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Media Authority analysis: Fidesz, Orbán dominate news appearances

January 16, 2013

Members of the Hungarian government and the ruling Fidesz party together made about 62.3 percent of the appearances on major news broadcast coverage of the government and Parliament in December, and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán received 5,409 minutes of speaking time, about seven times more than any other politician, according to the monthly analysis of news coverage by the Media Authority (NMHH), published on January 16.

Latest public media layoffs capped at 195

January 15, 2013

The latest round of layoffs from the public media will be no higher than 195 workers, and the aid fund for those who are dismissed will increase to HUF 31.6 million, under an agreement between the body managing public media and its workers, according to reports.

Neo radio continues its life online

January 14, 2013

After losing its broadcast license in a court battle with the Media Council in November, Neo FM has reopened online as neoworldradio.hu.

Amid staff layoffs, public media turns to government-linked private production firms

January 14, 2013

Outgoing editorial staff of Hungary’s public media say that management is outsourcing production to external contractors to compensate for the lack of internal staff, according to Vasárnapi Hírek. Hungary's public media management company, the MTVA, has laid off around 1,000 public media staff since 2011, claiming the cuts are necessary to trim bloated budget costs. The paper reported that some of the outside contracts will go to a production company owned by Csaba Belénessy, the former head of Hungary’s public media news agency, MTI, who was appointed to run MTI during the public media’s early restructuring following the passage of the 2010 media laws.

Top writer claims censorship by public radio

January 3, 2013

Hungarian writer Peter Esterházy has claimed that public radio station Kossuth Radio censored his monthly arts review to exclude comments encouraging listeners to attend the final productions by National Theater director Róbert Alföldi. The director's provocative presentations, which have earned him international acclaim, have riled conservatives in Hungary’s center-right Fidesz party since his appointment to head the National Theater in 2005.  His contract was not renewed by the government and he will step down in July.