Hungary’s media regulator has accepted the corrections provided by Klubrádió in the relaunched bid for its former frequency. Therefore, the broadcaster, which had to go off the air last week might still have a chance to reclaim its license.
Hungary’s Media Authority NMHH notified Klubrádió that it accepted the broadcaster’s corrections in the recently relaunched tender for the frequency license it had used, reported media news site Media1.
As a result of the decision, Klubrádió remained the only applicant, allowing for the evaluation of the content of the radio station’s application can begin.
But as Media1 also points out, the regulator could still find problems with the application. So it is far from certain whether the government-critical radio station can take back its license. However, with the new developments, the chances have increased nonetheless.
As we have reported, two days after Klubrádió went off the air, Hungary’s Media Authority decided to continue to accept bids for its former frequency.
The left-liberal Klubrádió is among the last few radio stations in Hungary not under the government’s influence (or any other party’s control). It went off the air on February 14th after a Budapest court rejected an appeal by the radio station against the media regulator’s decision not to renew its license. The decision caused both domestic and international uproar and reignited debates about Hungarian freedom of the press and the governing forces’ excessive power.
Featured photo via Klubrádió’s Facebook page
