HUF 33.8 million worth of grants to community media service providers for technical developments
At its session this week, the Media Council of the National Media and Infocommunications Authority (NMHH) has decided to provide grants to fifteen community televisions, radio and small-community radio stations in excess of HUF 33.8 million. The board made a number of decisions related to radio tenders, cautioned the service provider of Hír TV for excessively loud commercials as well as the service provider of Magyar Katolikus Rádió 102.6 MHz for the violation of their contractual obligations. This year too, the Media Council will start publishing the data of its Való Világ “barometer” service to call attention to the importance of conscious media consumption.
HUF 33.8 million worth of grants to fifteen applicants for technical developments
In the second round of this year’s technical tender for community media service providers, winners will receive grants amounting to HUF 33.8 million to purchase studio, sound and lighting equipment, broadcasting signal transmission devices and IT equipment required for providing media services. The television stations receiving grants to improve their technical infrastructure include Szentes Televízió, Zemplén TV of Sátoraljaújhely, Gólya TV of Bercel, BKTV of Budakeszi, Mezőtúri Városi Televízió, KisDuna TV Dunaharaszti, Kiskőrös Televízió, Kistelek Városi Televízió, Pannon Televízió of Pécs and Városi TV of Mohács, as well as the community radio Halas Rádió and Klasszik Rádió 92.1 of Budapest. Small-community radios receiving grants include CREDO Rádió of Szombathely, Rádió Smile of Kiskunfélegyháza and Első Pesti Egyetemi Rádió.
Radio tenders
The Media Council has finalised and will publish on its website on 18 December the invitation to tender for the community use of the Budapest 95.3 MHz frequency with a regional coverage area, and has finalised the invitations to tender for the small-community radio media service opportunities based in Berettyóújfalu and Székesfehérvár. Bids may be submitted on 25 January for the Berettyóújfalu tender and on 27 January for the Székesfehérvár tender.
The Media Council performed the formal review of the bids submitted for the community use of the Tihany 97.6 MHz frequency with a local coverage area as well as the formal review of the single bid submitted for the community use of the Zalaegerszeg 104.4 MHz local frequency: for the former, it has registered FM 4 Rádió Kft. and Katolikus Rádió Zrt. and for the latter, it requested additional information from the sole bidder, Mária Rádió Frekvencia Kft.
The Media Council authorised Karc FM Média Kft. to commence its KARC FM 97.7 community media service broadcasting on the Kecskemét 97.7 frequency with a local coverage area by 27 February instead of on 29 December. The board has also authorised Zemplén Televízió Közhasznú Nonprofit Kft. to commence its commercial media service with the permanent name of Zemplén FM 104.9 by 7 March instead of 6 January on the Sátoraljaújhely 104.9 frequency with a local coverage area.
Media supervisory decisions
The average volume of advertisements aired on Hír TV exceeded the average volume of programmes in their vicinity on five occasions in July, therefore the board called on the service provider to comply with the legal requirements and refrain from violations in the future. The board also called on the service provider of Magyar Katolikus Rádió 102.6 MHz to act lawfully in respect of airing fewer self-produced programmes than stipulated in its contractual commitments. When imposing legal consequences, the Media Council always determines the form and extent of these with due consideration of all circumstances of the specific case and employs the principles of progressiveness and proportionality.
The “Való Világ-barometer” continues to monitor the reality show week after week
The Media Council commissioned the office of the NMHH to operate its reality show barometer for another year, with the primary objective of using methods that go beyond administrative investigations to analyse and present through online publication the changes in objectionable content typical to the genre for the sake of protecting children. The authority will continue to rate from week to week and publish on its website the harmful patterns of conduct depicted in the programme Való Világ powered by Big Brother 10. Based on the experience of the previous nine seasons, the “VV-barometer” will analyse the programme with quantitative methods based on six variables – sexuality, nakedness appearing in a sexual context, profane expressions, smoking as well as direct and indirect alcohol consumption. The NMHH’s objective with the barometer is to raise awareness of the importance of conscious media consumption and the harmful effects of critical and harmful content beyond the limitations of law. This year’s statistics can already be studied on the NMHH website.
The full agenda of the Media Council’s weekly sessions can be found on the Board’s website, along with the minutes of the meetings and all decisions taken; the latest decisions will be published after the necessary validation and administration period.