Hungary’s leading independent radio station loses broadcast licence

Hungary’s leading independent radio station Klubradio lost an appeal Tuesday to keep its broadcasting licence after the country’s media regulator said it had infringed administrative rules, raising new press freedom concerns in the EU member state.

The station, whose news and talk content is often critical of the Hungarian government, will continue broadcasting online from Monday, Andras Arato, head of Klubradio, told AFP.

“The decision, although expected, was a political one, shameful and cowardly,” said Arato, adding that the station would file an appeal in the Supreme Court and consider legal action at the European level.

In September Hungary’s media regulator NMHH said Klubradio, which broadcasts mainly in Budapest, had “repeatedly infringed” rules by twice submitting late documents about its output, and refused to extend its seven-year operating licence which expires on February 14.

The station accused the regulator of discrimination for overlooking similar infringements in other licensing decisions, and appealed to the Metropolitan Court in Budapest to force the body to issue a temporary broadcasting licence.

But the court said that the NMHH’s decision was  “correct” and noted that Klubradio had not legally challenged infringing the rules so a ruling on issuing a temporary licence was “outside its remit”.

The disputed frequency was put up for tender by NMHH after its September decision, and Klubradio and two other stations have applied.

But a final decision is not expected for several months, a delay that Klubradio say will cost them both advertiser revenue and listeners, although it plans to bolster its online presence.

The station, which began broadcasting in the 1990s, had to fight a series of legal battles to stay on air soon after Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s right-wing government came to power in 2010…..read more

 

Source: France24

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