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Draft:Petőfi Rádió

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Petőfi Rádió
Broadcast areaCentral Europe
Programming
Language(s)Hungarian
AffiliationsEBU
Ownership
OwnerDuna Média (MTVA)
History
First air date
1 December 1933; 90 years ago (1933-12-01)

Petőfi Rádió is the Hungarian music radio station of the Duna Media Service, which is available throughout the country on FM, as well as via satellite and the internet. Its music ranges from the Hungarian mainstream to the underground.

In the past, the station presented the latest and most successful music from all over Europe and the world, with a special emphasis on young Hungarian and Carpathian Basin talent, and also R'n'B, urban and hip-hop recordings, which were not played on any other radio station in Hungary except Petőfi. In addition to music, the station also broadcasts lifestyle, cultural and public affairs information. The radio's programmes and the content of M2 Petőfi, M2's evening show, are produced jointly by MTVA and IKO Broadcast Centrum Kft.

History

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The beginning

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Technical background

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In the summer of 1932, the radio started its experimental transmission with 3 kW, under the name Budapest II. On 1 December 1933, the 120 kW transmitter station in Lakihegy was inaugurated. Instead of 3 kW, Budapest II was now broadcasting at 20 kW. Official, regular broadcasting began on 16 December 1934. On 1 February 1949, the radio changed its name from Budapest II to Petőfi Rádió. In 1982, the Political Broadcasts Department became part of the current editorial department of Magyar Rádió. In the same year, the Entertainment Department was split off from the Literary Department, which dealt with sports broadcasting separately from the political broadcasts.

On 27 August 1949, a large transmitter was launched with a power of 135 kW at a frequency of 1040 kHz, with a 126 m high anti-fading antenna (MÁVAG). On 15 March 1950, the frequency was changed to 1187 kHz. Balatonszabadi-Sóstó was built in 1951, using material from the Lakihegy transmission tower, with a 146 m high MÁVAG antenna. From 24 October 1953, this transmitter transmitted at a power of 135 kW on 872 kHz and then on 1250 kHz. The transmitter was later (1988) used by Juventus Radio (810 kHz) and is currently used as a back-up transmitter for Kossuth Radio during maintenance of the transmitter in Solti. Petőfi was broadcast from 1986 onwards from the newly completed Marcali transmitter on 1251 kHz with a power of 500 kW, covering the whole of the Danube region. The Marcal transmitter currently broadcasts the Nationality programmes with 300 kW power on 1188 kHz.

Youth programmes in the early days

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In March 1947, an independent children's programme entitled Radio Children's News was launched on Budapest II. In the 1950s, the World Youth Meeting and the World College Championships are broadcast, and in 1954 the Radio Children's Choir is formed. Later, in 1958, a children's programme called Magic Eye was launched.

In the early 1960s, the first Sunday afternoon youth magazine programme for young people, Bag Radio, was broadcast. In 1965, a reportage programme for 14-20 year-olds entitled "Studio Twenty" is launched.

In 1975, the range of youth programmes was further expanded, the afternoon youth programme series was launched, and in 1976, youth magazine programmes were merged on Petőf under the title Fifth Speed. The epoch-making programme suddenly became hugely popular. The modern-sounding music magazine programme is considered the forerunner of many later youth programmes.

Before 2007

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Since 1984, Petőfi Radio has been broadcasting 24 hours a day. There is music at night and news every hour. With the expanded broadcasting hours, new programmes are also launched: the Sunday morning cultural weekly Gondolat-jel, the Friday-Friday music special, and the nightly Owl programme.

In 1996, experimental broadcasting starts in Budapest on the 94.8 MHz Western Standard VHF frequency. In 1998, the switchover from the eastern UHF (OIRT) band to the western standard, CCIR UHF band took place, and at the beginning of 1999, medium wave broadcasting was also discontinued.

By the turn of the millennium, despite the fact that Petőfi also hosted several youth programmes, it was much more of a radio station for the elderly. A radical change came in 2007, when the station's mixed programming was replaced by a 24-hour music programme dedicated mainly to young people, showcasing the most promising talents in popular music from home and abroad.

Reception

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Ultra-shortwave (FM) (from 1998)

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Eastern URH (OIRT FM) network before 1998

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Medium wave (from 1999)

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DVB-T

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The broadcast can be heard digitally in stereo quality on the digital terrestrial TV system (DVB-T) throughout the country, but only a digital TV set or Set-Top Box can decode it.

DAB+ (2009-2020)

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The radio was available for listening on the DAB+ (Digital Audio Broadcasting) platform in Budapest and its surroundings on multiplex 11D, along with seven other radios, as part of the DAB+ test launched in 2009. DAB+ broadcasting in Hungary ceased on 6 September 2020.

See also

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References

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