The aftermath of the Hungarian election: The biggest opposition newspaper shuts down

According to 24.hu, two members of the media empire belonging to Lajos Simicska, Magyar Nemzet (mno.hu) and Lánchíd Radio, will be closed down this week.

The last issue of the historic Magyar Nemzet (Hungarian Nation) will be published tomorrow, while its online version will not be updated anymore, it will function as an archive. Lánchíd Rádió (Chain Bridge Radio) will be shut down at midnight.

The staff of the two mediums found out about the decision this morning.

Lajos Simicska, the former economic key figure of Fidesz turned against Viktor Orbán publicly on a day, referred to as G-day (G stands for a Hungarian swearword), in February 2015. In the past three years, he financed his oppositionist media empire from his private fortune that he acquired through Közgép.

Based on the information of 24.hu, HírTv will not be affected by the decision, the television channel will survive the post-election rationalisation with a cutback.

According to the most recent data, the number of issues sold of Magyar Nemzet was 13,608. This is approximately one-third of the sales produced around the G-day.

There is no public data available regarding the viewership of HírTv. However, 65 thousand people (over the age of 15) listened to Lánchíd Radio between October-December, 2017.

Based on the sources of 24.hu, Heti Válasz is set to become independent and look for a new investor.

It is also believed that an offer has been made for Magyar Nemzet, but negotiations have not started yet.

For that matter, the broadcasting permission of Lánchíd Radio obtained seven years ago would have expired at the end of this October.

Featured image: www.mno.hu

Source: https://24.hu/