Cooperation with Czech partner authority for supervision of Film Mánia and Comedy Central

Published: 24 June 2021

The Media Council of the National Media and Infocommunications Authority (NMHH) approved a draft frequency tender for Gyöngyös. The Council also carried out a formal review of a frequency tender in Pápa and decided on the winners of four rural tender procedures.

Radio tenders

The Media Council decided on the tenders for the community use of the local media services of Szekszárd 104.5 MHz, Salgótarján 99.3 MHz, Szentes 104.3 MHz and Keszthely 92.2 MHz: the winner of these tender procedures was the sole tenderer Karc FM Média Kft.

The Council adopted the draft call for tenders for the use of the small community media service of Gyöngyös. The document is available on the NMHH website from Friday.

In the tender procedure for the commercial use of the Pápa 95.7 MHz local media service, the Media Council carried out a formal review of the submitted tender and called on the only tenderer, Pápai Platán Nonprofit Kft., to remedy the deficiencies.

Decisions of the Media Council

The Media Council issued a HUF 100,000 fine to Dunakanyar Rádio in Vác as the service provider interrupted broadcasting: there were no radio programmes for several days in March and April.

The Media Council imposed a total fine of HUF 40,000 on the service provider of FIX radio for broadcasting less news, and own and public service programmes than stipulated in its contractual commitments during a reviewed programming week in March. The Council also warned the service providers of Tamási Rádió, Sárvár Rádió, 102.4 - Best FM in Szolnok and Rádió Most Kaposvár for deviating from their contractual commitments: the radio stations broadcast fewer programmes dealing with local public life and supporting local daily life, the proportion of Hungarian and foreign music was not adequate, and they broadcast fewer texts and public service programmes than stipulated in their contractual commitments.

In applying the sanctions, the Council again took into account in this specific case that media service providers were also in a difficult position to fulfil their commitments during the pandemic, for example with regards to local programmes.

The Media Council always assesses the type and level of legal consequence based on a gradual approach and the principle of proportionality by taking all the circumstances of each case into account.

In two procedures initiated on the basis of notifications by the Media Council, the Czech partner authority, RRTV, established that the service provider of Comedy Central, broadcasting in Hungary under its jurisdiction, had not violated Czech law, but Film Mánia had. The former broadcast the TV series Family Guy and the latter the film Az ígéret szép szó without an age rating and at an inappropriate time. Both programmes, rated as “Not recommended under the age of 16”, should have been broadcast by the channels only between 9 pm and 5 am, under Hungarian law, so the partner authority cautioned the service providers to comply also with the stricter Hungarian regulations, especially with regard to the Hungarian age-ratings. Film Mánia also violated Czech law, as due to vulgar and offensive language the film should not have been broadcast at 13:15.

The full  of the weekly meetings of the Media Council is available on the council’s website together with the minutes of the sessions and all the resolutions – the latest documents are published after the necessary certification and administration processes.