Gradual restart of news services on Hungarian public media begins

The gradual restoration of news programming on Hungarian public media (on M1, on public media radio stations, and on digital platforms) began over the weekend, the public broadcaster, MTVA announced in a statement on Saturday. The statement spoke about “beginning the gradual rollout of the new structure across a significant portion of the radio portfolio as well as the television channels of the public service,

aiming to provide the public with credible, fact-based, objective, and impartial information.”

According to the announcement, the gradual restart of news broadcasting “is linked to the fact that, when operation was temporarily suspended, interim CEO Dr. András Horváth issued the new News Service Principles for public service news coverage” The gradual introduction of the revised structure of the news service ensures that operation will resume in accordance with these professional standards and under the appropriate organizational and operational conditions.”

According to MTVA’s announcement, the current operating procedures for news broadcasting are as follows:

• Kossuth Radio and Bartók Radio will continue to broadcast Bartók Radio’s programming, with news broadcasts resumed on Bartók Radio on 11 July, thereby ensuring that listeners of both channels remain informed.
• News programming resumed on the M1 television channel at the same time as it did on the radio channels. For the time being, the most important information is displayed on a ticker running across the bottom of the screen on this channel. Live programming, as well as public affairs and political commentary programs will be launched in the next phase of the restructuring.
• News coverage is again available in the usual time slots and formats on the music channels and on internet-based stations, including the associated web-based and streaming platforms.

According to the announcement, “the interim management of public media is gradually restoring the new news structure in accordance with the professional requirements of public service broadcasting”.

Hirado.hu, which was also suspended last week, will not resume operations for the time being; MTVA promised to provide further information on this at a later date.