Magyar Rádió

Magyar Rádió (MR, The Hungarian Radio Corporation, also known as the Radio Budapest) was Hungary's publicly funded radio broadcasting organisation until 2015. It was also the country's official international broadcasting station.
Since 2011 MR was managed and primarily funded by the Media Service Support and Asset Management Fund (abbreviated MTVA). This government organization also managed the public service broadcasters Magyar Televízió and Duna Televízió, as well as the Hungarian news agency Magyar Távirati Iroda.
On 1 July 2015, Magyar Rádió and the three other public media organisations managed by the MTVA were merged into a single organisation called Duna Media Service. This organization is the legal successor to Magyar Rádió and is an active member of the European Broadcasting Union.
Domestic networks
With its headquarters in Budapest and regional offices around the country, MR is responsible for public service broadcasting throughout the Hungarian Republic. As well as maintaining regional studios, the corporation produces multiple different Hungarian-language radio channels (Kossuth, Petőfi, and Bartók) covering the full range of public-service radio provision, and a fourth channel (MR4) aimed at the country's linguistic minorities.
Kossuth Rádió
Created in 1925, and named after Lajos Kossuth, the channel is the official radio station of Hungary. It is the main channel of Hungarian Radio. It primarily broadcasts news, including interviews, discussions, reports, and other speech-based programmes.
Petőfi Rádió
Named after the poet Sándor Petőfi, the station is aimed at the younger generation and broadcasts pop music.
Bartók Rádió
Named after the composer Béla Bartók, this is a dedicated classical music station. It hosts high-cultured talk programes in addition to orchestral and opera music. Supposedly, only a few thousand people listen to this station and proposals to terminate Rádió Bartók have been made several times, but never enacted.
Nemzetiségi Rádió
This radio channel airs programmes in languages of the national minorities of Hungary.
Parlamenti Adások
Parliamentarian broadcasts.
Dankó Rádió
Named after Pista Dankó, this radio station airs regional content throughout Hungary, plays folk music, and broadcasts operetta shows. It claims to be available 24/7 on the internet and FM. Also broadcasting on weekdays via medium wave. Then the station's frequencies are handed over to Kossuth Rádió for the rest of the night.
History and profile
Ever since its foundation, the Hungarian Radio P.L.C. has been a "citadel" of domestic information, and cultural life. Since December 1, 1925, the institution has had a decisive role in forming Hungarian public opinion and general taste, even as regular television broadcasts were launched in Hungary in 1958. Forty years later, in 1998, the dual media system was formed. In turn, a regular competition started between the different mass media channels.
Hungarian Radio is a partner to its domestic audience and a point of connection with the Hungarians diaspora. Hungarian Radio uses the slogan often heard in radio commercials: "From clear source only". The buildings and studios of the Radio are located in Budapest, in the block between Bródy Sándor Street and Pollack Mihály Square. There are also two beautiful palaces in this area, one of them was owned earlier by the Eszterházys and the other one by the Károlyi family. The construction of Studio No. 6, the big orchestra studio, is linked with Georg von Békésy’s name, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for his acoustic researches in 1961.
On July 1, 2007, Radio Budapest cancelled programming in foreign languages.
On December 22, 2012, all regional public service radio programs were cancelled and regional studios closed permanently.
On June 30, 2011, Magyar Radio closed its Radio Theatre Office and dismissed all dramaturgy staff.
Digital Radio Broadcasting (DAB+) experiments, which carried all public service stations and were never licensed commercially, was terminated on September 5, 2020.
In popular culture
In 1974, Locomotiv GT's Locomotiv GT (Dunhill Records 811) was released with a bumper sticker with the slogan "Radio Budapest Loves You!"
See also
György Szepesi, Hungarian radio personality and sports executive
References
External links
Kossuth Rádió Online
Petőfi Rádió Online
Bartók Rádió Online
Magyar Rádió Streaming
Eastern Bloc mass media
Radio stations in Hungary
International broadcasters
European Broadcasting Union members
Hungarian-language radio stations
Multilingual broadcasters
Radio stations established in 1925
1925 establishments in Hungary
2015 disestablishments in Hungary
Government-owned companies of Hungary
MTVA (Hungary)
Publicly funded broadcasters