The International Press Institute reported: “Hungary’s last independent radio station could be forced off airwaves – The European Union must take action to stop the accelerating elimination of press freedom in Hungary, the International Press Institute (IPI) said today after a government regulator rejected the license renewal of Hungary’s last independent radio broadcaster.”
The news published on the IPI website reads, among other things
“Hungary’s Media Council, which is controlled by Viktor Orbán’s FIDESZ party, rejected the renewal application of Klubrádió, meaning that the Budapest-based commercial talk and news radio station’s license will expire on February 14, 2021, potentially forcing it off the airwaves for good.
Justifying its ruling, the Media Council said that during the last seven years Klubradio had repeatedly violated Hungary’s Media Law. András Arató, chairman of the Board of Directors of Klubrádió, previously denied the station had committed violations that could result in its license extension rejected.Klubrádió’s critical coverage has long made it a target of the Orbán government. The station has been progressively stripped of its frequencies outside the capital, confining it to Budapest. Moreover, when its previous license expired in February 2011, the Media Council refused to extend the license for two years despite three court rulings in the station’s favour. A grass-roots campaign by thousands of listeners added to growing pressure and Klubrádió was awarded a long-term frequency in March 2013.”
To learn more about the topic read the details here.
CCO Magazine quotes in full, without change, the announcement of the KLUBRÁDIO published on 09/11/2020:
“Today the Hungarian media authority has published a statement announcing the cancellation of the broadcasting contract of FM station Klubrádió from February next year. According to the law Klubrádió is entitled to continue its broadcasts for the next seven years. However, the National Media and Infocommunication Authority (Media Council) has stated that they are cancelling the broadcasting rights of FM Klubrádió on frequency 92.2 Mhz as of 14th February 2021.
The Media Council also has announced a bid open for this frequency from next February.
Klubrádió continues to fight with every possible legal and other means to preserve it’s right to broadcast.
The Media Council in today’s statement refers to „multiple breaches of media law” and earlier fines levied on Klubradió as a pretext for discontinuing the frequency permit. This is simply not true. Klubrádió has been operating for the last 19 years absolutely in line with the Hungarian media law and regulations.
This is not first attempt of the Hungarian authorities to silence Klubrádió. After a lengthy legal and court procedure the media authority failed in its attempt to cancel Klubrádió’s broadcasting permit in the early 2010s.
From today it is crystal clear that the Orbán-government through the Media Council wants to suppress and silence every independent voice in Hungary, let it be print media, radio, TV or social media. The cancellation of broadcasting rights of Klubrádió is an open political attack against the freedom of the media in Hungary.
We have only one mission and it is to continue to air programs for the community of all those 3 million people living within the broadcast footprint and those several hundred thousand who daily listen to Klubrádió broadcasts. Klubrádió is the only free and independent FM radio that remained in Hungary broadcasting strong news and current affairs content plus quality cultural programming for the community of Budapest and its suburban area. This radio has been operating on solid financial support of its listeners who allocated 1% of their personal income tax to the radio or their other direct donations. Besides this we have survived on minimum advertising income (due to the distorted advertising market in Hungary).
Klubrádió will never give up and will continue to fight against the political campaign to intimidate and silence us!”
The CLUBRADIO website can be accessed by clicking on the image:
Source: International Press Institute / Klubradio Statement