaba Káel received HUF 1.8 million in ex-post funding to shoot footage about the reconstruction of the Opera for his documentary about gems of historicist architecture in Budapest. At the same time, the successful applicant undertakes to apply with the raw footage in the next round of the Ember Judit Tender.