Nearly HUF 125 million granted for production of television programmes
At its latest session, the Media Council of the National Media and Infocommunications Authority (NMHH) decided to award grants amounting to nearly HUF 125 million for the production of news, public affairs and cultural magazine programmes to local and regional television stations. The body investigated two rural radio stations for breaching contractual obligations, declared the winners of a radio tender procedure in Budapest and one in Szolnok, and carried out the formal review of several tender offers. The Council also approved its supervision plan for next year.
News, public affairs and cultural magazine programmes can be produced with nearly HUF 125 million
The Media Council announced the winners in its funding scheme for local and regional television stations in the third round of the call for tenders to support the production of news programmes, public affairs and cultural magazine programmes. Twenty-four television tenders are given a total funding of HUF 124.25 million. Régió TV in Esztergom, Móra-Net TV in Mórahalom, Kistelek Városi Teelvízió, Szentes Televízió, Irány TV in Ládbesenyő, Soltvadkerti TV and Csurgói Városi Televízió will be able to produce public affairs magazines with the money awarded. TV Budakalász, Csaba TV, Debrecen Televízió, Veszprém TV, Hegyvidék Televízió, Gyula TV, Kecskemét Televízió, Tolnatáj Televízió and Szombathelyi Televízió can create news programmes. Salgótarjáni Városi Televízió, Halas TV, TV Szentendre, Nyíregyházi Városi Televízió, Szeged Televízió, Gyula TV, and d1 TV and Apostol TV in Budapest submitted successful tenders to produce cultural magazine programmes.
Decisions about the radio frequencies
The Council announced the results of the tendering procedures for the Budapest 102.1 MHz small-community regional media service and for the commercial use of the Szolnok 102.4 MHz local media service: the former was awarded to Katolikus Rádió Zrt. and the latter to Best Radio Kft. The Council completed the formal review of the tendering procedures for the community use of the Esztergom 92.5 MHz local, the Győr 88.1 MHz regional media service and the Székesfehérvár small-community radio media service and registered Katolikus Rádió Zrt., Karc FM Média Kft. and Alba Regia Műsorszolgáltató Kft. respectively. In each case, the service providers were the sole tenderers respectively. The tender for the use of the small community radio media service in Szombathely was unsuccessful, as the sole tenderer's tender submission was formally invalid.
The Media Council accepted and published on its website the draft call for tenders for the small-community use of the Budapest 92.9 MHz regional media service.
The Media Council accepted its supervision plan for next year
The Council accepted the Media Council’s supervision plan for 2022. Within the framework of general regulatory supervision, the NMHH will continue to monitor media service providers, including the intensity of sound in commercials, the examination of the annual average thirty-five per cent ceiling defined by the law for crime news and reports of high-reach news programmes, and the quantitative analysis of news and magazine programmes. A separate area of investigation next year will continue to be the monitoring of compliance with the child protection rules in children's television channels and the use of the age rating of “not recommended for children under six”. In 2022 the Media Council will continue to monitor the programmes of non-Hungarian media service providers subject to classification, and the provision of television services for the visually impaired as well as for the hearing impaired. The Council also monitors compliance with the requirements for effective technical solutions to protect minors and monitors the compliance of the age rating of films. New tasks in the 2022 supervision plan include monitoring the operation of linear online radio media services and checking compliance with video-sharing platform service requirements. The supervision plan is available on the authority’s website.
Decisions of the Media Council
The Council levied a penalty of HUF 25 000 on the service provider of 91.1 Rádió 1 Sirius in Kiskunfélegyháza and warned Manna FM in Budapest for breaching contractual obligations: both providers broadcast less public service programmes, and the former aired less talk and fewer programmes dealing with local public life and helping everyday local life. The Media Council warned the operator of Miskolc Televízió because it broadcast an advertisement in September without a distinctive warning sign which may have misled viewers.
The full agenda 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.