Magyar Rádió

Hungarian Radio / Radio Budapest

Type	Radio network
Country	Hungary
Availability	International
Launch date	December 1, 1925
Website http://www.english.radio.hu/

Magyar Rádió (MR, The Hungarian Radio Corporation, also known internationally as Radio Budapest) is Hungary's publicly funded radio broadcasting organization. It is also the country's official international broadcasting station. Magyar Rádió was admitted to full active membership of the European Broadcasting Union on 1 January 1993.

Domestic networks

With its headquarters in Budapest and several regional offices around the country, MR is responsible for public service broadcasting throughout the Hungarian Republic. As well as maintaining nine regional studios, the corporation produces three nationwide Hungarian-language radio channels (MR1-Kossuth, MR2-Petőfi, and MR3-Bartók) covering the full range of public-service radio provision, and a fourth channel (MR4) aimed at the country's linguistic minorities.

MR1-Kossuth Rádió

Named after Lajos Kossuth, MR1-Kossuth Rádió is the official radio station of the Republic of Hungary, and is the flagship channel of the Hungarian Radio. Created in 1925, the station has over 3 million listeners per day.^[1] It primarily broadcasts news, including interviews, discussions, and reports.

MR2-Petőfi Rádió

Named after the poet Sándor Petőfi, the station is available nationwide in the western FM band. It is aimed at the younger generation and broadcasts pop music.

MR3-Bartók Rádió

Named after the composer Béla Bartók, the station is a dedicated classical music station that airs on a nationwide basis in the western FM band in stereo. It hosts some high culture talk programme in addition to a lot of orchestra 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.^{[citation needed]}

MR4

This radio channel airs programmes in languages of national minorities of Hungary.

MR5

Parliamentarian broadcasts.

MR6

Regional broadcasts. Studios: Debrecen, Pécs, Szolnok, Szeged, Miskolc, Győr.

International broadcasting

Radio Budapest output (1950-1996)

For a comparison of RB to other broadcasters see

Estimated total direct programme hours per week of some external radio broadcasters
Broadcaster	1950	1960	1970	1980	1990	1996[1]
VOA, RFE/RL & Radio Marti	497	1,495	1,907	1,901	2,611	1,821
China Radio International	66	687	1,267	1,350	1,515	1,620
BBC World Service	643	589	723	719	796	1,036
Radio Moscow / Voice of Russia[2]	533	1,015	1,908	2,094	1,876	726
Deutsche Welle	0	315	779	804	848	655
Radio Cairo / ERTU	0	301	540	546	605	604
Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting	12	24	155	175	400	575
All India Radio	116	157	271	389	456	500
NHK World Radio Japan	0	203	259	259	343	468
Radio France Internationale	198	326	200	125	379	459
Radio Netherlands	127	178	335	289	323	392
Israel Radio International	0	91	158	210	253	365
Voice of Turkey	40	77	88	199	322	364
Radio Pyongyang / Voice of Korea	0	159	330	597	534	364
Radio Bulgaria	30	117	164	236	320	338
Radio Australia	181	257	350	333	330	307
Radio Tirana	26	63	487	560	451	303
Radio Romania International	30	159	185	198	199	298
Radio Exterior de España	68	202	251	239	403	270
Radiodifusão Portuguesa Internacional	46	133	295	214	203	226
Radio Havana Cuba	0	0	320	424	352	203
Radio RAI International	170	205	165	169	181	203
Radio Canada International	85	80	98	134	195	175
Radio Polonia	131	232	334	337	292	171
Radio RSA / Channel Africa	0	63	150	183	156	159
Sveriges Radio International	28	114	140	155	167	149
Magyar Rádió	76	120	105	127	102	144
Radio Prague[3]	119	196	202	255	131	131
Voice of Nigeria[4]	0	0	62	170	120	127
Radio Belgrade	80	70	76	72	96	68
Source: International Broadcast Audience Research, June 1996 The list includes about a quarter of the world's external broadcasters whose output is both publicly funded and worldwide. Among those excluded are Taiwan, Vietnam, South Korea and various international commercial and religious stations. Notes: 1996 figures as at June; all other years as at December. Before 1991, broadcasting for the former USSR. Before 1996, broadcasting for the former Czechoslovakia. Nigeria's external service is now off air.

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 the Hungarian public opinion, and general taste.

It is true in spite of the fact that regular television broadcasts were launched in Hungary in 1958. Forty years later, in 1998, the dual media system was formed. Owing to that a regular competition started between the different mass media channels. Since commercial television and radio stations flooded the market primarily with entertainment industry products, the value-centered approach and program structure of the public service radio makes it, if possible, even more important to preserve its culture creating and broadcasting functions.

Hungarian Radio P.L.C. has three nationwide radio channels. Two of its channels broadcast news, political, economic and cultural programs round the clock. It is a partner to the domestic audience and a link with the Hungarians over the frontiers, a chance for them to retain their national identity. Hungarian Radio could use 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 Eszterházy’s 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 has cancelled the programming in foreign languages.

References

External links

• Website
• MR1-Kossuth Rádió Online
• MR2 Online
• MR3-Bartók Rádió Online
• Magyar Rádió Streaming
• Hungarian Radio