Monday 25 January 2016

The Hungary games

Kossuth Radio sculpture, photo 


My hunger for Hungary on medium wave. From one of my February 2016 Radio User columns:

Stations that thankfully appear not to be going anywhere in a hurry and which also provide quality programming with a good signal in the UK include RTBF1 from Wavre in Belgium. It entertained me for hours on a long motorway trip on 621kHz with a miscellany of music, including ballads, blues and comedy. 

Another station that remains at the foot of the medium wave band on 540KHz, MR1 Kossuth Rádió from Solt in Hungary. I heard a bulletin of news, features, commentary and some European Champions League football analysis in a half hour bulletin at 1800 UTC. I think this was part of the drive time programme called Round the Corner. It’s not that I speak Hungarian but I could make out the format and the occasional words. This was followed by a children’s programme at 1830 UTC with a beautiful signature tune. The children’s segment is named Vacka Radio and is set in a fantasy called Snow Pile Couch. Drama is also a station staple and I have had MR1 Kossuth Radio on as background listening throughout many winter evenings. Kossuth is named after Lajos Kossuth, a 19th Century Hungarian national hero, who emerged from poverty to become a lawyer, journalist, politician and Governor-President of the country in the 1848-49 revolutions.

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