Do you get the message? Saving Civil Radio is about much more than the fate of just one radio station.

When we speak about the difficulties facing Civil Radio, we speak not only about the problems of one radio station, but those of many small independent community radio stations in Hungary and around the world. When we established Civil Radio 20 years ago we were convinced that a society can only be strong and confident if everyone has the right to speak freely and their voice is not silenced. We wanted to set up a radio station where not only the “privileged people” or “officially approved persons” would be allowed to speak, but where everyone could have their say and all topics could be discussed.

After 20 years our society seems to be farther from this goal than ever before. Today in Hungary short sighted political interests keep many voices silent. Those who are in the position to have their voices heard have turned a deaf ear to the voice of the minority. There is less and less support from the government for activities of civil organisations and the money is being redirected for other purposes. New legal regulations and intentional political action have made it difficult to operate NGOs freely in Hungary.

We need to fight not only for the existence of Civil Radio but also for the disappearing independent radio sector in Hungary and for the platforms which make it possible to express our opinion freely. Most independent radio stations went bankrupt due to the new media law as its implementation into everyday practice simply forced them to terminate their broadcasts.

We ask you to share our story with others – please, let everyone know that there is an independent community radio in Eastern Europe, in Hungary, which fights for the freedom of speech.