Hungary wraps up single independent radio station

Radio Director “Klubradio”, Andras Arato, said on Tuesday that complaints at the Metropolitan Court in Budapest to force the media regulator to issue temporary transmission licenses have been dropped.

“No matter how expected, the decision was shameful and cowardly”, Arato said, adding that although the radio station would not be broadcast through airwaves, listeners would have access to it via the internet.

“Klubradio” is mostly heard in the capital, Budapest. News and conversations on this radio often contain criticism of Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government, writes Free Europe.

In September last year, the regulator NMHH, comprised of only Orban supporters, refused to extend the license of radio station “Kulubradio”, saying it twice delivered the documents late.

This violation usually brings fines, but not denial of license. The regulator's announcement of this radio station raised new concerns about the government's political pressure on media in Hungary.

Hungary is currently being investigated by the EU for minimising the independence of the justice system, media and nongovernmental organisations. This country risks losing access to tens of billions of euros from European Union funds.