Media Council head on Klubradio case: ‘I believe in the rule of law’

The head of Hungary’s Media Council on Thursday defended a decision not to extend the broadcast licence of opposition-leaning Klubradio, saying the country’s top media authority “did not take the frequency away” from the station and it would still have a chance to operate in the future.

In a statement, Mónika Karas denied that the station had been discriminated against, saying the Media Council had made several conciliatory gestures towards Klubradio, but ultimately the authority had to abide by the country’s media law. All Media Council decisions can be appealed, she said.

All radio broadcasters are held to the same standard, Karas said, adding the authority showed neither negative nor positive discrimination.

Karas denied press reports suggesting the council had “taken away” Klubradio’s frequency, but rather the radio had been awarded a licence for a specific period of time which it had enjoyed without interruption.

She said the extension of the licence without an application was not permitted by the media law due to various violations of the law by the broadcaster. The Media Council’s head said her authority’s decision on the matter was therefore circumscribed by the law.