Echo TV
 | |
| Country | Hungary |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Hungary |
| Headquarters | Angol Street 65-69, Budapest, 1149 |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | Hungarian |
| Picture format | 576i (16:9 SDTV) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Echo Hungária TV Zrt (part of Talentis Group) |
| History | |
| Launched | September 15, 2005 |
| Closed | March 31, 2019 |
| Links | |
| Website | www |
Echo TV was a Christian-conservative[1] Hungarian television channel owned and operated by Echo Hungária TV Zrt,[1] and founded in 2005 to cover business news.[2] Later focusing on news broadcasting and public affairs, it was known as a supporter of Fidesz and KDNP.[3]
History
Echo TV founded as a business news channel in 2005[4] at the initiative of Gábor Széles, the 4th richest man of Hungary (as of 2017) and the head of Videoton and Ikarus Bus.[2] Széles had only days previously purchased Hungary's daily Magyar Hírlap; the acquisition of both stations helped Széles establish a major media presence in Hungary.[5] Széles reportedly spent two billion Hungarian forints in creating Echo TV.[6]
In 2006 Echo TV became a media partner of Feratel media technologies AG, based in Austria.[7]
Gábor Széles sold Echo TV to Fidesz-backed businessman and oligarch Lőrinc Mészáros on December 2, 2016.[2]
On December 4, 2017 the whole channel was renewed.[8] Echo TV ceased operations on March 31, 2019. Its staff and technical equipment were integrated into Hír TV, which had returned as a pro-government media portfolio after the 2018 parliamentary election.[9]
Association with far-right politics
According to Le Monde, Echo TV was a forum favored among neofascists in Hungary.[10]
After the 2010 election in Hungary, Echo TV displayed an image of Imre Kertész, a Hungarian survivor of Auschwitz and nobel laureate, alongside a voiceover about rats.[11] Sándor Pörzse was a well-known host for Echo TV before helping to found Jobbik's paramilitary organization the "Hungarian Guard," later banned by the Hungarian Government.[12] Sándor Pörzse was removed from the Echo TV in 2009.[13]
One of Echo TV's better known broadcasters was Ferenc Szaniszló, known for his racist and anti-Semitic statements.[10][14][15][16][17][18] In 2011, Hungary's media regulator fined Echo 500,000 Forints after Szaniszló compared Roma people to "monkeys".[19]
References
- ^ a b HAZÁNK LEGFRISSEBB TELEVÍZIÓJA LETT A KERESZTÉNY-KONZERVATÍV ECHO - András Kárpáti - Magyar Idők
- ^ a b c Nemzeti erők egyesítése: Új tulajdonosa van az Echo Televíziónak - Tamás Pindroch - Magyar Hírlap
- ^ Új tulajdonosa van az Echo TV-nek - Magyar Idők
- ^ "Rövidesen indul az ECHO TV". 3 June 2005.
- ^ "Gábor Széles buys daily Magyar Hirlap". MTI Econews. 19 September 2005.
- ^ "Széles to Start TV Channel". EASTBUSINESS.ORG. 1 December 2005.
- ^ "Ots news: feratel media technologies AG". AWP OTS. 22 December 2006.
- ^ PÁLYÁRA ÁLL A MEGÚJULÓ ECHO TV - Attila Borsodi - Magyar Idők
- ^ Megszűnt az Echo TV, ám a Hír TV dolgozóit bocsátották el
- ^ a b Stolz, Joelle (29 March 2012). "Prime au fascisme en Hongrie". M - Le Monde. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
- ^ "Budapest Experiences A New Wave of Hate". Spiegel Online International. 14 October 2010. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
- ^ Oehmke, Philipp (16 December 2011). "Hungary's Right-Wing War on Culture". Spiegel Online International.
- ^ "Ki védi meg az Echo Tv-t?". 20 March 2011.
- ^ "Tancsics Prize returned". 24 March 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-03-30. Retrieved 2013-04-27.
- ^ Thorpe, Nick (18 March 2013). "Anger at Hungarian journalist prize". BBC News.
- ^ "Hungarian government awards Tancsics prize for journalism to notorious". 17 March 2013.
- ^ "Hungarian journalist to return state honor, denies anti-Semitism".
- ^ "Hungary asks reporter to return award over anti-Semitism row". Reuters. 20 March 2013. Archived from the original on 23 March 2013. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
- ^ "Hungary sparks outrage with honours for far-right figures". Agence France Presse. 17 March 2013.
External links
- Official website (in Hungarian)
- Echo TV on Facebook
