The prospects for Hungary’s embattled indie radio station Klub Radio seem to be improving. When last we posted on this subject, Budapest saw a sizable demonstration on behalf of the signal, which lost a crucial license to an obscure easy listening broadcast group. Civil liberties groups cried foul, and so did European Commission media maven Neelie Kroes.
But now Kroes is crowing over discussions she has been having with Hungary’s center-right government. Here’s her latest tweet on the matter:
I also just spoke to Hungarian Deputy PM Navracsics – we are working towards a solution for
#media#freedom &#pluralism
All this is happening in the context of Hungary negotiating for help from the International Monetary Fund and the European Union. Observers in Brussels are upset at Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s moves to push hundreds of judges into retirement and replace them with picks favorable to the government. The government’s control over media outlets is also causing static.
“No IMF deal will be contingent on the fate of Klubrádio,” notes The Economist. “But the station’s uncertain future is certainly not helping Hungary’s cause. . . . The station, your correspondent predicts, will be saved.”
Let’s hope so.
